Amelia let out a derisive snort, unable to hide her displeasure.
"Hmph, leading the Northern Army to attack here?"
If she didn't lend her help, Ghislain would likely abandon the northern fortress and deal with the barbarians first. Only then could he focus on fighting against the rift.
In that case, Perdium would undoubtedly suffer significant damage. It was entirely possible that everything north of the lord's castle might be lost.
But if the Northern Army was brought in, even if they took losses, they could eventually stop the rift.
And after that, that madman would undoubtedly attack this place for not complying with his demands. He was the type to do so without hesitation.
Amelia swept back her hair and closed her eyes.
'That arrogant bastard.'
Her insides churned with anger.
Now was not the time to clash with Ghislain. That would only play into the hands of the duchy.
That was precisely why she had been preparing to migrate to the East all along.
Even now, helping Ghislain as he requested was the most viable option.
She knew that, but...
'How dare he threaten me?'
Even though she knew better, the thought of betraying him stirred an impulse to strike him in the back.
Right now, Ghislain was forcing her into a corner, making her choose whether to fight the barbarians or the Northern Army.
He had a solid justification, too. Ghislain was the commander of the Northern Army. Amelia might have reached an agreement with the royalist faction, but it was clear he would no longer tolerate such leniency.
Amelia's eyes narrowed. This was the first time in her life she had been threatened twice by the same person.
As the atmosphere grew cold, Dark hesitantly opened his mouth.
"Um... I have something else to deliver."
He had been told that Amelia's mood would worsen after reading the letter, and he had also been given a follow-up message to relay afterward.
"What is it?"
At Amelia's words, Dark glanced around cautiously and spoke.
"He asked if you're going to let yourself be played by Raul's intentions... He said you must have your own goals... And if you get through this, he promised to lend his support to your eastern migration."
Amelia's expression hardened. It was clear that Ghislain knew her ambitions and plans. She had no idea how he had come to know, but he certainly did.
Still, it wasn't a bad deal. To migrate east, she would ultimately need to use force. Although she had negotiated with the royalist faction, the other nobles wouldn't just sit idly by.
Dealing with them one by one would be extremely exhausting.
'... He knows me almost disturbingly well.'
Had he guessed that tightening the noose around her would make her reconsider? How could he know her so well?
Amelia couldn't find an answer because she didn't know that Ghislain was a regressor.
She closed her eyes again. She needed time to organize her thoughts.
'Huu...'
After calming her breath, she assessed the current political situation objectively. Helping Ghislain was unpleasant, but following Raul's intentions was dangerous.
'I can't act purely on emotion.'
Raul was undoubtedly confident that she wouldn't make a move. Even if she did, he must have believed she wouldn't be able to stop the barbarians with her capabilities.
From the duchy's perspective, she was just a lucky woman who had inherited her estate thanks to Harold.
'It's about time I show them once and for all.'
Despite her successful usurpation, the stigma of being just another noblewoman lingered. Most nobles still underestimated her.
She had planned to build her reputation starting on the Eastern Front, but starting a little earlier wouldn't hurt.
And there was a second reason.
'All the rifts must be dealt with.'
She had no desire for a post-apocalyptic world overrun by monsters. Nor did she intend to ally with insane cults like the Salvation Church.
To wipe out the rifts, the Northern Army had to play a more active role.
'I have no choice.'
Having organized her thoughts, Amelia opened her eyes and spoke to Dark.
"Deliver this to Ghislain."
"Yes."
"Tell him I'll dance to his swordplay this one time."
"What does that even mean? Are you saying you'll help or not? Are you going to fight my master, or what? Be clear, please."
"..."
It was apparent that this spirit lacked social skills and many other qualities.
With an annoyed expression, Amelia gestured to the side.
"The map."
One of her vassals brought over a map. Amelia pointed to a location and spoke to Dark.
"Look carefully and relay this. I'll be here, blocking the barbarians. It's the entryway to the northern estate."
