Chapter 1029: Act 201 – Flames of Dawn II
It proved to be true.
The autumn air was becoming more pronounced, with the heavy fruits hanging from the branches hinting at the upcoming harvest festival. After entering the “Month of Ariel,” crops across Meiz entered their harvest period. While the military nobility continued to station troops on the western front, they began arranging for the tenants in their territories to start the autumn harvest. Thus, the Silver Queen’s hope of invading Meiz before the harvest was completely dashed—both on the eastern and western fronts.
But it was not altogether fruitless—
After the “Great Solar Eclipse” on Saint’s Day, the unnatural glaciers and snow around the Golden Needle Forest and Silver Valley Bay in East Meiz began to gradually melt. The war on that day had dealt a devastating blow to agriculture in the area, with both Fatan Port and Owesen facing an imminent food crisis, forcing the nobles to urgently order food supplies from the Ludwig and Mehotofen regions for disaster relief. The multiple eclipses over the past few days inevitably incited panic in the region, with astrologers proclaiming to the public that it was caused by the chaotic influence of a once-in-a-thousand-years magical tide. Against this backdrop, doomsday theories surged, and forces lurking in the shadows took advantage of the situation.
In response, the Crown Prince had to impose martial law in Fatan Port and Owesen, a move that, in fact, slowed their counteroffensive on the eastern front.
However, it is worth mentioning that after Medisa and Nemeses reclaimed the passage from Valarch to the Golden Needle Forest, the military nobility stationed in the north seized the opportunity to advance eastward, retaking the Flower Leaf Territory and annihilating the remnants of the White Legion gathered there. Duke Weina, following Brendel’s advice, stationed heavy troops at the Aljang Pass and ordered the rescue of the second daughter of the Flower Leaf Duke, Irina, who had been under house arrest at Verosa Castle, escorting her to Fatan Port to see her sister.
During this, an episode occurred.
Upon seeing her sister, who had been trapped for days, Faina lost control of her emotions, hugging her sister and sobbing loudly, behaving extremely out of character. In fact, ever since she had been locked in the prisoner carriage from Mehotofen, her mental state had been tense, and even after being rescued, she continued to worry about the safety of her father and sister. Only after the situation in East Meiz reversed, and Medisa and Nemeses conquered the passage to the Golden Needle Forest, and Duke Weina reclaimed the Flower Leaf Territory, did her heavy burden begin to lift.
However, at the moment she saw her sister, the accumulated negative emotions over the days inevitably erupted.
The Crown Prince’s counteroffensive was slow, but as the latter half of the harvest month arrived, sporadic small battles in the East Meiz region and within Mehotofen were declared over. Even the southern nobles, who had pledged allegiance to the Crown Prince while marching north with Brendel, further captured the Yasar Fortress, bringing the Evergreen Corridor under their control.
From this point on, the entire eastern front battle was completely over, and Brendel followed the agreement to send the White Legion, which had “rested” in the prisoner camp in Buxinyang Forest for many days, away from the Meiz region.
In fact, the issue of the White Legion’s fate had stirred significant waves among the northern nobility. Many— including Duke Weina—believed these individuals should be detained until the war’s end. But in the end, Crown Prince Rainwright pushed through the opposition, supporting Brendel’s decision, and Earl Orkans along with several southern nobles also expressed their agreement with this decision.
After all, those who had truly participated in the attack plan on that day understood that despite the White Legion’s surrender at Fatan Port, they had not truly lost their combat capability, and leaving them in East Meiz was equivalent to leaving a ticking time bomb.
Moreover, Earl Orkans believed that in the imperial civil war, their side must maintain a moral high ground and could not suffer losses for the sake of small gains. Ultimately, his opinion reached a consensus among the northern nobles—now Earl Orkans had become Rainwright’s right-hand man, clearly satisfied with his current position, completely forgetting the time when he stood alongside the Silver Queen opposing Brendel, often claiming in public that he and Brendel were “friends despite the fight.”
Brendel was speechless at the gall of this guy.
However, two weeks after the White Legion left Buxinyang, a piece of bad news arrived. On the first day of entering Bankel, Duke Ambronner of the White Legion chose to end his life in a hotel owned by the Grechel family. It is said that he left no will, only writing a letter to his family and another to Her Majesty the Queen. In the letter to the Silver Queen, the Duke expressed his remorse for not being able to repay the trust of the royal family, detailing his lifelong loyalty and beliefs, and finally, subtly warning the Emperor of the Empire: the undead of Madara are not to be trusted—
After receiving this letter, Constance let out a slight sigh and then turned it to ashes.
Later, she did not penalize Ambronner’s family for his performance in the war, only commanding a grand burial for him before allowing his eldest son to inherit the title.
