Living in the vast highlands to the north of Aouine, the Gurch tribe had a well-known legend. Legend had it that the lone soldier on the battlefield was the one favored by the God of Death.
Vane? Nostar had also heard of this legend before. He was a knight recruited from the Balta region in the north of the kingdom. He came from a noble family and had some skills in taming beasts before he joined the army. After joining the army, he naturally became a Wyvern Knight and was part of the Thirty-Fourth Regiment's Wyvern Cavalry Squadron. This army was originally part of the kingdom's Southern Army, but the latter had long been scattered by Madara's undead army in this war. Even their commander, Count Binag, had died. Nosida's unit waited for a long time, but there were no signs of a ceasefire. Instead, the undead of Madara were getting stronger by the day, and the nobles behind them used the excuse that the negotiations had come to an end and the war had ended as an excuse to not provide them with any support.
The messengers sent to contact the White-mane army and Arreck were nowhere to be found, and the situation was getting worse by the day. Baron Kelen, the supreme commander of the 34th Regiment at the southern border of Randner wrote in his diary:
"The situation in the south is getting worse by the day. We don't know where our brothers are scattered, and the undead of Madara are attacking from all directions. We can't contact anyone, and the news seems to have been cut off. Even retreating has become impossible. The nobles are doing what they want, and today, this territory is out of the control of the kingdom. Martha above, may I live to see the end of this nightmare — "
But to Vane? None of this was important to Nosida. He and his wyvern were shot down while patrolling a human village that was destroyed by the undead, and became the legendary person of the Gurch tribe who was targeted by the Grim Reaper's cold gaze. He raised his head with a face full of blood, and saw in despair rows and rows of skeleton warriors coming from all directions from the ruins of the village. He was pinned down by the wyvern's corpse, and the light crossbow in his hand was the only weapon he had to protect himself. He raised his arm and shot an arrow at one of the skeletons.
The crossbow that had been blessed by the holy water exploded with a dazzling light, and a skeleton turned into ashes in the white light.
But after a series of white lights, even more undead creatures drowned out Nosidar's vision. An endless feeling of dejection shrouded the young man. That was a few months ago, Nosidar could not help but think. When they heard that Madara had split into three groups to invade the kingdom, be it the soldiers or the nobles, almost everyone held a relaxed attitude as they waited to see how these backward and barbaric dark lords would fall apart due to infighting and disagreements in command, just like every other joint invasion in history.
But the final result was out of everyone's expectations. Madara's army was decisive, calm, and effective. In comparison, the Kingdom of Erouine was more like an old man past his prime, unable to withstand the attacks and showing signs of fatigue. The kingdom's former glory was long gone. Three centuries ago, the seventeenth Archbishop of the Holy Cathedral of Fire called the 'Blade of Flames, the model of ancient glory' only existed in the history of the past.
After shooting the last arrow, the young man calmly threw away the crossbow, and tightly held the necklace with his wife's name on it with one hand. He looked up, and a tall skeleton had blocked the sun above his head.
The fiery red soul fire in his eyes danced.
"Farewell, father, mother, and dear Vanessa. I only hope that you can remember your son and husband and many others who fought in this place to protect Erouine …"
"But there is no hope for this kingdom …"
*****
After October, the smell of autumn gradually became stronger, and the plains along the coast of Tónigel were dyed with a layer of pale yellow. Just by riding on the road between the countryside, Brando and the rest could already feel the obvious smell of war.
After the leather armor was torn apart by Aloz, Brando simply found a tailor in a town along the way and ordered a set of long black windbreaker and breeches, putting on the airs of a lord. He sat up straight on the horse and looked around, wearing a pair of eye-catching white gloves and a silver-plated longsword at his waist, looking somewhat like a young noble.
But this was not because he wanted to indulge in the feeling of being a noble, but because it was easier to avoid trouble. After leaving the hills of Chablis, the month of travel became more and more boring. Although the law and order had collapsed, the bandits around the town were mostly farmers who could not make a living. On the other hand, Brando's group of 20 people was well-equipped, like the children of a noble. These people who were forced into desperation due to poverty would not easily provoke them.
But Brando could not help but sigh when he saw the empty farms along the way.
