Legends and Grudges, a War That Exploded in an Instant

When the Crusader Atonement Army arrived, the first thing Dark-Eyed Count and Golden-Eyed Count, the two masters of Gerald blood, did not do was to greet them, but to visit someone else.

This land was given to Gerald, who fled south, by the Guardian Knight of King Gerald over a hundred years ago.

That person is still alive.

A knight who is willing to give up a large tract of land to his former monarch deserves not only the recognition of the nobles of the entire South lands, but also the respect of the nobles of the Gerald bloodline.

The Old King of the Andara Kingdom, a wise and valiant King who was on friendly terms with Grand Duke McReynolds, once even coveted the empire, not to mention the noble territories to the east of the Andara Kingdom.

However, two reasons later stopped the Old King from being greedy.

One is the deterrent power of the Gerald bloodline. This former royal lineage even saw the King lead an army to attack the Northlands, fighting for the Deities, for dignity and honor. If the Andara Kingdom were to attack them, would they still be human?

The Old King was oblivious to being gossiped about.

The second reason is because of this living Legendary.

The Knight Tiffany, Legendary Knight known as "Moonlight," was so powerful that an entire kingdom feared him.

It is said that there is a difference even among Legendary, referring to the difference between Legendary Knight like Tiffany and an ordinary Legendary.

The civilization of Gerald is imbued with romanticism. For example, Gerald refused to become a high-ranking nobleman in the empire. The Legendary "Moonlight" knight chose to remain unmarried for life after the death of his beloved, dedicating vast tracts of land to Gerald. Even now, they have never considered changing the ancient rules of the game of "knights and King."

"Lord Moonlight, the Crusaders have arrived in our territory."

"Golden-Eyed Count Meilan Gerald said respectfully. As an earl, but also several generations younger, Gerald could not muster any authority in front of this person."

[Moonlight] Knight Tiffany has a full head of silver hair, but otherwise he looks no different from a middle-aged man. He has lived for a long time, and if nothing unexpected happens, he will live for a long time to come.

His longevity was the envy of all Legendary Knight, but could not be replicated. It is said that his Legendary Boon were related to Elves.

Elves are a famously long-lived species.

"Aven Griffiths, I think I've heard that name before."

Tiffany was naturally aware of the news about the Crusaders, but he was concerned about the man who, as a priest, led the entire Crusaders.

Priests are special within the clergy of the Church, and the Church itself is wary of them enough, yet this priest was still able to lead the Crusaders and keep that infamous army without any dissent.

Being powerful is not enough.

The Legendary Knight of the Moon also frowned, feeling troubled by the arrival of the Crusaders.

"They cannot enter Gerald's territory at will."

Tiffany said this, which was also the idea of the two counts. If the Crusaders made contact with their territory, there would be something that they couldn't handle.

They simply refused to stay outside.

The two counts conveyed their intentions to Aven, who was heading to the Northlands battlefield. Avan smiled and did not object to the two noble lords' decision.

"We respect your decision. The Crusaders will not enter your territory without your permission. However, we need to help Gerald drive out the Orcs from the north."

Golden-Eyed Count smiled somewhat awkwardly and said:

"Of course, Cleric Awen can certainly lead the Crusaders to the north."

"We need food and shelter."

"I will send slaves to help with the construction, and food will also be delivered."

Golden-Eyed Count decided that after returning today, he would request more food supplies from the South.

"After the Orcs in the Northlands are driven out, my lord's followers will launch an attack on the Andara Kingdom. We will reclaim the soil of Faith of Dawn, where no flowers other than Dawn should grow."

It finally arrived, but faced with Cleric Awen's suddenly serious tone, Earls Golden Eye and Ink Eye didn't even have the courage to refute him.

"We... will fully support the Holy War of Dawn."

"Glory to My Lord."

Cleric Awen led the Crusaders away, the two counts looked at the Crusaders behind him and were surprised to find that these Atonement Army were so... obedient.

"That Atonement Army has already entered the Gerald Noble Territory."

The peaceful days were shattered. The first to receive the news was Ryan, who learned that the Andara Kingdom already had knights patrolling the borders when he learned of the Crusader Atonement Army.

The kingdom has nobles who have good relations with the Gerald Noble Territory; this is common among nobles, so Ryan was able to get the news quickly.

In Zero Crossing City, Count Pascal was no longer surprised by Ryan's abilities, and simply said:

"I will tell Loren that the Wyvern Rider will speed up their efforts to drive out the Rhino Orcs, and then defend against the Church's army."

