Chapter 894: Act 70 – The Time Node of the Holy War III
Brendel naturally thought of Miss Faina, the Duchess of the Flower Leaf Domain. She was a student of Veronika and was at the very top of the imperial aristocracy, making her the most suitable person to get acquainted with the news within that circle. What was more valuable was that there were no practical interests entangling him and the Duchess, so he didn’t have to worry about being deceived without reason. Although the young lady appeared arrogant and rude in the Loop of Trade Winds, she did not seem like someone with a deceitful mind.
Moreover, he indeed needed someone to indirectly verify whether the Crown Prince’s supporters in the south were reliable.
In his dealings with those local aristocrats of the empire, he had always skillfully avoided the topic of the Crown Prince. He portrayed himself as a friend from overseas associated with Veronika and Mangolov, who represented the military force of the empire’s north. This identity naturally fostered a sense of closeness among those nobles who favored the Crown Prince, and with Rainwright exposing some of his agents loyal to him to Brendel, it became easy for Brendel and his embassy to establish connections with the pro-Crown Prince faction of the empire.
However, these people were ultimately not dependable, and Brendel was very clear about that.
He immediately set to writing a letter to Faina. The journey from the Floating Cloud Hills to the Flower Leaf Domain was quite long, and he didn’t expect to receive a reply anytime soon. However, at this moment, the southern nobles brought him a new piece of information.
This information was something Brendel had earlier commissioned them to inquire about, mainly regarding the ongoing Holy War. Almost simultaneously as the Holy War began, the emissary from the Erluin people set out towards the empire. While passing through the prosperous areas around Ampere Seale, they were able to gather some information about the war, but as they entered the Baltar Highlands and then the mountains of Anzeruta, those desolate and remote regions were truly cut off from the world. For two months, apart from the conflict with Earl Ji’en and Earl Orkans, they were almost completely in the dark regarding all external information.
According to the Cruz nobles, since the explosion in July and August, the Lionmen and Wind Elves had initiated retaliatory actions at the borders, marking the grand beginning of the Holy War. This war persisted from October to November, became deadlocked during that period, and then completely fell silent in the last month of the Year of the Sword. The farcical interactions between Brendel and the southern nobles seemed to momentarily capture everyone’s attention, making the ongoing war seem trivial. After the first wave of attacks by the Wind Elves in the Four Borders Wilds, they began to withdraw, as this retaliation was based on the tragedy of Aokins. Although it was viewed by all as the curtain rising on the Holy War, the curtain had yet to be fully drawn. Compared to the independent actions of this local military force, both mighty empires needed time to react to this war—a unique sight in the Third Holy War, as if the limbs of a body had already moved, but the brain was still sluggishly processing.
On the side of the Lionmen, the situation appeared even more bizarre. These children of the earth seemed to fall into silence as they began their offensive against the fortresses around the Rokoci Highlands and the Broken Sword Mountains. It was unclear whether this was due to fear of failure or logistical difficulties encountered in the winter, but they had made no progress at all.
This news, aside from the part concerning Toquinin, did not fundamentally differ from what Brendel and the others had heard two months ago when they were in Ampere Seale.
However, the offensive actions from the Wind Elves were predictable. At this time, apart from Madara, the control the central empires had over the localities was quite limited. Among these, the Cruz Empire was slightly stronger, while the Wind Elves of Saint Ausoor were comparatively less capable due to facing conflicts between humans and elves within their territory. This issue had yet to be resolved even during Brendel’s time, after the Slate War. Fanzan, on the other hand, was even weaker; it was a loose alliance, primarily made up of the Inier people, and internally had territories like the Greyus Knights’ Nation where the northern regions were a patchwork of city-states. Without the influence of the Sanctuary, it was hardly fitting to be called a nation. Of course, situations like Erluin Kingdom, which had become as decayed as it was, were quite rare; each of the three empires were undergoing internal reforms, with the Wind Elves and Fanzan generally leading the way, while the Cruz appeared to be making attempts at centralized authority under the Silver Queen. Rainwright also harbored grand ambitions, yet in the meantime, these massive empires still needed to rely on local nobles to maintain operations.
The retaliatory actions from the elves of Saint Ausoor were initiated by the commanders and lords of Aokins’s legion, although they effectively had the implicit permission of the Elven Royal Court. The counterattacks initiated by the Cruz’s Red Legion were also not commands given by the Silver Queen, yet they had received her tacit approval. Even the Temple of Fire did not oppose. The intricacies here were that both sides had intentionally aimed to prolong this war, but neither side was fully prepared domestically.
Therefore, the Wind Elves’ sudden offensive followed by a halt was also predictable.
However, the Lionmen’s movements seemed exceptionally strange.
Toquinin was a tribal nation comprised mainly of Lionmen and Dwarves, alongside some Orcs or beast-kin minorities. The Lionmen, Dwarves, Orcs, and beast-kin were spread across various clans and tribes in the vast plains and northern highlands. They had a king, recognized nominally by all clans and tribes as the great chieftain, and a spiritual leader, the High Priest of the Hallowed Temple of Earth, or a prophet. In theory, when the chieftain and prophet called for them to unite and declare a Holy War, it would signify that this golden kingdom was prepared for battle.
