Frost Snow City, the lord's castle, War Room.
Constance stood before a massive War Table. Beside her stood Grand Duke Owen, who had just finished receiving Lia's latest round of data. Around the table were Hao Ren and his three companions, along with Charlemagne and his sister. There was no one else in the hall.
The officers commanding the frontline battles were still in the south and could not possibly return for this informal meeting. Constance, however, was present in both places simultaneously through consciousness transmission, allowing her to relay intelligence between the two sides.
"The main battlefield is currently in this area." Constance leaned forward and pointed at the War Table with the slender sword in her hand. It was at the edge of the snow-covered Northern Territory, along the border between the six northern provinces and the central region of the Empire. There were no towering mountains there, and the terrain consisted mostly of hills and small plains, offering neither side much of an advantage. "The Northern Territory Legion has built fortifications in these areas, but we've encountered tremendous resistance as we continued advancing. Our front line has even begun retreating recently. At first, we had the upper hand through surprise attacks, but after entering the central region, we encountered the Black Sword Knights' Order and the Imperial Legion's frenzied counterattacks. Now, mutated monster armies keep appearing as well. To be honest, the situation is extremely unfavorable."
"The good news is that the Black Sword Knights' Order can't devote all its strength to us." Grand Duke Owen pointed toward the southern part of the table. "Count Nehem has already officially raised his forces from Ash Mountain City in response to our call. The Empire has had no choice but to send a considerable portion of its knights south