Brendel, however, felt little about Duke Ambronner’s death, merely feeling a bit regretful. At least Ambronner was an upright person; but the upright often meet tragic ends. The Duke was willing to compromise with his enemies to preserve the White Legion, but at the end of it all, he chose to use his own life to redeem the honor of a soldier.
The news of Duke Ambronner’s death reached Fatan Port precisely three days after the harvest festival. At that time, Brendel was idly listening to the resolutions of Prince Rainwright and his courtiers. In fact, it had little to do with him, as the Erluin people had withdrawn from the intra-imperial contest since mid-month. Although the fleet from Duke Toniger was still docked at Fatan Port, it was ready to return to Valhalla at any moment.
The mission of the embassy had, at this point, effectively failed.
However, the Erluin people had gained more than they initially anticipated. As for how the holy wars would unfold in the future, this ancient kingdom had many more choices now.
Just as Duke Weina passionately mentioned that a counteroffensive should be launched on the western front, the doors of the hall were burst open by a panting Earl Orkans, who brought the news of Duke Ambronner’s death and another message—
Just three days after Duke Ambronner’s passing, the Silver Queen Constance announced a message:
In the political center of her ruling empire, a grand engagement ceremony would soon take place, one party being a mountain prince from Valarch, but the other party was unexpectedly—rather than one of Her Majesty’s daughters, it was the newly ennobled Countess of Valarch.
The mysterious Countess had been the subject of various rumors since her ennoblement. Some said she was also a mountain dweller, while others mentioned that before her ennoblement, she was not even from the empire, but from a vassal state under imperial rule. These mysterious rumors made people even more curious about the Countess. In all regions under the Queen’s rule, discussions about the engagement ceremony flourished, to the extent that their military failures in the Meiz region seemed to fade from memory.
The heated discussions triggered by the engagement ceremony even reached the regions of Meiz, Mehotofen, and Ludwig controlled by the Crown Prince. Although the situation was a bit quieter among the common folk, the high-ranking nobles were still discussing this unusual move of the Silver Queen. The marriage was heavily laden with political significance from the beginning, clearly aimed at appeasing the mountain forces that had pledged allegiance to the Silver Queen; but they did not understand why the other party made such a grand announcement.
Was it merely to cover up previous military failures?
The Crusian people did not understand, but some knew all too well.
Brendel knew that once again, that Chancellor’s Daughter had spoken accurately.
After a moment’s hesitation, he immediately began to make arrangements. The confrontation between the east and west of the empire had already formed; although Rainwright’s influence was not yet stable, it had at least taken root. He did not intend to let the Erluin people charge into battle for the Crusian throne, so it was time to withdraw.
First, he needed to let Oni, Eynid, and others take the young prince out of the empire, signifying the end of the embassy’s mission, and the young prince’s mission was also declared complete. Although Haruz expressed his desire to stay and face challenges together with him after learning that his teacher would remain, Brendel countered with the reason that “a king must be responsible for his subjects.”
However, seeing the young prince’s reluctant expression warmed Brendel’s heart a bit. The young prince had grown a lot since this mission, finally exhibiting the air of a king. He found it quite rewarding—at least it made the dangers he faced during this journey worthwhile, though it also left a bit of trouble. At least the “Princess” spoken of among the soldiers was one he hadn’t yet figured out how to explain to Princess Grifian regarding the whereabouts of the vanished ‘Princess Fusha.’
Fortunately, he did not have to face that princess just yet.
Before the fleet departed, Brendel met with Nemeses.
After absorbing the War Slate, the personality of Senior Baijia had fallen into sleep and had yet to awaken, and it was unknown what abilities she had gained. Subsequently, Nemeses took control of the body. Upon seeing Brendel, she slapped him soundly without any preamble and glared at him through gritted teeth, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately did not speak.
However, Brendel read the message from her lips: “Dog and Woman!”
Brendel was both amused and exasperated. He knew her slap was for when Senior Baijia had teased him, but that was not under his direction; he was a victim too, after all.
Fortunately, he felt some guilt towards this girl who had inherited his senior’s soul and did not hold a grudge. Instead, he found it very amusing to see her breaking out of her previous icy demeanor, her face reddening all the way to her neck.
“Miss Nemeses, regardless of how you view me, I entrust the affairs of Erluin to you this time. Although it seems peaceful in Erluin now, beneath the calm surface there’s a raging tide. Any party—be it the royalists, the empire, or the undead of Madara—could plunge the kingdom into crisis, and let alone, the Everything Returns Society will surely stir up trouble in this situation.”
Nemeses furrowed her brow, seemingly unwilling to look at him more than necessary, coldly answering, “I understand, and I don’t need you to remind me.”
But she also understood that among the ministers under Princess Grifian, only he had the clearest view of Erluin’s future, so she still asked, “If you have any thoughts, just say them directly.”
Brendel nodded, satisfied with Nemeses’ calm perspective on the larger situation.