"When Gerald declares war, I will lead the Gargoyle Legion into the Andara Kingdom."

Count Pascal seemed to yearn for the war even more than the Crusaders.

"Should we wait until they declare war?"

Ryan frowned; this was taking too long.

"Yes, Gerald did not declare war, so as Imperial Noble, I have no reason to enter the territory of the Andara Kingdom. As for the Wyvern Legion, that is a mutual agreement between His Majesty the Emperor and the King, nominally to help fight against the Orcs."

It makes sense that Count Pascal cannot enter the kingdom's lands without cause. You can't just say, "I suspect someone wants to wage war against you, so I'll voluntarily enter your territory," can you?

This is why, aside from other matters, Grand Duke Mayers seized upon this point regarding Ryan to express his dissatisfaction in the Imperial Capital.

"Is it too late?"

Ryan hesitated, then asked.

"There's still time. The Gargoyle are fast enough to ensure that the Crusader Atonement Army cannot break into the territory of the Andara Kingdom. Once we reunite with the Wyvern Legion, we will annihilate the Church's Crusaders."

Count Pascal was very confident, but Ryan did not think so.

Because when he receives news from the Andara Kingdom, he will naturally also receive news from the Sera Kingdom.

"What if the Sera Kingdom also enters the war?"

"They don't need to declare war to tell us, because the Sera Kingdom and the Andara Kingdom went to war last year. Although there are no large-scale legion wars now, the war is not over."

Ryan said, but he already knew that the Sera Kingdom would send troops. The Church had given the King orders to join the Crusader Atonement Army.

The Griffin Legion will be deployed; it is an extremely powerful Extraordinary Legion.

According to Ryan's idea, Count Pascal should now lead the Gargoyle Legion into the Andara Kingdom to set up defenses. If they could launch a surprise attack on the Griffin Legion, that would be the best outcome, which would directly limit the scale of the war to the eastern battlefield.

Unfortunately, just as Count Pascal, a high-ranking nobleman of the empire, could not enter the kingdom's territory at this moment, Ryan could not become the commander of this war between the empire and the Church without the emperor's order.

Loren Columbus and Count Pascal's Extraordinary Legion were the main protagonists of the war.

No, we also need to count the third one, Otis Brooks. That Wandering Nobles is still leading ordinary soldiers from Winged Gorge on the Orcs battlefield in the the North of the Andara Kingdom. As Wandering Nobles, he certainly won't let go of this opportunity to gain merit.

Is Ryan worried? Ryan isn't worried at all.

The Legendary power of the Andara Kingdom was self-generated. As long as Daryl lives, and the royal family does not produce any more high-ranking transcendents or Legendary, he has no need to worry about the Empire usurping his authority in the kingdom.

"Once the war begins, the Legendary Knight Daryl will withdraw from the South battlefields to defend the eastern border of the kingdom against the Crusader Atonement Army, and then nothing in the south will be able to stop the Griffin Legion."

"Either your Gargoyle go south, Count, or the Wyvern Legion blocks the Griffin Legion; otherwise, this Extraordinary Legion of the Sera Kingdom will be able to crush the Andara Royal City into ruins."

While the Sera Kingdom may not have the same foundation as the Andara Kingdom, the Kingdom of the Sera Kingdom's Griffin Legion is still a hurdle that the Andara Kingdom cannot avoid.

The Crusader Atonement Army will not face both the Gargoyle and the Wyverns Extraordinary Legion simultaneously.

After all, this army was only an army to atone for the Faith of Dawn, not one of the ten Extraordinary Legion. Ryan believed that this Crusader Atonement Army would not be particularly powerful, but the Griffin Legion could make up for that.

Count Pascal frowned. He did not doubt Ryan's speculations about the war; the Northern Baron's performance in the war was convincing.

"So, according to you, this war won't end anytime soon?"

"Without absolute measures, it's impossible to end this too quickly."

They not only had to face two armies, but also a kingdom, two noble territories, and the logistical support from the South land nobles for the the North.

Wars are never just about fighting power, but also about resources and wealth.

"Without Legendary, how long could the army of the Andara Kingdom withstand the Sera Kingdom? Don't they still have a Witch Ghosts Grand Duke?"

Count Pascal said he did not want to face the army of the Sera Kingdom, and he believed that Loren Columbus thought the same way. He believed that the Wyvern Legion would definitely go to war with the Church to demonstrate the majesty of the Imperial House.

