Chapter 831: Act 12 – Madara in the Year 376
Early in the Harvest Month, villages and estates from Buché to the Golan-Elsen pass were notified that the Black Rose from Bromante might be stirring. Stationed there was the Whitewing Cavalry of the Vamer Legion, under Duke Bruglas. Deputy Commander Walter had already received news from the princess, warning of the possible war and the need for local evacuation, but this work was nominal at best. The land’s residents—especially the farmers—found it hard to part with their most precious treasures, and the nobles were unwilling to drive their tenants north to let the land lie fallow. The key issue was that in this final stretch before harvest, the fields were laden with heavy wheat spikes. If they fled now, there would be no hope for a year’s yield, potentially affecting the next year as well. Almost everyone clung to a sense of luck, except for a small number of craftsmen.
However, north of Buché, these orders were well-executed. The residents remembered the war of the previous year vividly, and a deep-seated fear lingered in their bones. Most of the refugees at that time had gathered near Bruglas, and the panic brought by the war led to an influx of more fleeing souls, nearly overwhelming this border city in the Southlands. Baron Rockwell, the lord of the city, had to reduce rations for the refugees outside the city to ensure supplies for the army, causing a sense of discontent to spread among the crowd.
Earlier in September, a letter was delivered to Princess Grifian by Freya:
“Your Highness, Madara may have essentially completed its unification today. The organization of its army has changed drastically compared to the Black Rose War. In the West of the Sea of the Undead, a significant number of necromancer lords have sworn loyalty to the immortal Supreme One, therefore there may be an unexpected number of necromancers among Madara’s forces, please be vigilant.”
When Grifian saw this letter, she was studying the history of the Vaunte continent at Lady Weisha’s residence. Startled by the letter, she looked up and smiled apologetically at her teacher. Lady Weisha, having always served the royal family, was a well-informed noblewoman who sensibly realized what was happening. She smiled and nodded to the princess, put away her teaching tools, and retreated. Grifian hastily took the letter and found Overwell. Sir Wolf looked puzzled after reading the letter. It was not easy to plant informers in Madara; the royal party had spent enormous effort last year to embed only a few peripheral eyes, and those had reported everything was normal. How did the Earl of Toniger suddenly learn this so clearly? He flicked the edge of the letter and pondered a moment: “Your Highness, can you confirm the origin of this letter?”
“This letter was personally handed to me by Freya, so it should be fine.” Grifian blushed, hesitating to reveal that the letter bore a mark known only to her and Brendel because she hadn’t told anyone about it, fearing Overwell might think she didn’t trust him enough. But Overwell showed no signs of concern. He shook his head and said, “This seems a bit suspicious. Where did the Earl gain this information?”
“Overwell, I believe Earl Toniger has no need to deceive us regarding this matter.” Grifian frowned and insisted. Overwell looked at his nominal student with some surprise. He had previously heard rumors of discord between her and the Earl of Toniger, but it seemed they had quickly reconciled. However, this was good. He had interacted with Toniger for quite some time before Brendel rose to prominence and always felt the man was not as power-hungry as rumored. Although time changes everything, some deeply rooted natures are difficult to remove, and Erluin now needed stability. If the princess hurried to compete for fame and fortune with the powerful ministers, it could bring trouble.
Fortunately, the princess recognized the bigger picture. Overwell nodded but then shook his head again: “The letter claims that Madara may have completed its unification today. If this is true, this letter is extraordinarily important. However, I am a bit perplexed: can Madara undergo such a monumental shift in just a year and a half? After all, although Erluin has just experienced a war, Madara has too. Madara is a vast nation, burdened by intricate interests that need more time to digest the gains of war. Earl Toniger claimed this war was instigated by the Bloodstaff’s own audacity. I wholeheartedly agree—such things have happened many times in Erluin’s history, not just in Madara; occasionally, lords at Erluin’s borders privately lead troops into Madara to plunder.”
He smiled wryly but did not mention to Grifian that such occurrences were more common in earlier times. The Bloodstaff’s invasion of Karasu was a revenge on the lord of the Golden City; back then, Madara was a disorganized mess, while Erluin was a fully sovereign kingdom. Historically, there had never been a tradition of the weak frequently invading the strong. But ever since the events surrounding the Black Rose War, the situation had gradually reversed. Most enlightened individuals in the kingdom recognized that the Black Rose from Bromante might soon bloom angrily. However, to say Madara had rapidly completed unification and was about to launch another full-scale war was something no one would believe.