"Got it."
"... I'll hold them off there, so send a small force to strike from the rear. I won't overextend myself and take unnecessary losses. Understand?"
Ghislain hadn't suggested any specific strategy to Amelia. He believed she would know what to do on her own.
True enough, Amelia quickly visualized the situation in her mind and formulated a strategy. She figured Ghislain would understand her intentions from the message.
Though their relationship was strained, they still acknowledged each other's capabilities.
Dark nodded. As long as he relayed the message accurately, his job was done.
The negotiation was successful. Dark, now free from Bernaph's grasp, bowed his head and withdrew.
Once he reached the door, he suddenly shouted.
"You insolent fools! I'll definitely curse you all! Mark my words! Especially you, cat! I'll surely avenge today's humiliation, just you wait!"
Hiss!
"Goodbye!"
As Bastet rose to its feet, Dark left those parting words and dashed out the door.
"..."
Everyone in the audience hall, including Amelia, fell silent.
A man who extorted money from his fiancée, a strange head butler who accepted bribes of 1 gold coin at a time, and a deranged spirit—Fenris had no shortage of eccentric characters.
It was still hard to believe that such people had swept through the kingdom and earned the title of the strongest in the North.
Amelia let out a sigh, rising from her seat, and spoke to Conrad.
"Move immediately. It seems we're short on time."
"Understood."
The Rayfold Army had already been prepared to mobilize at any moment. There would be no difficulty in departing immediately.
Amelia also decided to use this opportunity to finish internal matters she had put off.
She gave a discreet order to Caleb, the leader of the Wildcat Smugglers.
"Make sure it's handled. Understand?"
"Leave it to me."
With a sinister smile, Caleb bowed his head.
Amelia let out a small sigh. Having made her decision, she felt a little more at ease. Though still irritated, she had no intention of moving according to Raul's designs.
"I need some fresh air."
Perhaps it was because of Dark's noisy chatter or the heavy deliberation; her head throbbed slightly.
Stepping outside, Amelia turned her gaze to the northern sky.
For a long, long time.
***
Zwalter gazed at the blue mist approaching the fortress from afar, his expression grave.
The mist was spreading across the horizon, endless and vast.
"How could it grow so large?"
It was said that the richer the land was in natural energy, the faster the rift expanded.
The northern lands had few artificial structures and little environmental damage. Naturally, the flow of nature's energy was more abundant here than elsewhere.
But even understanding the reason, the speed of expansion was incomprehensible.
The rift zone was soon going to engulf this place.
Zwalter turned to Randolph beside him and spoke.
"The barbarians won't miss this opportunity."
"Yes, once the battle against the rift begins, they'll bypass us and head straight for the North."
"That madman has truly lost it."
"Indeed, a lunatic. Collaborating with the Salvation Church to do something like this."
"So this is how it ends."
Zwalter wore a bitter expression. Waroka's insatiable greed had led to this unthinkable situation.
How many of his own people had he sacrificed to create that rift? What was the point of such power gained through such atrocities?
Unable to fathom that hunger for power, Zwalter could only shake his head.
"What about Ghislain?"
"He'll be here soon."
"Good. That rift must be stopped if we're to deal with the barbarians."
Perdium had grown much stronger than before.
Food and equipment were plentiful, and the number of knights and soldiers had significantly increased. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a great territory now.
Even so, the rift couldn't be stopped with their current strength. Only Ghislain's forces could manage it.
"Amelia said she'd hold off the barbarians, right?"
"Yes, we've just received word that the Rayfold army has mobilized."
"That's a relief. To think she'd personally take action."
It was true that relations had grown distant since their ally, Count Rayfold, had been ousted from his position.
After Amelia's rebellion, talks of marriage had completely vanished. The vassals had strongly opposed bringing such a dangerous woman into Perdium as a daughter-in-law.