In fact, on the day of Chablis, the dragon girl Aloz had warned him that an undead army from Madara was currently entrenched in the south of Tónigel. This news coincided with the history Brando knew. In history, 'Black Knight' Incirsta did not leave Tónigel even after half a year of the armistice because he was hungry for more. Furthermore, the ancient kingdom did not have the time to care about other things at this moment.
It was close to the end of the Month of Autumn (October), and in the other history Brando knew, the upper echelons of the ancient kingdom were beginning to stir. According to what he knew, the support behind Oberg's eldest son, Hamel, came from Queen Anna's forces. Anna was the sister of Duke Seifer, and her ascension to the throne represented the beginning of the restoration of the Seifer Dynasty. The Royal Faction members who supported House Corvado had different views on this matter. Furthermore, she had an ambiguous relationship with Marquis Kluge, and they even worked together to imprison the king.
In history, at the beginning of the 11th month, Hamel suddenly announced his coronation, and this event officially opened the curtains of the internal division of the Royal Faction. Princess Gryphine, who had a strong personality, naturally would not silently accept it. She immediately announced to all the nobles and Knight in her own territory that Hamel's throne was not legitimate. Those who supported her were naturally the core members of the Royal Faction who were already dissatisfied with the queen and the Elven faction that she represented.
At the end of the 11th month, Duke Arreck announced his support for Hamel. At the same time, the various regions started to become independent or sided with one another, and Erouine's civil war began. From then on, until two years later, this civil war completely shook the foundation of the kingdom. Although the kingdom experienced a short period of prosperity after that, the kingdom had lost its new blood and was unable to be reborn from the fire.
It could be said that Erouine's destruction accelerated from this moment onwards.
At this critical juncture, no one cared about what 'Black Knight' Incirsta was doing in the south. However, that didn't mean that the impact didn't exist. The entire village in this area had migrated, leaving behind a desolate area. When they passed through the empty and silent villages, they could feel a clear sense of desolation.
But as they headed south, this sense of desolation gradually changed.
As they were nearing the heart of Tónigel, Abies, the road finally started to become more lively. The ruler of Tónigel was Count Randner's third son, Baron Graudin. Brando was not unfamiliar with this name, but he was not familiar with it either. In this era, most nobles were cold and opinionated, but the ruler was different. Apart from sharing a noble's face, he was also harsh, cruel, and exploited his subjects even more.
Brando and the rest had already noticed this when they entered Abies. Or rather, they did not have much hope before this, but their expectations were lowered by a lot.
The first thing that caught their eyes were the citizens living outside of Firburh. Only the truly poor and lowly would live outside the city without any protection. Generally speaking, they were either farmers working outside the city or refugees fleeing for their lives. On both sides of the street, there were only crumbling and dirty thatched huts. Men and women were scantily clad, and their faces were sallow and emaciated. Their eyes were dim, and there was no hope for the future.
Dust was everywhere on the street, and the dry air was filled with the smell of animal dung. Compared to this place, even the dogmatic, slow, and self-righteous nobles and bureaucrats in Bruglas seemed cute. At least in those places, although the status of the citizens was low, at least they could still survive.
However, just like the naturally mean people born from barren land, the more barren the land, the more they demanded. Brando knew that the reason for this difference was not because the nobles of Grinoires were more humane, but because the land in Tónigel was more barren, and the people naturally could not tolerate it.
Amandina, who was once a noble's daughter, could not help but cover her mouth in disbelief.
"My lord, the territory you want to inherit … … is in this place?" She could not help but ask with a little disappointment.
She originally thought that after leaving the Highlander Dominion, the eastern coast of Tónigel would be a prosperous place. Being close to the sea meant that trade was flourishing, and flourishing trade meant wealth. Even if it was not as good as Ampere Seale, it should be comparable to Braggs, right?
She did not expect that it would be such a bleak scene.
Brando was also stunned. Because he did not tell Amandina that the Mercenaries of Lopes were actually his summoned creatures, he caused her to be sad for nothing and blamed himself for it. Naturally, he would be punished for it. For at least a month after Chablis, Amandina spoke to him in a business-like manner. She no longer treated him with a friendly expression, and most of the time, she would just roll her eyes at him.
Even though she always considered herself as his aide, Brando felt that this was not the attitude that a retainer should have when talking to their lord. Of course, he would not bring it up. Using his status as a noble to pressure a weak girl was something that he would not do even if he was half a modern person.
… …
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