But if Brendel were here, he would tell them that the nature of this war was very peculiar. In simple terms, the Supreme One of Madara had colluded with the Elf-lady Queen Alwahite to orchestrate a ploy to deceive the Bloodstaff into marching to their doom. On the surface, Madara still appeared divided, yet as he said, it had effectively completed unification. This war was the Supreme One’s final strike to eliminate dissenters, and now, all resources and powers within Madara’s borders had unified, preparing for the revival of this dark nation. The Bloodstaff, under the hidden indulgence from that Supreme One, would be the first to confront the “New Madara” army, a lesson that Duke Golan-Elsen had learned the hard way.
Unfortunately, Brendel was not present to explain these matters, leaving Grifian and Overwell to hope they would adequately heed his opinion.
After listening to Overwell, Grifian still couldn’t make up her mind. She was facing a nearly unknown adversary. Before the Black Rose War, Madara was a distant threat, a bothersome scalp, while the persistent pressure from local nobles had created a malignant tumor. In fact, this still represented the views of the majority of nobles today. If it were not for the need to resolve the trouble with Rendener, the autumn war for Erluin would merely be another border skirmish. Although Grifian vaguely recognized that Madara’s rise could threaten this ancient kingdom, it was impossible to understand her opponent’s situation in such an environment.
After pondering for a moment, she finally replied, “While this judgment is logical, it might be too hasty. I believe the Earl would not act without reason.”
“I am not doubting the Earl.” Overwell couldn’t help but smile wryly again; it seemed his student profoundly trusted the Earl of Toniger. He suddenly realized that perhaps the battle at Ampere Seale had left a strong impression on the princess, causing her to blindly trust Brendel’s military capabilities. Yet even he and Earl Ouding knew that the other’s military talent could only be described as average, though his assessments of developing events were extraordinarily keen. He thought about it; perhaps he had romanticized Brendel’s battle experiences during their conversations, aiming merely to leave a lasting impression on the princess. After all, the Earl was indeed a rare talent, loyal to the kingdom and its ideals. Compared to Makarolo and Livwz, he appreciated this younger generation far more. But at this moment, Overwell shook his head, realizing it was necessary to remind the princess, lest she develop unrealistic thoughts, which would not be beneficial for either Brendel or her.
After deliberating for a moment, he added, “I am merely worried that the Earl of Toniger has been misled by false information.”
“You mean Brendel… that the information obtained by the Earl of Toniger might be distorted or even a trap?” Grifian responded, frowning as she questioned.
Overwell nodded.
Half an hour later, Ouding, Duke Vieiro, and the Highland Knights’ envoy were summoned. Duke Ero looked at the letter in hand, pondering for a moment before calling for his subordinate. The middle-aged knight, who claimed to have dealt with Madara for quite some time and was familiar with the Black Rose of Bromante, shook his head after hearing the princess’s question: “Recently, there have been rumors that something is altering within Madara, but I believe they would act more cautiously in such a period. If what Earl Toniger said is true, how could the Bloodstaff possibly receive full support from that Supreme One?”
“I believe our main enemy should be Rendener,” Duke Vieiro offered his opinion further: “We have just signed a peace treaty with Madara. The Bloodstaff should not act too recklessly; he must have been misled by Rendener, thinking he saw an opportunity to curry favor with their Supreme One.”
Duke Vieiro’s response was overly subjective; everyone present couldn’t help but shake their heads. Grifian frowned as well because her grandfather’s analysis almost completely contradicted Brendel’s. It was clear that the focus of the Earl of Toniger’s plan was on Madara. This aligned with her thinking; she did not wish to alter on this matter, so she pretended not to hear her grandfather’s response and instead looked toward the Highland knights.
The envoy leader of the Highland Knights was an experienced, steady old knight, but it was a younger wizard who spoke first. The wizard replied simply: “Based on the information we have, we do not support Earl Toniger’s perspective. Although Madara’s Supreme One has nearly unified the opinions of the dark nobility, it cannot be regarded as complete unity. Most of the vampire families support him, yet the dark lords are at odds with him. The necromancers are bowing to pressure from the first two factions, and the Elf-lady Queen Alwahite has consistently resisted the overtures from the Elyudniel Holy Palace. From our perspective, there will inevitably be conflict between the two.”
It appeared that almost all information contradicted Brendel’s judgment. Grifian felt troubled. Deep down, she wanted to believe in Earl Toniger. Although concerned about Brendel’s possible ambitions, she trusted his insight into future situations, especially since they surprisingly agreed politically. But how could she persuade others? Or was it really possible that Brendel had misjudged?
