"They've already set off this morning. Is there something you need from Little Tal?"
"... No, it's nothing."
I had intended to ask about the origins of those corpses, but it seems Talulah has already dealt with them.
Contrary to expectations, thanks to the efforts of Alina and others, many Infected have visited their grandparents' village and realized that not everyone is hostile to those Infected.
Thanks to the combined effects of propaganda and education, as well as firsthand observation, the Reunion Movement has become less aggressive.
The prepared countermeasures were not needed, and for a moment, Gorth felt a mixture of disappointment and relief.
What is Alina doing here?
"Me? Let me make this clear beforehand, this isn't me being lazy." The girl stuck out her tongue and looked at the smoke rising from the chimneys in the distance.
"I want to record this scene and include it in a book later."
Gorth followed Alina's gaze and looked at the logistics personnel who were tidying up the camp.
The combatants all left with Talulah and the others. Although they all knew it was going to be a tough battle, none of them seemed worried.
They are laughing.
"It's so beautiful," Alina exclaimed.
Unlike his previous admiration for the Black Forest, Gorth now seemed to understand what Alina meant by beauty.
"It is indeed beautiful."
Gorth couldn't deny that a place full of hope is certainly beautiful.
How do you plan to record it?
"Emm... I wish I could paint this scene, but my drawing skills are limited."
Alina's words were pointed, Gorth nodded after a brief silence.
"Then let me do it."
Just as he took out his tools to begin drawing, Gorth felt a strong gaze upon him from the side.
"Stare--"
"... Why don't you do it?"
"Why can't you teach me?"
Alina sighed, feigning sadness.
"It hasn't been easy for us to see you these past few days. Eno and the others have been tidying up your room, but you haven't come back. The children think it's because they didn't do a good job and they've been blaming themselves."
Thinking of the two little ones Kevin brought back, Gorth scratched his head; it had indeed been a while since he'd seen them.
"Should I go see them and offer some encouragement?"
"Eno and the others should be very happy."
Alina nodded, her face troubled again.
"But won't the other children feel it's unfair? There's a painting class this afternoon, it would be great if someone could cover for Alina..."
Gorth stared quietly at the girl, while Alina turned her head away and softly whistled.
"... What's for lunch today?"
Knowing that this meant she agreed, the girl turned around and her eyes crinkled into a smile.
"Do you like stewed potatoes and meat?"
There was no answer. The terrifying deer-headed man turned and went back, and the little deer leaped after him.
"How do Talulah and her team manage the supply lines?"
"Thanks to the Lord of Snow, the food he carried was enough to sustain the entire team for more than half a month. Are you concerned about that?"
"I'm somewhat worried about those nobles."
Alina tilted her head. "Are you worried they'll interfere with Little Tal's operations? But we haven't heard from them in a long time."
That's why I'm worried...
The nobles of Ursus are restless; most of them are connected to the military. Apart from those two Internal Guards, no one else has come to the Black Forest since it grew to its current size.
Perhaps they feared this strange forest, but at least one or two exploratory teams should have been sent out. Given the current quiet atmosphere, Gorth could only think of two possibilities.
Either these nobles are planning something big, or they have something important to do and can't spare the time.
However, according to Vane, the current timeline is still far from the rebellion that may occur later in the story.
What could possibly stump a nobleman who controls the military...?
A touch of coldness landed on his bone, melting away in the warm glow of the candlelight. Gorth looked up.
It's snowing.
"That's perfect. The fresh snow will cover our footprints, allowing us to rest here for a while."
Watching the old man skillfully gather branches to start a fire, Kashena once again took out her red book and began to record her observations.
He picked up a can of food and heated it over the campfire until it was ready. He then handed it to Kashena, who accepted it indifferently, and the two exchanged no further words.
The same white hair, and the same ear feathers of Liberi.
To an outsider, they would just look like a father and daughter having a tiff.
In reality, their relationship is far from close.
The old man took out the sword from his waist and began to maintain it. The long-unseen bloodstains seemed to excite his partner.
"That's Zhanjiang?"
The old man paused slightly in his wiping motion, then calmly admitted it.
"Yes."
"If you had chosen to display that Higashi general's sword in the military merit exhibition hall instead of carrying it with you, your current situation might be better."
Kashena looked at the old man before her, at this legend of Ursus.
The general who won countless honors for Ursus ultimately disappeared in the midst of political struggles.
Some called him a coward, afraid to compete with the nobles, but Kashena knew how much power the man before her wielded.
Hellagur, a veteran who fought against Ursus, was a household name. He chose to retire after that war, which Ursus considered a disgrace.
He was friends with the enemy commander, and although he eventually killed the commander, the nobles still used this as leverage to launch an attack.
The fact that Hellagur carried his friend's sword further served as compelling evidence.
In fact, resolving these problems is quite easy for me.
