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“His Highness speaks the truth. I will support his proposal.”

Marquis Got stood up, siding with the prince. The nobles seated near the marquis also began to express their agreement. Unlike the nobles of merchant origin, these were nobles with history and tradition, who were present out of respect for Yubel’s bloodline.

They had a noble sense of duty, refusing to serve a flawed king even at the cost of losing the war. They were disillusioned by the self-preservation of the merchant-born nobles. To them, handing over their master’s head for their own safety was an act of disgraceful dishonor. Thus, they didn’t particularly care about the expense or value of the slaves.

With Marquis Got casting his vote in favor, the merchant-born nobles couldn’t oppose any longer. One by one, they began to agree with Repenhardt’s opinion. Finally, even Count Feonin, who had held out until the end, expressed his approval, prompting Yubel to rise from his seat.

Yubel walked slowly, raising the ring on his right hand. As he displayed the royal seal, Repenhardt knelt respectfully. Yubel, with princely dignity, spoke solemnly.

“Lord Repenhardt, as the legitimate heir of the Crovence royal family, I command you. I assign you the mission of capturing the Sinai fortress. Serve with utmost loyalty!”

“I, Repenhardt, humbly accept your command, Your Highness Yubel!”

Leaving the conference room, Repenhardt immediately exited Baron Delphina’s castle and headed towards the nearby forest.

After walking through the castle gates and a bit into the forest, he arrived at a large clearing with dozens of tents. Near the tents, many members of different races were preparing dinner over hanging cauldrons. These were the dwarven warriors from the Grand Forge, along with the elves and orcs Repenhardt had brought.

They all stayed in this forest clearing. Considering that Prince Yubel’s troops were living in proper wooden barracks, albeit shabby ones, it was quite a rough treatment. However, these people had come prepared for such conditions, so there were no complaints.

In fact, Prince Yubel’s side had prepared accommodations for them on one side of the barony out of respect for Repenhardt. But that place was intended for slaves. As free individuals, they couldn’t possibly stay there. Moreover, compared to the cramped, poorly ventilated, and unhygienic slave quarters where a dozen or so people were crammed into a single room, it was better to camp in the forest and breathe fresh air.

Crossing the open area, Repenhardt arrived at a large tent on the outskirts. This was where his companions were staying. Although a rather decent accommodation had been specially prepared for them at the Baron’s mansion, they had all refused and were lodging together with the other races.

Hearing Repenhardt’s footsteps, the tent flap opened, and a platinum-haired elf girl stepped out.

“Ah, Siris. Did Tassid leave as scheduled?”

“Yes, he departed with the Black King a short while ago.”

“Hmm, he needs to keep to the schedule…”

“Did the meeting go well?”

“Yes, it went according to plan.”

Following this, Russ, Sillan, and Tilla came out. Sillan asked with an incredulous look.

“So, are we really going to take down Sinai Fortress with just us?”

“A hundred warriors from the Blue Bear Tribe will join us, so it’s not just us.”

“Even so, three thousand against a hundred, no, three thousand against two hundred…”

As a general military rule, to attack a fortress, you need three times the number of defenders. Even if they had more troops, it would be insufficient, and here they were planning to capture a fortress with just two hundred men. Anyone would dismiss it as nonsense, even without being a strategist.

Russ chuckled wryly.

“What’s even funnier is that we have a chance of winning.”

The combat power of dwarves and orc warriors far exceeded that of human knights. Russ, having met both, felt this keenly. Moreover, the orc warriors were direwolf riders, giving them a mobility that the dwarf warriors lacked. Despite the differences in defense and attack, these warriors could easily take on not only ordinary infantry but also several human knights alone.

Repenhardt clicked his tongue and muttered.

“It’s not that the knights of the Crovence Kingdom are weak, but the warriors of the Grand Forge and the Blue Bear Tribe are among the strongest of dwarves and orcs. With the strongest forces of two races gathered, it’s not impossible.”

“It feels like cheating.”

Siris also smiled bitterly. Russ shrugged his shoulders.

“Besides, if everything goes as planned, there will be six Aura users, excluding you, at Sinai Fortress. Ha, six Aura users… it’s a sight rare in the history of the continent.”

It was hard for any kingdom to have more than five Aura users, making them incredibly rare. Just the sight of Aura bursting from all around Sinai Fortress would severely demoralize the enemy soldiers.

“The status of orcs and dwarves across the continent will rise tremendously.”

Imagining the scene, Sillan mumbled in an excited voice. Just then, a mature-looking elf man approached from a nearby tent and joined the conversation.

“The elves also have no intention of stepping back. We won’t be the same as before!”

It was Relhard, the leader of the Dahnhaim clan.

When Repenhardt had moved the Grand Forge forces, he had briefly visited the Dahnhaim clan through a spatial portal. His aim was to showcase the strength of various races to the world, and elves could not be excluded. Although the Dahnhaim clan’s numbers were small, Relhard had joined with twenty elf warriors.

However, those twenty elves were no longer what they used to be.

“Friends of the blazing flame!”

Relhard muttered softly, raising one hand.

Whoosh!