At this time, Freya finally couldn’t help but speak: “Perhaps Alwahite and the Queen are just superficially allied? The Bloodstaff initiating a war would violate the peace treaty between the two nations. If he wins, that is well and good; if he fails, he may be directly eliminated. The Bloodstaff himself is among the most defiant of dark lords; he has no reason to curry favor with Madara’s Supreme One. Juge is a cruel, greedy lord; his earlier invasion of Karasu was merely out of a volatile nature rather than rationality, and he might again be disrespecting that Supreme One’s authority. If so, the information currently available aligns coherently.”
Her words brought silence to the study.
No one knew this was the closest hypothesis to the truth, and even Freya herself didn’t realize this; she merely echoed Brendel’s thoughts, blindly trusting his judgment. But after a moment’s quiet, she noticed the Highland Knights were shaking their heads. The middle-aged knight under Duke Vieiro spoke: “Absurd. This is pure conspiracy theory. This is a war; how can we speculate on the connections between that Supreme One and the Bloodstaff? The critical part is, do you have any evidence besides mere speculation?”
“Evidence?” Freya’s face flushed. The evidence was that Brendel told her so, but she realized that this statement could hardly serve as evidence.
In the end, it was Grifian who defused the situation. “In any case, the Earl’s suggestion is made out of caution; let’s pass the contents of this letter to the generals below. It’s better to be prepared than to be caught off guard.” Upon saying this, the princess glanced at the daughter of the earth knight and couldn’t help but shake her head. She knew Brendel hoped this young girl could eventually stand on her own, and she indeed had the qualifications and background. Furthermore, after all these experiences, she had grown more stable. However, when it came to the debates regarding Earl Toniger, she still appeared overly anxious. For some reason, Grifian felt a faint jealousy. Brendel’s political stance was actually aligned with hers. His caution regarding Madara was one of her own concerns, yet she could not stand up like Freya and openly protect her own and the Earl’s opinions.
Because she was the sister of the future king of Erluin, the actual wielder of balance in the kingdom at this moment.
Overwell looked at the handwritten document composed by his nominal student. It contained all the proposals approved by everyone regarding how to handle Brendel’s suggestion. He shook his head secretly. The princess remained somewhat naïve; she did not understand the people below her well. The envoys from Vieiro and Lantonrand seemed very indifferent, and the Highland knights did not show adequate concern. If the upper tier remained this way, the lower tier would likely be more compliant in pretense. How much effectiveness this order would have remained questionable.
However, Sir Wolf did not expect that they would soon be relieved of this problem because, before this command had departed Varlandenburg, the Black Rose of Bromante had quietly bloomed in the shadows.
Golan-Elsen Corridor
This corridor was located north of the Song Mountain range, between Duskwood Forest and Buché. It had another name—Xilmann region. Like most territories situated on the fringes of Erluin, Xilmann was not a wealthy land. The hills rose to the west, with flat areas only in the eastern valleys, dotted with scattered villages and estates. The two rivers of the Southlands flowed into Lake Varlanden, one passing through Buché and the other through Xilmann River Valley; the second river was the lifeline of the Xilmann region.
Starting from the Harvest Month, three large cavalry units spread along this lifeline. While it sounded like a strong force, their loose distribution across each town only equated to one or two squadrons’ power. To prevent the forces from being too scattered, Deputy Commander Walter concentrated most of the effective combat forces in the most prosperous town, Owl Town, and then deployed the entire cavalry’s patrol teams and scouts in small units to monitor the southern Song Mountain pass. That evening, the patrol units, which should have returned punctually, began to lose track one after another.
Around seven o’clock, scouts reported that small groups of undead activities had been detected to the south. However, at this moment, most of the people in the Xilmann River Valley still held a sense of luck, including Walter, who believed this was merely a probe from Madara. The reason was simple: since Madara controlled the more open Buché region, it was hard to see any necessity in launching an attack from the Xilmann River Valley. By eight-thirty, when Walter met with the messenger from Vamer, he learned that since the afternoon, large numbers of undead troops had begun attacking the Vamer’s frontline defenses.
Madara’s main offensive force was indeed focused on Buché, which relieved Walter. Although he received warnings from the princess’s side, the Vamer Legion was closely associated with Duke Golan-Elsen—a well-known fact. The princess had kindly reminded the duke, but the duke and especially those below him would not necessarily appreciate it. Moreover, they, who had long been engaged with Madara, believed that those above were purely giving chaotic commands.
As for what the skeletons on the opposite side were thinking, they knew very well.
At ten o’clock, Walter rubbed his eyes and stepped out of his tent, attempting one last observation, and then he witnessed the miracle of starlights rising everywhere.
