Chapter 672
Simon and the Grand Duke, having received word from a messenger, were urgently galloping their horses toward the south gate of Bilkenos.
‘The Kingdom of Carlos has dispatched troops?’
Simon bit his lip, sweat breaking out across his forehead.
‘Of all times, why when the Grand Duke’s Ancient Undead are away from the city…!’
[There is no need to be so anxious.]
The gleam flickering within the Grand Duke’s helmet remained calm.
[They will not cause immediate trouble.]
As they rode furiously, they could already see in the distance an army advancing. Through the wide-open city gates, soldiers were still pouring in by the thousands.
Crowds of Northerners had gathered along both sides of the road.
“What the hell do you think you’re crawling up here for? You think there’s scraps left to steal?”
“Turn south while we’re still telling you nicely!”
The atmosphere among the residents was openly hostile, showing not the faintest trace of welcome toward the royal army. They looked ready to start hurling stones at any moment.
Warriors stood at alley mouths with weapons drawn, and archers perched atop rooftops had already nocked arrows to their strings, awaiting the signal.
A stench of war filled the air.
By nature, northerners would have already clashed by now, but they were holding back only due to the Grand Duke’s order.
“Hahaha!”
At the very front of the Carlos Kingdom’s army—
Kang! Kang! Kang!
A man could be seen riding atop a massive undead crab ill-suited for the northern climate. Its shell, hollowed and flattened, was draped with a carpet. Upon it lounged a man with violet hair, arms dangling in arrogant leisure.
It was like a royal procession.
A parasol was fixed above his head to block the sunlight, and in his hand he held a cocktail.
Kang! Kang!
The enormous claws of the crab clashed together, producing constant metallic crashes. Some townsfolk, feeling threatened, flinched and shrank back.
“What a warm welcome from the locals, huh~”
He slurped from the cocktail through a straw, his dark eyes sweeping over the scene.
“Heroes here to save the North, and this is how they treat us? Should I just tear them all to shreds?”
The Kingdom of Carlos’ officially sanctioned war necromancer.
Chronos Stiltshein.
“Calm yourself, Chronos.”
Beside him rode a man proudly leading the royal army on horseback. He was a massive hulk of a man, clad head-to-toe in outrageously opulent, gleaming golden armor.
His jet-black skin, thick caterpillar-like brows, and heavily chiseled features left a powerful impression.
“We are here for peace. Rampaging will not be tolerated.”
The commander of the northeastern front—Romario Sockern.
Under the leadership of Commander Romario and the war necromancer Chronos, the royal army entered the heart of the North without shedding a drop of blood.
At that moment, Chronos narrowed his eyes.
“At last you’ve arrived. Hero of mankind.”
A black full plate, a crimson cape embroidered with the symbol of the North, and a massive bow.
There was no mistaking it.
The legendary Grand Duke of the North, Jin Arskalt.
Chronos licked his lips with his tongue and smirked.
“I’ve been dying to meet you. I’ve been a fan of yours for ages!”
Dududududu!
Her arrival drew forth generals from across the city, leading their troops. Riders unfurled Northern banners, joining the gathering ranks.
The Grand Duke, riding alongside Simon, slowed her horse and raised a hand to signal a halt. Commander Romario, too, clenched his fist behind him to order his men to stop.
The two armies stood facing each other.
Simon glanced back. The generals’ eyes were bloodshot with fury, warriors and riders alike fully armed and itching for battle.
It was a hair-trigger standoff.
Clip-clop. Clip-clop.
The Grand Duke and Romario spurred their horses forward, closing the distance.
“It has been a while, Grand Duke.”
Romario removed his helmet and bowed slightly.
[Commander Romario.]
The Grand Duke did not remove her helm. Chin lifted, she radiated a murderous glare.
[Marching into the North with no warning or report, do you truly seek death?]
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
Romario replied with perfect composure.
“Was it not the North that first requested reinforcements? We have only answered that call.”
[Reinforcements, you say?]
Her expression twisted into a snarl within the helmet. Turning her gaze, she spotted steward Godrick frantically gesturing an X with his arms.
After a moment’s thought, she spoke again.
[By reinforcements, do you mean… the request from two years ago?]
“Precisely. Forgive our late arrival. Mobilizing an army requires many procedures….”
“Romariooo!”
From the Grand Duke’s formation, a man erupted forward like a volcano of fury.
It was Ganiro, the Grand General of the North. His face was flushed scarlet up to his neck, as if personally insulted.
“That foul mouth of yours is good for nothing but pissing! Every time you flap those lips, my guts twist! I’ll rip your entrails out and hang them from your jaw!”
Srrring!
Ganiro drew his sword. Behind Romario, Chronos chuckled with interest, raising a finger.
A curse shimmered at his fingertip.
[Stand down, Ganiro.]
The Grand Duke’s arm barred his path. Though he dared not push past her, his unleashed rage did not abate.
“Do you think we don’t see through your schemes? We asked for reinforcements not only two years ago! Five years ago, seven years ago, twenty years ago! Every time the North was in peril, you made excuses and did nothing! And now suddenly you slither up here in two days’ time?!”
His throat bulged with rage.
“You heard the news, didn’t you? The Three Brothers are dead! Now that the North is on the verge of stabilizing, you come crawling in to snatch the spoils! Did you think I wouldn’t see through your vile trick?!”
All around, the northern soldiers’ eyes burned with murderous hostility.
“Get out of the North at once!”
“Deceitful bastards!”
Wuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
Boos and curses filled the air.
Yet—
“Do not jump to rash conclusions.”
Romario didn’t so much as flinch.
“This campaign has been prepared for six months. The North Star is an enemy of the North, and thus also an enemy of the Kingdom.”
