In the southwestern part of the Gallic Empire, at the westernmost edge of the vast southern province now occupied by the allied forces of the Green Forest Duke, the Dragon Mountain Count, and the Vias Commercial Federation, lay Irs County, a remote little county on the fringe of an unbroken mountain range. It had been governed for centuries by an ancient, low-profile hereditary noble house.
For years, this small, barren county had remained as lifeless as ever. Fierce and savage mountain folk made up its main population. Though there were fewer than two hundred thousand residents, they could at any time field an army of ten thousand to fight the neighboring counties to the death. Whether competing for water sources or mineral deposits, the people of Irs had never suffered a loss. This showed just how fierce and valiant the local customs were.
The heartland of House Irs, which ruled Irs County, was Eucalyptus Forest Castle.
This was a castle perched on the edge of a cliff, overlooking an abyss a thousand meters deep. The only path leading to it was a dangerous mountain road that twisted and turned through dozens of sharp bends, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. Built during the Dark Age and expanded several times afterward, Eucalyptus Forest Castle covered several hundred mu of land. Its towering walls possessed formidable defenses, and nearly a hundred black gargoyle statues stood atop them. These obsidian demon statues, each over three meters tall, exuded an evil aura even in broad daylight.
House Irs now had only a sparse twenty-odd direct descendants. Including servants and private soldiers, only a little over five hundred people lived within this vast castle. Thus, the castle contained an enormous number of empty rooms, countless secret passages and hidden chambers—enough to preserve