However, the current situation was that the Lionmen, Dwarves, Orcs, and beast-kin had gathered to form a great army, but this army sat idly without taking action. The empire publicized this as the Toquinin people being inherently unskilled in siege warfare, and that the terrain of the Rokoci Highlands and the Broken Sword Mountains was treacherous, with high walls and strong fortifications. Thus, these barbarians could not launch effective attacks against the empire and could only lament at the walls, waiting for winter to pass, at which point they would naturally have to return home.
Most of the nobles who brought this information to Brendel firmly believed this narrative, asserting that the empire’s walls were high and the fortifications strong, and unless they faced an opponent of the same caliber as Saint Ausoor, how could they possibly breach the empire’s forts? Yet, considering the overly optimistic mindset of these people, Brendel wanted to remind them that one of the empire’s forts had been breached not long ago, and the conqueror was merely a lord from a small border nation. That lord was standing right in front of them; shouldn’t they reconsider their arrogance?
In the end, he shook his head. The pride of the imperial people had traditional roots, akin to a deeply entrenched belief that, once shaped, was essentially indistinguishable from superstition, making it impossible to heed contrary opinions.
Privately, he and Nemeses were quite aware that the golden-maned Lionmen of Toquinin were indeed not adept at siege warfare, but among this army were also the Dwarves of the Crest Mountains. These mountain Dwarves, residing in the Caucasus range, primarily existed within the Hallowed Temple of Earth and the northern Broken Sword Mountains. Since migrating from the Dark Ages, they had settled there, carving tunnels into the mountains, mastering underground palace and hall constructions. They had considerable knowledge of architecture and mechanics—they were both craftsmen and warriors, the most skilled in siege warfare, particularly proficient at digging tunnels.
It seemed that these Cruz people had overlooked these master siege craftsmen.
As for another widely held belief that the Toquinin army was stalled due to winter supply line issues, it was essentially nonsense. When had it been heard that nomadic tribes or clans needed supply lines? Their combat habits revolved around plundering along the way, gathering resources on-site. For an army like this, their sudden halt was perplexing.
Brendel examined the map repeatedly but still could not make sense of it.
However, he was thinking about something else.
Historically, when the Holy War began, the Lionmen had surged fiercely, once breaching the fortresses of the Rokoci Highlands and the Broken Sword Mountains. At a critical juncture, they almost threatened the Red Legion’s battle in the Four Borders Wilds. Yet, during that time, the empire’s players had been extraordinarily fierce, physically halting the northern advance of the Toquinin Lionmen. It was said that this was the first time players altered the course of history in the game. The average level of players in that era was still under thirty-five, while the Toquinin side equally had vast armies of players. That battle could only be described as the empire’s players being too united and powerful.
Since then, the Lionmen could only gaze toward the northern plains, divided by the Broken Sword Mountains and Anzeruta, and thereafter remained despondent.
Brendel now wondered whether this history would still occur.
Of course, he was not referring to the players driving back the Lionmen but rather the history of the Lionmen breaking through the fortresses of the Rokoci Highlands. As far as he knew, the role of players on the Toquinin side in this battle was quite limited because the main force in the siege was the Dwarves, and Dwarves were among the least numerous races within the player base. After all, Lionmen, being tall and mighty, attracted players’ affection, while Dwarves did not have the same appeal—especially since Dwarven women were said to have beards, making them less attractive to male players. This was a historical law.
The significance of this information to Brendel was that the less disturbed history was, the more likely it was that the wonders in this world, the Wrath of the Earth, would be replayed.
However, when he inquired about this possibility with Nemeses, she denied it.
“We are nearly three years ahead of the Holy War I saw in my dreams, Brendel,” the Lady Knight looked at his face and replied, “This is because of us; you should be clear about that. The current situation is completely different from that time.”
Brendel did not see it that way. The earlier time node of the Holy War might not be a bad thing for Toquinin. The tribal people’s speed of war mobilization was quick; not needing to prepare logistics was a significant advantage. Besides, their mobility was already strong across the vast grasslands. However, for the empire, it meant less preparation time, making the current situation appear more advantageous for the Lionmen than in history.
He raised this point to Nemeses, but the Lady Knight shook her head. “It appears that way, but the Lionmen’s actions are indeed very unusual. They did not behave this way in previous wars. In that dream, they were not as uncoordinated; although their battle to breach the fortresses of the Rokoci Highlands was not completely clean and neat, the entire process seemed very proactive, which is entirely different from the current situation.”
Upon hearing this, Brendel frowned. He knew that his sister, Baijia, excelled in the video game historical details compared to him. His understanding of that history stemmed from forum discussions and later players’ memoir-like narrations, while Baijia had mostly experienced it firsthand.
There was a crucial difference in this. Before level thirty, the game’s content and storyline encountered by players were quite elementary, whereas his sister was one of the few players above level thirty of that era.
Listening to Nemeses’s description, he couldn’t help but purse his lips, pondering where the differences arose.
Noticing his thoughtful expression, Nemeses spoke up, “Are you planning something regarding the Lionmen of Toquinin?”