He tugged his reins, his horse stepping closer, and held out an imperial decree toward the Grand Duke.
“This is His Majesty the King’s decree. His Majesty holds great interest in this campaign.”
The Grand Duke inspected the decree. Her face hidden beneath the helmet, no expression could be seen.
“Written in advance, was it?”
It felt like a plan carefully prepared, step by step.
The royal family and nobility of Carlos had always been wary of the North. Grand Duke Jin Arskalt was simply too formidable—whether in military might or in influence.
For them, the ideal situation was always the status quo. The Hero of Humanity, the Second Legion Commander, shackled by the North Star, remaining trapped in the North forever.
For the nobles, the worst scenario would be if the North Star were slain, the North pacified, and the Grand Duke turned her gaze toward the central kingdom.
But now circumstances had shifted suddenly. The Three Brothers who upheld the North Star were dead, and the Grand Duke was preparing for a final battle with the North Star. In such a moment, the Kingdom had dispatched its troops.
‘I still cannot discern their true intent.’
That they moved so quickly was unexpected. The Three Brothers may have fallen, but even so—it was too fast.
She set the decree down and spoke.
[You call this reinforcement.]
“Indeed. We shall lay down our lives aiding the Northern Army, eradicating the North Star, and liberating the North.”
[Then from this moment on, the Kingdom’s army will obey only my orders.]
From within her helm, her eyes gleamed.
This was the North, and here, the Grand Duke’s authority outweighed even that of the King of Carlos.
[In the campaign against the North Star, you must follow any command, no matter how harsh. Do you so swear?]
Romario did not so much as blink before nodding.
“I swear it, upon the name of Romario Sockern.”
[Then wait.]
She turned her reins.
[I shall confer with my generals. Since you barged in without notice, there is neither lodging nor provisions prepared. Make camp in the vacant fields nearby.]
“We shall await your word.”
* * *
Soon after, in the Grand Duke’s council chamber, the most prominent figures of the North had gathered.
“Your Excellency! How could you permit them to remain in Bilkenos?!”
“Bah! Can you not see the Grand Duke’s wisdom? She means to lull them into complacency before striking by night!”
“Regardless, we cannot simply leave these outsiders unchecked!”
The council chamber descended into chaos.
The Grand Duke pressed her aching brow, lost in thought. Simon looked at her with worry.
“Grand Duke.”
“I am fine.”
She raised her head and surveyed the assembled generals.
“I ask you this, my generals.”
Every mouth shut, all eyes fixed upon her.
“Who is our true enemy?”
“The North Star!”
“Correct.”
With the end of her gauntlet, she tapped lightly on the armrest of her chair.
“Many voices clamor to strike them down out of anger. But those twenty thousand men are but the vanguard. Even if we swept them aside, the Kingdom’s main army would come next. Fifty thousand, a hundred thousand—we would face them endlessly.”
She laced her fingers together.
“This is the perfect chance to end centuries of enmity and destroy the North Star. We cannot afford to be hindered by the Kingdom’s army.”
“But Grand Duke!”
The one most violently opposed to the Kingdom’s arrival, Grand General Ganiro, sprang to his feet.
“Have you forgotten? The central nobles have always considered us a thorn in their side!”
To the nobles of Carlos, the North Star was like some half-forgotten legend. It was the Grand Duke herself whom they truly feared.
Jin Arskalt was not called the Hero of Humanity for nothing. Among the people, her popularity surpassed even the King’s, and some even claimed she ought to wear the crown herself.
If the North Star fell, her renown would only soar higher still.
“Surely this is some scheme of theirs! Therefore—!”
“And that is why I bound them to follow only our command.”
The Grand Duke leaned her chin on one hand.
“To strike them now would be folly. We would be forced to fight the entire Kingdom before even facing the North Star. But they arrived too hastily, without the time to forge proper political grounds. They cannot refuse my command. And I will bleed their forces dry in the war against the North Star.”
“And what then, after the North Star is slain?!”
One general, unable to contain himself, shouted.
“It was we who slew the Three Brothers and seized this chance! Even if we kill the North Star, these outsiders will demand rights over Frost Field! They’ll insist on sharing the spoils! Surely that conniving count summoned them here! To divide Frost Field with them—!”
The Grand Duke’s fist shot up.
Boom!
With a single strike, her fist split the round table in two. Instantly, every voice fell silent.
“Idiots.”
Her eyes turned razor-sharp.
“And already you worry about what comes after the North Star.”
Gulps echoed through the hall as generals swallowed hard.
“Our enemy is an undead that has plagued the North for over a thousand years. Even with reinforcements, it may not be enough to slay him. For once, the arrival of aid might be to our benefit.”
She rose to her feet.
“Cast aside your pointless thoughts. What matters now is how we use these reinforcements and how we slay the North Star. Nothing else.”
* * *
The council finally ended after endless chaos. No real conclusion was reached, only that they would reconvene tomorrow.
‘What a tangled mess.’
Simon was walking back to his inn.
‘I thought all we had to do was slay the North Star and the undead. But the web of interests is too thick.’
The Count. And now the Kingdom of Carlos.
More terrifying than the man-eating undead at their gates… were humans themselves.
Breathing in the night air, Simon walked slowly until he reached the inn.
Clack.
Opening the door, he expected to see the place bustling with its usual dinner crowd. Instead, the inn was eerily empty.
He turned his head.
Only two men sat at a table, dining.
“Oh! Hello! Fancy meeting you here.”
The man, tattoos snaking up his neck and wrist, waved cheerfully.
“I’m Chronos. Consider me your senior!”
Beside him, the dark-skinned man raised his head.
“I am Frontline Commander Romario. Might we have a word?”
Simon gave a bitter smile inwardly.
‘Why is everyone so desperate to get a piece of me?’
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