Chapter 675
Simon’s training continued without pause as the North Star War drew near.
Wearing Feer and gripping the Greatsword of Destruction, Simon closed his eyes.
“!”
He soon opened them and swung the massive sword with all his might.
<Kal’s Original – Toxic Fiend Hounds>
Kaang! Kaang! Kraang!
From the path of his swing, monstrous hounds forged from deadly poison leapt into the air before descending with snarls.
Spinning his body once more in a flowing motion, Simon timed his second strike for the moment the toxic hounds fell.
<Kal’s Original – Poison Explosion>
This time, a crescent-shaped slash of sword energy erupted outward, colliding with the descending fiend hounds and shattering them. Poison splattered everywhere, hissing as nearby trees melted into grotesque shapes.
“Urgh.”
Simon lowered the greatsword.
“This isn’t as easy as I thought.”
The Masters of the contracted Legion did not wield any special Geheim.
But in Feer’s case, the greatsword had absorbed the power of Kal, the Plague Beast’s Claw. Simon was training to harness that very strength.
[Khhrrh! Don’t be so hasty, boy! Even Kal himself took time to perfect these techniques.]
“Yes, sir!”
Simon raised the greatsword again, determination burning in his eyes.
After several more swings, the training session ended. Wiping sweat from his damp hair with a towel, Simon gazed up at the sky.
‘I’m still not enough. More. Stronger.’
The North Star itself had no combat ability. Many claimed it was worthless without the Three Brothers, but Simon thought differently.
In history, there had been Grand Dukes who slew the Brothers, yet not a single one who destroyed the North Star. Even his father Richard had chosen not to eliminate it, but rather to defend the North.
No doubt, it would be a formidable battle.
‘I have to grow stronger.’
Just as Simon steeled his resolve—
Kiiririk!
A single Corpse Spider waddled toward him. Curious, Simon looked down to see it stomping its legs and wiggling its rear.
Recognizing the signal, Simon removed Feer’s helmet.
“A messenger, I suppose. I’ll go meet him.”
He had already reported to steward Godrick that he was here, so there was no need to pretend to be the Grand Duke. Moving forward, Simon waited. Before long, a messenger on horseback galloped in.
“Report! Reporting! Ah, the Grand Duke’s disciple!”
“The Grand Duke is inside training. If you have a message for her…”
“It’s urgent!”
The messenger, drenched in sweat, raised his voice.
“The Kingdom’s army struck first! They’ve already marched on Frost Field!”
“!”
Simon’s expression hardened instantly.
“I’ll go at once!”
* * *
A great crisis shook the entire North.
In the dead of night, while everyone slept, frontline commander Romario led the Kingdom’s army in a surprise march. Chronos laid a curse of illusion across the campgrounds and marching routes, while Count Voldemont secretly opened the city gates.
Everything unfolded in an instant. Merchants first discovered the tracks outside the gates and raised the alarm.
The North erupted in chaos, and an emergency council was convened at the Grand Duke’s stronghold.
Generals, elders, administrators, riders—even several townsfolk—nearly a hundred people filled the chamber. Simon sat beside the Grand Duke, quietly gauging the mood.
The atmosphere was explosive.
Humiliated that the Kingdom had taken the initiative, the warriors pointed fingers, their faces flushed red as they shouted with veins bulging.
“We must chase down those bastards immediately!”
It was Ganiro, the North’s second-in-command and Grand General, who bellowed.
“They’re after the North Star, without a doubt! We killed the Brothers and paved the way, and now they dare to steal the glory from us?!”
Bang!
Ganiro slammed the round table, his blazing eyes sweeping across the room.
“If the Kingdom destroys the North Star, then Frost Field and much of the northern territory will fall into Carlos Kingdom’s hands! We must rally our troops and pursue them at once!”
“Calm yourself, Grand General.”
This time, one of the Northern elders spoke.
He was very old, frail even, yet his broad shoulders and solid frame still betrayed the warrior he once was. In fact, he had once held the title of Grand General himself.
“What we’re preparing for isn’t a brawl, it’s war. And we are not ready.”
“Elder!”
“The merchants bringing weapons, arrows, and supplies won’t arrive for two days. The warriors guarding the outer perimeter won’t return for two days either. The wool shearing for winter gear at the ranch will also take two days. Most of all—”
The elder turned to the Grand Duke.
“The 2nd Legion just returned from Frost Field. The Duke herself decreed that we must settle this within two weeks, so this was the minimum preparation period. To charge after the Kingdom now, with no preparations at all—”
He rested his elbows on the table and interlocked his fingers.
“—would be suicide.”
“What nonsense is this, Elder?!”
Ganiro glared furiously, eyes bloodshot.
“Look at the situation! The North has fought the North Star for centuries! You would just hand it over to them?!”
“I mean not to act rashly, young Grand General.”
“We Northerners can last weeks in Frost Field without supplies! You once did the same in your youth—living off monsters!”
“And this—”
Thud!
The elder lifted his leg onto the table. Below the knee, it was gone.
“This is what it cost me.”
“……”
“I survived by gnawing on the frozen flesh of fallen comrades in Frost Field. With proper preparations, that sacrifice wouldn’t have been necessary. And Grand General, you overlook one thing.”
Placing a pipe between his lips, the elder continued.