Brendel nodded and did not hide it from Nemeses; over these days, he had grown accustomed to discussing such matters with her. That feeling was reminiscent of the past, giving him a certain anticipation. “Historically, the Cruz players—the adventurers of Cruz, you know, people like us—delayed the Toquinin army until July when the White Legion joined the battle. The war began in May, but that was during the transitional period of spring and summer. In winter, the White Legion would be further south, at Leiru, and they might respond quicker. If we could find a way to slightly delay the Lionmen’s progress, we could succeed.”
He paused before continuing, “My arrangements, you should have seen by now. I need some prestige; my grandfather’s identity is a significant advantage, but Brendel is still too young, too young to inherit Darus’s position in the imperial army. Fortunately, his starting point is also high enough. People are always willing to believe in some superstitions. If I could portray myself just right to validate their visions, I could still hope to gain a higher position in the future Holy War army.”
“According to Veronika, the empire’s situation is dire and murky; history is no longer the one you and I saw in our dreams. Whether it’s Her Majesty the Queen, or His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Duke Ludwig and Lord Bankel’s military force, or the Sanctuary, or even us. To take the initiative in this game, we must seize control of our own destiny. The only way is to act as the chess player, not the chess piece. I had my doubts, but in the end, Xi’s experience led me to decide to take this path. I used to think too naively that Erluin could stay in its own corner and find a way from the development of the Black Forest.”
“But, in truth, when the tide rises, no one can escape this; we have both witnessed this—”
“So now there are some things I must do, and cannot avoid,” Brendel replied solemnly. “The lesson for the southern nobles is just the beginning. I need them as stepping stones to make the empire understand Erluin’s existence. But what truly connects Brendel with the Sword Saint Darus is still only the Holy War. However, our current strength is far too weak; it’s impossible to provoke the Wind Elves of Saint Ausoor. The only opportunity lies with Toquinin.”
After listening to Brendel’s words, Nemeses fell silent for a moment.
“You are doing all this just to save a mountain girl?” she suddenly asked.
“From a personal emotional standpoint, yes,” Brendel replied. “It’s like when you plotted to rescue us from Madara. It’s fundamentally irrational, but from a human perspective, it is entirely natural. You saved us because you were our captain, having promised to protect every member of your team, and I must deliver freedom and hope for the future to Xi, that is my obligation.”
“This is an obsession.” After listening to Brendel, Nemeses moved her lips, seemingly wanting to argue against his latter point, for she understood that the ‘you’ he spoke of was referring to her other experiences. But instinctively, this lady knight did not agree that it was her; she believed it was just a dream. Nonetheless, she ultimately refrained from voicing her opposition and instead responded, “This obsession has become the driving force behind my return to this world.”
“I don’t want to give it up a second time, sister.”
“I’m not…” Nemeses sighed at length. “All right, I’ll tell you something, Brendel, you rely too heavily on everything you’ve seen in your dreams. I don’t know why you are so convinced that dream, as if it genuinely happened. But a dream is just a dream. For me, its greatest benefit was giving me a different life experience, allowing me to mature rapidly and stand out among my peers. But I never thought of proving anything from that dream because that way, this world would seem too illusory to me.”
“And in you, I seem to see another version of myself. Your actions are always very forward-looking, but the more you rely on that dream, the less you can free yourself from it. This is for you—for a lord, for a count of the empire…”
The lady knight looked into Brendel’s eyes, paused, and then articulated slowly, “It seems far too childish.”
Brendel was completely stunned. He had never expected Nemeses to say such words to him, but her tone was completely reminiscent of the one who had once taught him how to be a competent captain.
“But…” he tried to respond.
Nemeses seemed to foresee what he was going to say and shook her head. “You already know what to do, Sophie.”
Brendel felt as though he had been struck by lightning, standing there as if enchanted, staring at the lady knight.
“It is precisely because of your dependence on that dream that you cannot trust your own judgment.” Nemeses shook her head and returned to calling him by his name, “Do you understand now?”
Brendel remained dazed for a while, as if he had finally grasped what the lady knight meant. He looked deeply at her: “You mean I should analyze what the Lionmen of Toquinin would do myself?”
“Weren’t you analyzing pretty well just now? I once taught you how to analyze assignments and arrange task progressions. Today, at least I can see that you’ve learned very well.” Nemeses smiled slightly. “If I were your sister Baijia, I should feel very comforted, but unfortunately, I am not. And you are no longer Sophie, Brendel; you possess knowledge that even Sophie cannot have. You are the Earl of Erluin, and you should understand that.”
Brendel took a deep breath.
He shifted his gaze back to the map.
“Okay, I understand,” he replied softly. “In summary, we still need to arrange tasks based on the urgency of things. Since our guests have arrived first, as the hosts, we naturally cannot neglect them. This is the grace expected of the ancient nobles of Erluin.”
Nemeses nodded, “Exactly.”
In the last ten days of the Month of Winter’s Lyre, the attention of the entire empire was focused on a war that was both unexpected and anticipated. On this day, the armies gathered by Earl Ji’en and Earl Orkans finally arrived at the Floating Cloud Hills.
