Rebellion

Time was passing, drop by drop.

One night, Arcadia quietly walked out of the camp behind him, followed by two Knights.

They moved quickly, and soon they were far from the camp, arriving at a secluded location.

Several figures were already standing there, looking like they had been waiting for a long time. Sensing the approaching footsteps from a distance, they all looked in Arcadia's direction.

"Arcadia, you've arrived."

A deep voice came from the front.

Several figures emerged from the shadows and slowly walked in front of Arcadia and his companions.

These were warriors clad in light green leather armor, their expressions cold. Even facing the legendary Northern First Knight, Arcadia, they showed no fear.

Behind them stood a man who appeared very young. Although his face looked youthful, it bore a distinct look of weariness.

"Sol, what is it this time that you called me out for?"

Looking at the young man before him, Arcadia rarely showed a hint of apprehension as he asked.

As a collaborator, he knew all too well the power this seemingly young man possessed, which was absolutely no less than his own.

From the front, hearing Arcadia's call, the young man named Sol turned around, his face calm as he looked at Arcadia. "I'm here to inform you that the previous plan is almost complete. Except for a few who slipped through the net, all those we sent out have been eliminated by our people."

"Slipped through the net?" Arcadia accurately caught the phrase and asked with some confusion.

"The half-elf who escaped, the young Knight you specifically warned us about."

Sol's face showed a hint of emotion. "He's truly formidable. To deal with this child, I dispatched two excellent Knights and a small squad of elite warriors, only for him to kill them all single-handedly."

"It's unimaginable. When I was his age, I wasn't even a Knight yet."

"Hmph!" Arcadia snorted with displeasure. "I already warned you to pay attention to this child. It seems you didn't take my words to heart."

Sol shook his head. "What's done is done. There's no point in dwelling on it."

"I've come specifically to remind you that the next phase of the plan can begin."

His face regained its composure as he looked at Arcadia. "In over a month, with your cover, our people have infiltrated the vicinity. Delaying further will benefit no one."

"The inside contact within the castle is ready. They will act in seven days. By then, it will be your and my turn to act."

Conversations echoed in that place. After an unknown amount of time, Arcadia emerged from that corner, still accompanied by the two Knights who had come with him.

His expression was calm, as if nothing had happened. He slowly walked back to his camp.

Several days later, on a bright sunny morning, Count Polia sat quietly in his hall, looking at a thick stack of parchment, lost in thought.

Recently, there had been increasing unrest in the North, leaving the de facto ruler of the region quite overwhelmed.

In the northern region of the Kingdom of Arius, the Falkus family had ruled for nearly a century. Although nominally still part of the Kingdom of Arius, they were practically no different from an independent small kingdom.

As a frontier bordering many northern kingdoms, the North had never been truly peaceful, engaging in battles with several northern kingdoms almost every few years, making the region extremely chaotic.

It wasn't until Polia took over from the Falkus family and became the de facto ruler of the North that the chaotic situation in the region began to improve. He had used strong tactics to gradually bring order and firmly held the North in his grasp.

However, recently, the situation in the North had been particularly dire. First, there was the Orc unrest in the northern mountain range, which had consumed a significant amount of the North's financial and human resources. Then, the borders became restless, with large numbers of bandits and Orcs pouring in from there, disrupting the North's stability.

Internally, Arcadia, the Northern First Knight, had returned with the prestige of victory, his influence greatly boosted. He had also been causing trouble during this time, posing a significant threat to Polia.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a headache, a sense of unprecedented fatigue growing within him.

He was old now, nearly fifty years old, considered elderly in this world. His energy and physical strength were no longer what they used to be.

"Perhaps, after dealing with this current situation, it will be time for Edward to take over."

This thought crossed his mind, tinged with weariness.

The sound of wind gradually grew behind him. Listening to it, Polia slowly stood up, suddenly feeling that something was amiss.

"Cadiz!" he suddenly called out.

"My lord, I'm here!" The familiar, deep voice responded instantly, as it always had.

Hearing the familiar voice of his Guard Captain, Polia breathed a sigh of relief and instinctively looked in the direction of the sound.

Clang!

At that moment, the sharp sound of a sword being drawn echoed, bringing with it a fierce gust of wind that swept towards Count Polia, causing his face to sting.

In his line of sight, a longsword appeared before him, almost touching his face.

"You!" Polia's heart jolted. Feeling the sword thrusting towards him, he immediately threw himself to the side.

Despite the sudden assassination attempt, his Great Knight-level physical conditioning allowed him to react quickly. After narrowly dodging the first strike, he drew the sword at his waist and fearlessly counterattacked.

Two Great Knights, like superhuman beings, clashed in the hall. Every blow was delivered with reckless abandon, as if they were fighting for their lives.

Clang!!

The two swords vibrated in the air, emitting a deafening sound.

Using the recoil from the swords, Polia and Cadiz separated, finally gaining a brief moment to breathe.

"Why?" he shouted at Cadiz, his face contorted with intense anger.

"Polia! Do you remember that child you brutally killed over a decade ago!"

Cadiz's face was ferocious, looking terrifying. "That was my son!"

Hearing this, Count Polia froze. Before he could react, Cadiz lunged forward, engaging him and continuing their previous exchange.