“They don’t know the way to the Abyss, where the North Star dwells. They’ve rushed ahead blindly. That mistake will cost them.”
“What if…”
Suddenly, all eyes turned.
The boy with blue hair had spoken.
“If that information was leaked? Shouldn’t we consider the possibility?”
“!”
The elder’s face stiffened, and Ganiro scowled deeply.
“Impossible. The only ones present were His Grace the Grand Duke, myself, the Elder, Steward Godrick, and General Blota. Just five. Even if you are a guest, to insult the North’s honor—”
“Not necessarily false, is it?”
The room fell silent.
A young man with ashen-gray hair strode in, carrying the Northern banner over his shoulder. He lightly tapped Simon’s arm and gave him a wink.
Ganiro frowned.
“Step back. This is no place for a rider.”
“Hah, bullshit. In the North, strength decides who belongs.”
The bold young rider plopped himself onto the round table without hesitation.
“I just came from Count Voldemont’s estate.”
All eyes turned to him.
“The Count is gone. Only rabble remain, and his soldiers and closest retainers vanished with him. He defected to the Kingdom.”
He shrugged his shoulders.
“You all know what kind of rat that Count is, don’t you? Always spouting pretty words about doing things for the North, but in truth, he only ever sided with whatever brought him profit.”
Then, glancing at Simon, he added that the current distrust of outsiders in the North was, eight parts out of ten, thanks to Count Voldemont.
“But now that rat has sided with the Kingdom’s army. And what does that mean?”
BWAAANG!
The young rider’s banner slashed through the air, stopping with a violent snap just before striking the round table. The hair of the surrounding commanders bristled in the gust.
“The Count knows the path to the Abyss! Which means, the information leaked to him!”
His gaze shifted.
From the Grand Duke to those present in the council: Godrick, Ganiro, the Elder, and General Blota.
“Among those four, someone leaked the information to Count Voldemont. Which means there’s a traitor.”
Mur-mur mur-mur mur-mur!
The atmosphere in the chamber turned even uglier. Ganiro’s veins bulged red across his face, and the Elder let out a long sigh.
And then—
“Enough!”
At last, the Grand Duke spoke. The rowdy chamber instantly fell into a silence so deep that even a pin dropping would have been heard.
“Get a hold of yourselves, fools! The war we’re discussing here is against the North Star itself.”
Her eyes flashed like blades.
“How dare we fracture among ourselves on the eve of our decisive battle?”
The warriors’ frenzy subsided at her command.
With a movement full of charisma, she crossed her legs and rested her chin upon her hand.
“Grand General. Speak your counsel.”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
The time for final arguments had come.
Grand General Ganiro bowed his head respectfully.
“If the path to the Abyss has leaked to the Kingdom, then we have even less time to waste! We must scrape together every troop we can muster and pursue them immediately!”
The Grand Duke turned her head.
“Elder. Speak your counsel.”
“You cannot make rice by rushing uncooked grain, Your Grace. The two days of preparation were already pared down to the bare minimum. Just as vital as the strength our warriors wield is the foundation that grants them that strength. The Kingdom’s army, in their haste, will surely falter. I believe we should not waver, but march as planned.”
The Grand Duke slowly closed her eyes, weighing both arguments.
A heavy silence descended again, the fate of the North hinging upon her judgment.
“Disciple.”
This time, the Grand Duke called upon Simon.
Startled, he stiffened his back, shocked that she would summon him at this timing.
“Ah—yes!”
“Speak.”
Over a hundred people in the chamber turned their sharp eyes upon Simon.
—Tell them to pursue the Kingdom’s army now.
—Tell them to wait until the scheduled march.
He could feel both conflicting wills pressing against him.
Swallowing nervously, Simon thought hard.
“Our greatest strength right now,” he said carefully, “is surely Hate and the 2nd Legion. And the one who knows their condition best… is you, Grand Duke.”
The expressions of Ganiro and the warriors twisted with frustration. Yet none could rebuke his words. The Grand Duke burst into a hearty, refreshing laugh.
Her laughter rang clear in the silence.
“I have decided.”
At last, she rose from her seat.
“For centuries, we of the North have endured, waiting for the day we could choke the breath from the North Star. And now, can we not endure two days more?”
Ganiro bowed his head low in defeat, while the Elder stroked his beard in satisfaction.
The Grand Duke continued,
“We will not be swayed by the Kingdom’s army. We will march as scheduled, in two days’ time—when we are in the best condition to face the North Star. The 2nd Legion will be made ready within that time. Generals, leave no detail unchecked. That is all.”
At once, all the commanders stood.
“Yes, Your Grace!”
The date of the decisive battle was set, two days later.
Now that the decision was made, there would be no turning back. All would move as one. The chamber quickly emptied as people rushed to their preparations.
“Hopefully…”
Just as Simon turned to leave, he caught the Elder’s muttering.
“…they are not too weak.”
“…?”
Simon blinked, momentarily confused.
“Impudent boy.”
The Grand Duke approached, gently laying her hand upon Simon’s shoulder.
“You bought us a little time. Now go out and train.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“And don’t waste your thoughts on the Kingdom’s army.”
Her sharp eyes, like those of a raptor, narrowed as a beguiling beauty mark stood out upon her face.
She, too, shared a view similar to the Elder’s.
“They have dug their own grave.”
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