"The Witch Ghost Legion can't fly."

Ryan waved his hand. This was the most crucial question. Whether it was the Wyvern Legion, the Gargoyle Legion, or the Griffin Legion, they all had an unparalleled advantage: flight.

If it flies into the sky, what will happen to Grand Duke Leta's Witch Ghost Legion?

As for that Legendary Witch Ghosts, he will definitely follow the Grand Duke. Even if he doesn't, Ryan believes that when the war begins, the Church of Dawn or the Sera Kingdom will have a way to limit his slaughter of the Griffin Legion.

For example, the Crusader Atonement Army has Legendary powers, such as Sera King, the "Wind Emperor," whose Legendary Boon Wind Spirit Attendant.

Could Daryl stay? Of course not. The eastern battlefield definitely needs Legendary to oversee it. The kingdom can't just sit back and reap the benefits without sending anyone.

The empire came to help them, not to fight for them.

Faced with Count Pascal's question, Ryan, after some mental calculation, could only give a vague answer.

"Ten days, or fifteen days."

Morale can collapse, especially when facing an old rival like the Griffin Legion.

Ryan's answer was based on the premise that the prestige of the Andara Royal Family was being rebuilt, and that the nobles' loyalty to the royal family had increased considerably.

"Then we'll wipe out the Church's Crusaders in ten days."

Count Pascal stared indifferently at the eastern sky. He told the Church of Ryan that he was making the war in the the North more important because of him, but at this moment, the Gargoyle Count was also showing an eagerness to strike at the Church of Dawn.

Ryan could no longer dissuade him. What he wanted was to keep the scale of this war down and prevent a full-scale war between the two kingdoms, but now things seemed to be getting out of control.

Given the overwhelming power of the Empire and the Church, it seems that this is all the effort Ryan can make.

It's still not enough...

Ryan thought to himself that he hadn't expected to overlook Gerald's noble territory, giving the Church of Dawn a foothold. If the entire north were under Ryan's control, neither the Church nor the Empire would be able to launch a war.

The course of the war had already been decided, and Ryan needed to wait for variables and opportunities. Meanwhile, Count Pascal wrote a letter to Loren in the kingdom, the Imperial House commander of the Wyvern Legion, Commander Ryan's statement.

Loren's thoughts coincided with those of Count Pascal. If Count Pascal's hatred stemmed from unknown reasons, then he urgently needed to demonstrate his loyalty and ability to His Majesty the Emperor.

The Wyvern Legion quickly assembled in the east, so that when the Griffin Legion of the Sera Kingdom in the south marched north, the Wyvern Legion wouldn't have to take the blame, because the Gargoyle Legion would be closer than the Wyvern Legion at that time.

Winged Gorge has been quiet for decades. If Loren doesn't make a move soon, he might be forgotten by the emperor.

Eager to make a name for himself, Loren also wanted to rely on his achievements in this war to return to the South.

War is a clash of interests and an extension of politics.

The war finally arrived in May of that year. At the end of spring, both the Andara Kingdom and Gerald, with the help of others, resolved the troubles of the Northern Orcs, but at the same time, they were drawn into a new battlefield.

Count Gerald and two other counts simultaneously declared war on the Andara Kingdom. Their reason was simple and brutal: the Faith of Dawn had been desecrated, the Andara Kingdom had betrayed its ancient oath, they were no longer loyal to the great Lord of Dawn, and they had forgotten the glory and splendor that the Dawn had brought them in its ancient history.

The war of faith is always impeccable. The result of having a legitimate reason for war is that armies begin to gather on the border between the two sides, and the Crusader Atonement Army bites at the Andara Kingdom like mad dogs.

At the same time, the Griffin Legion marched north, and the Sera Kingdom continued the war that had not ended last year. They too were fighting for the Dawn. The overwhelming Griffin had everything except the majesty and oppression of the Dragons.

The Gargoyle Legion was also running wildly along the Northwind Avenue. Surprisingly, Gargoyle cannot fly for long periods of time, so they travel by running. Count Pascal paid no attention to the movements of the Sera Kingdom, his cold gaze fixed on the Crusader Atonement Army to the east.

"Aven Griffiths."

The most crucial evidence that Pascal said the Church sent the Crusaders because of him is this priest.

"You're the only one left who hasn't been killed by me."

The count licked his lips, where a ruby-red liquid flowed from between his teeth, dripping onto the soil and coalescing into unimaginable killing intent.

(End of this chapter)