Because of that, they had had little interaction. Yet, she was willing to move in this crisis.
"Well, she is from the North, after all. Of course."
Zwalter didn't know how Ghislain had convinced her, but he appreciated the help from Amelia, whom he had known since she was a child.
"We must do our best to deal with the rift. Amelia won't have an easy time holding off all those barbarians alone."
The battle against the rift took priority. As long as Amelia could hold out while they dealt with the rift, it would suffice.
Perdium's forces were already assembled and prepared. Fenris had also sent 10,000 reinforcements and weapons, which had arrived.
Because the distance wasn't far, they had been able to arrive faster than the Mobile Army from the west.
The blue mist crept closer to the fortress with every passing moment. At this rate, it would engulf the fortress in less than a week.
All the soldiers stationed at the fortress watched the mist tensely. Unfortunately, none of them had experience fighting against rifts.
'Damn it, they say there are at least 500,000 of them in there...'
'Can we really hold them back with our strength?'
'Even if they just crash into us with that many, wouldn't the fortress collapse?'
'They say this is all because of Skovan… I always had a bad feeling about that bastard.'
Having heard of the dangers posed by the rift, fear began to creep into their minds.
The unknown enemy was always terrifying. Everyone was slowly succumbing to fear.
Though the drop in morale before the battle was dangerous, Zwalter chose not to rally the troops.
'The Fenris army's eyes are different.'
Unlike the slightly frightened soldiers of Perdium, the Fenris troops seemed to be filled with anticipation.
Of course, they too were tense, but the fear didn't run as deep.
Zwalter knew why, and so he waited silently.
Sure enough, the atmosphere completely changed when Ghislain arrived a few days later.
"The Young Lord has arrived!"
"Our lord is here!"
"The Fenris Mobile Army is here!"
Clang, clang, clang.
As Ghislain and his close aides entered the fortress with the mobile army, the soldiers' faces lit up with joy.
Fenris was the undefeated army, and Ghislain, who led them, was an undefeated sovereign.
Having eliminated countless rifts already, his presence alone was enough to boost morale.
"Father."
Ghislain stood before Zwalter and gave a slight bow. Zwalter looked at his son and his aides with a satisfied smile.
Belinda lowered her gaze slightly to avoid Zwalter's eyes. She wasn't exactly proud of her ambitions to leave him and make his son the Grand Duke of the North.
Placing a hand on Ghislain's shoulder, Zwalter spoke.
"I entrust you with the command."
"Understood."
No lengthy words were needed. Zwalter had no intention of taking command himself, as he might have in the past.
His son had already proven himself beyond measure.
In this situation, more than any other, the battle against the rift had to be led by Ghislain. Everyone would want that.
Ghislain ascended the fortress walls and raised his hand.
With a powerful voice, he addressed everyone.
"Prepare for battle, all forces."
"Whooaaaa!"
With just that one sentence, the soldiers erupted in cheers.
The belief that they could win—this was the strongest force that Ghislain provided.
The soldiers took their positions. The Fenris troops placed 100 Galbanium catapults atop the fortress.
Creak.
Perdium's catapults, numbering in the dozens, were positioned behind the fortress walls.
The two territories had scraped together all their resources. It was enough firepower to annihilate most strongholds in an instant.
Clunk.
Ten large ballistae atop the fortress finished loading.
The 100 mages and 80 priests accompanying the mobile army took up safe positions on the walls.
By the time all preparations were complete, the blue mist had drawn significantly closer.
Though it was still some distance away to the eye, the catapults could reach it.
Kaaaah!
Terrifying screams echoed from all directions as the riftborn emerged.
The soldiers swallowed dryly, their tense faces awaiting orders.
Ghislain had no intention of waiting for the blue mist to cover the area and for the riftborn to attack.
Extending his hand forward, he gave the order.
"Fire."
"Fire!"
With the knights' echoing shouts, the catapults roared, hurling massive stones.
Boom!
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