Chapter 856: Act 34 – The Kingdom’s Opportunity
After the Year of the Running Wolf, the most outstanding military strategist in the history of the Wind Elves, King Shaggriffin of the Grey Mountain, who had not yet been appointed as a Marshal, mentioned in his writings: “If you cannot effectively kill the necromancers within the Madara army, you cannot truly defeat an undead army.” However, when the Black Rose of Broamente was truly defeated, the shattered bone frames in the river valley were not much different from a human army that had scattered and fled. The undead were retreating in droves, having lost their command. The necromancers fought with the skeletons they summoned, each for themselves, resembling a pile of loose sand. Although the undead lords from the Sea of Mourning could still manage their subordinates, they were solely intent on escaping, devoid of morale. The blood staff army had, in fact, ceased to be called an army, having lost its mission and will to fight from top to bottom, struggling only to save themselves, just like the defeated northern noble armies from when they fought Ampere Seale.
However, upon closer observation, there were some subtle differences. The panic and surrender that often lead human armies to flee under pressure stem from internal fear. But the undead did not possess these two emotions; their self-preservation was merely a rational choice. There would be no self-sabotage due to panic, nor would they hesitate to turn back to fight if attacked, as if being driven like ducks. If they are pursued, they will stop and retaliate. Yet, due to the selfish nature inherent to dark beings, they would never assist fellow comrades under attack nearby—even if doing so might be more beneficial to them.
Earl Jack and Brendel rode side by side in the valley, deeply moved by the scene: “So undead armies are not invincible; they can make mistakes too.”
“The undead are unnatural beings. No one understands the mysteries between life and death better than they do, for they fundamentally eliminate the mortal fear of the unknown death. Lacking attachment to life, they do not feel impulsive; they do not become fanatical. Yet, impulsiveness and fear are merely two among many negative emotions—greed, arrogance, delusion, and selfishness can also lead them to make mistakes,” Brendel explained, watching the developments in the valley’s battle while explaining to the Duke of Vieiro’s attendant.
Earl Jack nodded silently. He regarded this young lord, who was also a count, with an insightful glance: “You seem to have a deep understanding of that dark realm, my Lord Count?”
“I always seek to understand my enemies, the kingdom’s enemies,” Brendel said, looking at the Earl from the Jac-Land region. He knew this person well; Jac-Land was on the border between Vieiro Province and Karasu Province. Historically, this earl had dealings with Madara. Although he shared the common flaws of nobles of Erluin, his understanding of the Black Rose of Broamente was much deeper than that of other worthless nobles. Notably, he was trusted by the Duke of Vieiro throughout history.
“Mr. Morberto,” he continued, “I suggest that you not underestimate that black rose we face today because of what you witnessed.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t dare to underestimate it. In my childhood, I saw my ancestors bring back bears and wolves from winter hunts, and I always thought these forest beasts were inconsequential. Then, once, a cunning creature left its mark on me, a scar that still remains on my back today, teaching me never to underestimate any opponent,” Earl Jack used a metaphor, making it clear to Brendel that he referred to today’s events, meaning he would not easily forget everything that transpired.
Brendel believed that this battle would indeed leave a profound impact on his opponent; it was also one of his original objectives: if these nobles did not learn their lesson, they would not understand the nature of the enemy they faced. Only by making them aware of the real threat could the kingdom quickly embark on the path he desired under external pressure. He shook his head with a slight smile, continuing to expose Madara’s secrets: “But Mr. Morberto, you must now be thinking that you have grasped the weaknesses of these bone frames, but if that is the case, you are gravely mistaken.”
Earl Jack looked a bit startled: “Why do you say that? I found your description of them quite logical; those bone frames indeed have those weaknesses.”
“That is the nature of the undead, just as human nature is. Mr. Morberto, humans may fear, but the Toniger, Vieiro, and Lantonrand peoples do not always disintegrate against the undead. Humans may be impulsive and greedy; human nature is equally arrogant, delusional, and selfish, yet our kingdom, civilization, and order have not collapsed because of this. This is because we still possess the second characteristic of sociability. The Madarans were similar; they were once a scattered bunch, but today, the blood staff we defeated is nothing like the past. I believe, my lord, you must have felt this deeply.”
