A blizzard swept toward the western border of Frost-Wolf Forest. At its heart, Girislav's National Pillar, the legendary bear knight Milojevic White Bear, sat atop his High-Rank War Bear, his gaze fixed on the witch in the carriage ahead.
Jantis Ice Plain, Girislav's oldest and fiercest Demigod and Witch, was one of the few within the Empire who could stand up to the Imperial Chancellor and the Demon Emperor.
After pondering for a long while, Milojevic cautiously asked, "Lady Jantis, perhaps you should cover me from the rear later. A High-Rank Lord isn't worth your personal intervention."
The ice witch asked disdainfully, "Is that so? Then is his pet dog worth a High-Rank Count making a move?"
"Uh..."
"Hmph. You always seem to have this illusion that being one rank above your opponent means you can absolutely crush them in strength." As the witch spoke, the air around her condensed into grains of frost, yet those who heard her only felt colder.
"But in the thousands of years since I became a Demigod, I have seen too many examples of victory across ranks. Even High-Ranks defeating Demigods is not all that rare."
Milojevic said with a headache, "Uh... what I mean is, the kingdom isn't all that keen on that territory either. Even if we lose it..."
Girislav's King, Peteriev Nicholas, had met the legendary bear knight yesterday. The King, who knew certain inside details, believed that Gallop Kingdom's rise was unstoppable. There was no need for Girislav to contend with a neighbor on the ascent over a frontier territory far beyond the horizon.
Even before setting out, Milojevic had believed that today would merely involve exchanging blows with Landen Gallop before the knights of both sides, striving only to preserve several Magic Potion gardens in the Eastern Region of