“Tell Her Highness the Princess that the undead will undoubtedly launch the second Black Rose War within this year. Regardless of what anyone tells her, do not let her believe this—Bromand must abandon all complacencies!”
“Do you know? The royalists have always believed that you want to use the threat of the undead to expand your influence,” Nemeses coldly looked at him, “Are you suggesting that Her Highness completely opposes them?”
“Those who think this way are merely short-sighted fools; I believe there are also those among the royalists who can see through this. Politics is an art of compromise, Miss Nemeses, but it is not about compromising with everyone.”
“I will pass on the message.”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me; this is not for you.”
Brendel silently saw Nemeses off to the ship, unable to help but touch his cheek, “Ouch—” he winced, she really hit hard without any mercy, it was quite painful. Although his defenses were far beyond ordinary by now, he could not block pain entirely, especially since Nemeses now had considerable strength and had reached the threshold of elemental mastery after absorbing the second slate.
“How does it feel, does it hurt?” At this moment, a teasing voice came from behind him: “Mr. Earl.”
Brendel turned around to find it was the little princess of the Siphai family. QiYala was dressed in an exquisite princess dress today, holding a purple parasol, looking like a doll. Her two ponytails shimmered in the golden sunlight as she tilted her face up, looking at Brendel with great interest, her sea-blue eyes occasionally flashing with a sly glint.
“Princess of the Siphai family, please convey my regards to your brother.”
“I will,” this small princess replied with a smile: “But I have a question for you, Mr. Earl.”
Brendel gestured for her to proceed.
“Now you should know what my brother is planning, so I want to ask you, Mr. Earl, do you intend to marry me?”
“Ah!”
Brendel nearly coughed to death. He couldn’t help but start coughing violently. He had seen many straightforward questions, but this was the first time someone had been so direct—especially when the person asking was just a little kid. He didn’t know how old this little princess was, but given her underdeveloped chest and that she barely reached his chest even on tiptoe, she didn’t look like she was older than fourteen.
“Your Highness…” Brendel laughed and coughed, shaking his head, “Let’s wait until you come of age to discuss this question.”
“Tch,” QiYala said with disdain, “Hypocrite! Don’t think I don’t know about the shameful things nobles do. I’m a royal daughter; don’t you want me?”
Brendel thought that if he continued talking to this little brat, someone would undoubtedly call the guards, so he quickly interrupted her: “That’s enough, Your Highness.”
“Hmph!” QiYala lightly snorted and turned her head away, though her small face was slightly flushed. Not backing down, she said, “My brother isn’t inferior to your washed-out princess; as for that ‘Princess Fusha,’ let him be king—he’s better off getting married anyway. After all, there are many who would take a liking to him—don’t you understand what kind of king Erluin needs, Mr. Earl?”
Brendel shook his head gently: “Miss QiYala, if your brother’s surname were Corvado, he would make an excellent king.”
“The Siphai family once ruled Erluin!”
“But that was only in the past, Miss QiYala. You are a smart girl; you should understand what I’m implying.”
QiYala’s expression dimmed slightly. She bit her lip, looking quite unconvinced, but with her wisdom, she certainly understood that Brendel was right—this ancient kingdom could not endure another upheaval. She stood there, furrowing her brows and twisting her hands, and Brendel had never seen this childish side of her since he knew the little princess.
His heart softened a bit, and just as he was about to comfort her, unexpectedly, QiYala reacted first and interrupted him: “You don’t have to comfort me! I don’t need your insincere sympathy; I have one more thing.”
“Uh?”
Brendel was slightly taken aback.
QiYala lowered her head, hands moving to the back of her neck, retrieving a necklace. She held the necklace in her palm and presented it to Brendel: “Here, this is the amulet my father gave me. I’m lending it to you for now; you must come back alive to return it to me.”
Brendel felt that her words carried a strange tone. He looked at the necklace in his hand, still warm from the little princess’s touch. It was a beautiful crystal pendant that seemed to hold a swirling fluid within. He felt he had seen this necklace somewhere before, but as soon as he caught sight of the Siphai family emblem carved on the base of the pendant, he recalled the significance of this necklace; it was a mark of the once-royal bloodline.
Although he didn’t think much of amulets, he hadn’t expected her to lend him such a valuable item. The sentiment attached was clear, and he felt slightly touched: “Your Highness…”
Unexpectedly, QiYala grimaced: “Quickly put away that ugly expression on your face. It’s disgusting! I just don’t want to become a widow before even getting married!”
Brendel was instantly at a loss for words, feeling that if he continued to talk with this princess, he might genuinely have a heart attack. He couldn’t fathom the bizarre thoughts that led her to think this way; what kind of noble education had she received?
…
Note 1: The nickname for the Autumn Goddess used by the locals of Meiz.