“But, my lord count, I fear you have not considered that the Madara we saw today is still just an illusion.” Before Earl Jack could respond, Brendel continued. The latter opened his mouth, looking quite shocked, but Brendel did not give him a chance to speak: “The reason we defeated the blood staff today is precisely that they have no understanding of us and still maintain an outdated command structure. You must have heard of the kingdom’s military reforms, but such reforms had already begun in Madara seven years ago, and before the War of the Black Rose, they had essentially completed this historical mission. Today’s Madara possesses at least over a thousand Imperial Selection Corps. These corps are not the same as the blood staff army we’ve witnessed. The blood staff is unruly and not directly under the command of Madara’s Supreme Being; it was defeated here today likely because that Supreme Being needed us to eliminate its rivals—”
He paused, “And the true Madara army has a complete lower-level officer system. They will not fall into disarray simply because the upper command structure has collapsed. Such undead armies can fight until the last necromancer falls. My lord, could you imagine how Erluin should fight against such an enemy to win?”
Earl Jack widened his eyes at this young lord. Had Brendel told him all of this half a day ago, he would have never believed it; it seemed utterly absurd and nonsensical. Yet, at that moment, Brendel’s displayed strength and insights about Madara made it difficult for him to easily doubt him, especially the mention of a thousand Imperial Selection Corps, which struck him like a thunderbolt, leaving him momentarily speechless and confused.
His ashen face and absent-mindedness had already been anticipated by Brendel. He would not disclose to the earl that although Madara’s expansion was aimed at Erluin, their main enemies remained the Wind Elves of Saint Ausoor and the Fanzan to the north. More than half of Madara’s over a thousand Imperial Selection Corps would be used to guard against these two massive empires. It was also good to shock this guy, sparing them from harboring delusions.
In fact, how many troops Madara possessed made little difference to the small kingdom of Erluin. In the future, even a single legion from the Black Knight might not withstand the pressure. Erluin’s only opportunity now was to make the undead feel cornered. Just like the borders between them and Saint Ausoor and Fanzan, there were many duchies in between; the Wind Elves would eventually clash with Madara’s bone frames, so they only needed to make the undead feel that Erluin was far more troublesome than those duchies.
Historically, Erluin awakened too late; the princess was powerless, the Cruzans were preoccupied and even complicit, which led to the kingdom’s final tragedy.
Yet this time, it may not necessarily be the same.
But first, the kingdom still needed the courage and ability to fight.
He looked at Earl Jack, whose complexion had started to pale. The earl wiped his forehead with his hand, unsure whether he was wiping off rainwater or sweat. His thoughts seemed still immersed in the fear instigated by Brendel’s mention of a thousand Imperial Selection Corps. He whispered, “My lord, is what you said true?”
“Mr. Morberto, even if my information is only one-third accurate, if Madara only has three hundred corps, what difference does it make for the kingdom?” Brendel replied absently, watching the undead army dispersing in the rain, stroking his warhorse’s mane, not in a hurry to retort. He was unhurried, but Earl Jack was sweating coldly, unsure of what to believe. It seemed that Brendel had no need to put on a façade for him. Just as Brendel said, even if his words were only a third true or even a quarter true, what difference would it make for the kingdom?
There would be no difference at all.
The nature of the kingdom was something these nobles knew best. Since the time of Anson, the struggle between the local and central government had severely harmed the kingdom’s power. And after the battle of Ampere Seale, the north-south standoff further weakened it. In contrast, the dark realm to the east has always retained strong military tradition and forces. In the past, they were disunited, with dark lords ruling independently and warring against each other, which prevented them from forming a threat. But today, under the rule of that Supreme Being, Madara has been unified. The dark nobles gathered beneath the resurrected Mercury Staff after a millennium. Earl Jack suddenly realized that Brendel might not be lying; it was merely that traditional thoughts had lead them to overlook this point.
Madara had always maintained a large army, and now that they had come together, who would their next target be?
It becomes evident: it certainly wouldn’t be the Wind Elves or the Fanzan.
Some realizations are like a layer of window paper, difficult to consider until someone pokes a hole in it. Once brought to light, everything becomes clear. Earl Jack was experiencing just that. Although he might prefer not to recognize this, at least a fool could continue to live happily. Now, every time he thought of Madara, he would be reminded of that lurking undead army with trepidation.
Those were the undead—existences that could not coexist with the living; aside from death, surrender was impossible.
Earl Jack, drenched in cold sweat, pondered intensely but could not come up with a solution. For the current Erluin, it seemed there was only one fate left—destruction. That dark kingdom already held a powerful position and advantageous stance. Ridiculously, the kingdom’s nobles were still indulging themselves in complacency. Faced with such a nation, he truly did not know how to resolve the imminent crisis.
Perhaps only the path of exile to Cruz remained?
When Earl Jack raised his head to look at Brendel again, his eyes seemed somewhat dazed. Brendel knew he had reached the apex of fear. He sighed; this reasoning was quite simple. These nobles might have contemplated it, but they always believed that Madara had not moved forward. Historically, even up until the eve of the second Black Rose War, there were still people thinking Madara was engaged in a civil war. Today, he had explicitly told them that Madara’s unification process had long since accelerated, and indeed this noble finally realized what the kingdom faced.