Flames erupted, and a giant figure of fire appeared in the air. It was Ignatius, the fire spirit. He had manifested the spirit’s distinct form in an instant, a level of spirit magic far beyond what Relhard had previously been capable of.

“Thanks to our benefactor, Elvenheim has been revived. Humans will no longer dismiss us elves as a weak race.”

Relhard, with a determined look, stroked the branch he carried in his bosom. It was a branch of Elvenheim, the world tree Repenhardt had revived using the bow Nihillen. To aid Elvenheim’s growth, they had pruned the tree and always carried the cut branches to practice their spirit magic.

Seeing the majesty of Ignatius, Sillan expressed admiration.

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

“With the world tree, it’s not so extraordinary.”

Retracting the fire spirit, Relhard smiled bitterly.

In just a few months, the elves of the Dahnhaim clan had rapidly regained their former prowess in spirit magic. It wasn’t so much that their skills were exceptional, but rather that elves typically achieved such feats when the world tree existed.

“Currently, the world tree is still small, so we need to carry branches like this when we move away from it. But in time, other elves will also feel the revival of Elvenheim.”

“I’m looking forward to it as well.”

At Repenhardt’s words, Relhard smiled broadly. Just then, someone was seen walking from the other side of the forest. Recognizing the young man, Siris spoke with astonishment.

“Prince Yubel?”

Other nobles despised this open area as a slave lodging and would never approach it. But a prince coming here? Surprised, Siris watched as Yubel shrugged.

“Finia wanted to meet the other dwarves.”

Sure enough, in the distance, dwarf maiden Finia could be seen meeting with other dwarves from the Grand Forge. She chatted animatedly, occasionally laughing, with a face full of joy.

Yubel, who was watching the scene with satisfaction, suddenly turned his gaze to Repenhardt.

“I spoke as planned, but do we really have a chance of winning?”

Repenhardt smiled faintly.

“We do have a chance. However, it doesn’t change the fact that we must be prepared to risk our lives.”

No matter how strong the warriors of the Blue Bear Tribe, the Dahnhaim clan, and the Grand Forge were, they were certainly outnumbered. The difference in strength, three thousand to two hundred, was not something to be ignored.

Yubel nodded and then suddenly smiled.

“Anyway, seeing Finia’s smile is good enough for me.”

He then turned to Repenhardt with a serious expression.

“Lord Repenhardt, I know that you don’t sincerely wish to become my vassal.”

Repenhardt showed an embarrassed expression. It was true. In front of other nobles, he knelt as a vassal, but he never truly intended to serve Yubel. Having been an emperor in a past life, how could he develop loyalty to a prince of such a small place? It was merely a stepping stone to achieve his own goals.

‘That dwarf woman, Finia, must have told him. The truth is always inconvenient.’

Yubel then relaxed his expression and continued.

“But I don’t mind. As long as your intentions align with mine, I can trust you more than my loyal subjects.”

“Thank you for thinking so.”

Yubel’s expression changed from that of a prince to a young man in love.

“So act as you wish. I will help you. Even if you fail, Lord Repenhardt, I will not resent you. Just seeing that smile makes me grateful to you.”

It was a love that could never be fulfilled.

It was a victory that could never be achieved.

Even though the chances were slim, there was hope.

For that alone, Yubel wanted to thank Repenhardt. He was sincere.

Repenhardt bowed his head and replied.

“You will not be disappointed.”

* * *

The traces of winter had disappeared, and the sunlight was starting to get hot in the full bloom of late spring.

Loud shouts were erupting from the spacious training ground on one side of Sinai Fortress.

Dark blue aura scattered in all directions. The owner of the aura was a middle-aged man with a sturdy build, who was continuously swinging a claymore that glowed with a navy blue aura, sweating profusely.

Eventually, the middle-aged man sheathed his sword and caught his breath.

“Phew, that’s enough morning training for now.”

A waiting attendant quickly ran up to him and handed him a towel.

“Here you go, Lord Tetsvalt.”

“Thank you.”

After wiping off his sweat, Tetsvalt handed the towel back to the attendant. As he walked back into the building, he muttered to himself.

“Another tedious day begins.”

It had already been a month since he had taken charge of Sinai Fortress. During that time, all Tetsvalt had done was spend his days in the training grounds, swinging his sword.

“I could handle those remnants of the rebels even now…”

Walking along the corridor, Tetsvalt wore a disgruntled expression.

There was no doubt that Sinai Fortress was a crucial stronghold. However, it wasn’t significant enough to warrant the defense by Tetsvalt, the kingdom’s strongest aura user, the elite Fernando Knights, and three thousand troops.

Originally, his legion should have been a storm fiercely sweeping away the treacherous Prince Yubel’s army. The reason his legion was holed up in the fortress was due to the command of Prince Carsus.

“The victory is already assured. There is no need to hasten and spill more blood of our soldiers. Wait until we are fully prepared.”

Though it was a reason to rejoice, seeing a ruler who cared for the well-being of his subordinates even with victory at hand, it was tedious for those waiting for battle. He would have preferred if Prince Yubel’s army attacked boldly…

“But those scoundrels, with their depleted resources, will never do that.”

Furthermore, he had no other hobbies to pass the time. Consequently, Tetsvalt spent his days swinging his sword, filling the monotonous hours.