Earl Jack no longer spoke. Brendel did not urge him further. He patted his horse’s mane, urging the steed to quicken its pace to catch up with the White Lion Guard pursuing in the river valley. He understood that today’s words could only serve as a hint to these nobles; they would eventually realize how Erluin could survive. By that time, if there were still obstinate individuals, he would not be merciful.
The kingdom’s fate had already been drastically altered after the battle of Ampere Seale. The subsequent course could only be slowly adjusted.
Brendel silently pressed his lips together. He did not intend to carry out drastic reforms that would swiftly grant the kingdom a rebirth. The longer he stayed in this world, the more he understood the difficulties involved. The nobles had ruled this kingdom for too long; their traditions were deeply rooted. Furthermore, while this social stratum had decayed over long history, it still possessed a force that was not to be underestimated. He might be able to uproot this power, but it would undoubtedly cause significant harm to this ancient kingdom.
Those under his command, including Carglis, Antinna, Kuran, Meria, and even most officers among the White Lion Knights, were all intricately connected to traditional nobility. Whether they hailed from the royal faction or local factions, they bore more or less stamp of conservatism. To utterly eliminate all this would inevitably wound those around him. Even Princess Grifian might end up becoming his foe because of this. He understood deeply that what the princess sought for Erluin was not a kingdom reborn from the ashes.
He did not want—
“The opportunity is now in your hands,” Brendel muttered to himself, “as for whether you treasure it or not, it is up to you.”
…
Soon, the knights of Lantonrand arrived from the eastern riverbank to join forces with the White Lion Guard. Humans advanced along the valley, driving the undead army southward. By evening, the allied forces of Vieiro, Lantonrand, and Toniger had effectively annihilated most of the mercenaries from the undead lords of the Sea of Mourning. Most scattered necromancers fled into the nearby forests. They would become a law enforcement problem in this region for the upcoming months. However, at this moment, Brendel and Kewen had little time to spare regarding these matters; they could leave these issues for the Falmir Legion to worry about. The blood staff, along with its guard, blended into a remaining half-corps of skeletal cavalry. At this moment, the advantage of the undead began to manifest again. The skeletal cavalry, untroubled by fatigue, gradually pulled away from Lantonrand knights during the long march. Brendel’s subordinates could keep pace only with the Winged Song Legion mounted on a pegasus; naturally, he could not afford to pursue them.
Using fourth-tier archers against skeletal warriors could be considered overwhelming, but chasing real cavalry was merely courting death.
Thus, until nightfall, the allied forces finally lost trace of this remnant undead cavalry. Aike was furious, and the earl’s subordinates looked somewhat regretful. However, the commander from Vieiro had seemed absent throughout the entire day. Brendel heard from Carglis that he had sent several messengers northward. Realizing that this Earl was indeed seeking counsel from the Duke of Vieiro, Brendel felt satisfied that his earlier words had not been wasted. Next, it would depend on how these nobles thought. Although intelligence from Madara was hard to come by, if they were earnest, acquiring the information he mentioned was not difficult.
Historically, the nobles had completely lacked such foresight, but this time, they had the opportunity to react.
Brendel was quite indifferent to the blood staff’s escape. Setting aside the fact that a knight regiment of Cruz was waiting for it to collide head-on, even if it managed to return to Madara by some stroke of luck, what good would it do? The Queen of Elves, Alwahite, was there waiting for it as well. As the Empress opposing Madara, she represented freedom of will and the symbol of raising oneself’s worth; the blood staff must die. As for how it would return beneath the Mercury Staff, that was another story.
Standing in the valley, Brendel gazed at the nightfall over the Slovafuan region. The sky darkened fast as early autumn approached. The day had not yet fully vanished behind the mountains when the night’s desolation arrived like a shadow among the linden trees. This was the last part of summer’s end. The moon, which should have been the proud Jin Hai and the flawless Temptress, was now shrouded in dark clouds, leaving only pitch black. Across the valley, gazing at the flowing river in the Silman region, he thought that by now the blood staff should have already run into its final foes.
He lazily cared little about how the young Cruzans would fare against each other. He had secretly arranged for Kewen to return to the Silman Hills overnight, intending to lead his men to clear the battlefield after the battle in place of the Shattered Sword Knights. He temporarily did not wish for those Cruzans to be exposed in public. This time, Toniger’s display of strength was meant to temporarily keep Madara in check, but he wanted to hide as much as possible.
…
(PS: Today’s chapter took me about 10 hours from conception to completion, and I really don’t have the time and energy to write the next chapter. I’m sorry for the second update on this Sunday. I’ll find time to make up for it later. I hope everyone can forgive me.)