By throwing his sword into the military merit exhibition hall, coupled with Hellagur's extremely high prestige in the army, just one or two small battles would be enough to restore this general to his position, or even elevate him to a higher rank.
Some believe that Hellagur lost confidence in that war, but only he knows the truth...
"Soldiers who recognize reality will not indulge in vain parties; let's save our pointless chatter, Grand Duke Koschei."
You should call me Kashena.
A cold snort served as a response; the usually polite Hellagur was unusually impatient.
That's for sure; it's hard for anyone to keep a straight face when threatened with their family.
She came to me with a whole host of troubles, forcing me to relocate the Azazel I had built, threatening the safety of the children at the clinic, and even requiring me to assist her.
If it weren't for the fact that they were in front of the children, Hellagur would have already drawn his sword and killed the disgusting thing in front of him.
Does Kashena realize that her behavior is problematic?
Of course she knew, but she didn't care.
Without the help of the snakes, they had no way to obtain funds or intelligence, and the probability of persuading this stubborn general with words was too low.
So Kashena started a frenzy.
All sorts of shady information circulated at the banquet, and the nobles enjoying the fine wine were astonished to find themselves among the names of those involved.
As the hidden Snake Scales were pulled out, the nobles discovered that they were surrounded by swarms of lurking snakes. Some were even horrified to find that their wives, who had been with them for many years, were also Snake Scales.
The cleaning has begun.
Following the example of Earl Boris, who served as mayor, blood stained the mansions of the nobility.
The new nobles were thrown into disarray, which immediately roused the old nobles who had been eyeing Chernobog's interests.
Requests for troop deployment kept piling up on Boris Johnson's desk, and the already overwhelmed Boris suddenly discovered that a retired general was stationed on his turf.
The conflict between the old and new nobles made Chernobog, the emperor's testing ground, the center of the battle.
Hellagur once again rejected all offers of help.
Naturally, it's simply a matter of refusing to escape conflict.
But before the Snake Scales and the wrath of the nobles could devour Azazel, Kashena offered Hellagur a way out and a request for cooperation.
Even knowing that the chaos was inextricably linked to the guy in front of him, Hellagur reluctantly agreed to the cooperation for the sake of the clinic's children.
How far are we from our destination?
"Have no idea."
Hellagur frowned, Kashena closed her book, answering naturally.
"According to the intelligence, that forest has been expanding, and even without a map, you can reach it by heading south."
"So don't be impatient, General Hellagur, or has your long retirement dulled your composure as a soldier?"
"I am no longer a soldier, and you are no longer my comrade-in-arms."
Hellagur's expression was grim. His old friend had entrusted his daughter to another group. Although the separation was to avoid being affected by his side, it was still worrying.
"Which direction will Nayin and the others leave from?"
"Far North Central Mine"
Hellagur suddenly stood up, the gleaming blade pressed against Kashena's neck.
"Calm down, General."
"You knew perfectly well that those children were Infected!"
"As you know, in this land, Infected are treated the same everywhere."
Ignoring the blade against her neck, Kashena took a sip of the hot soup.
"Most of the residential areas around the mine belong to the families of your former comrades. With your keepsakes, I believe they won't make things difficult for those children."
Hellagur's expression softened slightly; even the most wicked nobles wouldn't dare to break into the military's residential area to arrest people.
As for other military forces that might be present around the mine, Nayin and her group are not a small target worth their effort.
"It seems you understand."
Kashena pushed the blade aside, Hellagur smoothly sheathed it.
"You don't need to be so wary of me; cooperation is based on mutual benefit."
"The specifics of the Black Forest are currently unknown, but the Reunion Movement should welcome Azazel's arrival."
Even though there is very little information circulating about the Reunion Movement, it is clear that they are a resistance organization of Infected.
Given this, it's no surprise that Azazel, who possesses certain medical expertise, wouldn't be refused.
Hellagur was not worried about that, but was wary of the Black Forest behind the Reunion Movement.
Unbeknownst to Gorth, the eerie legends of the Black Forest had already spread widely.
After being corroborated by some explorers, its striking similarity to Bolivar's Blackflow Forest has added to its mystique.
Hellagur has always been resistant to such mysterious things, especially now that he is not alone.
If he hadn't heard of the existence of that old friend in the Reunion Movement, he would never have cooperated with Kashena; instead, he would Zhanjiang.
"Eat up, it's time to leave."
Without disturbing Kashena's meal, Hellagur turned and surveyed his surroundings.
As she poured the broth into her warm body, Kashena stared at her reflection on the surface, contemplating potential threats.
Snowflakes fell from the branches, rippling the surface of the soup. Kashena frowned and looked up.
Earthquake?
No, this is...
"Hide in the snow!"
After shouting, Hellagur leaped into the distance, and Kashena did the same, beginning to recall.
She was very familiar with this kind of commotion, or rather, Deathless Black Snake was very familiar with it; Ursus's honor was built upon this kind of commotion.
But why are they here?
Hellagur had no idea either, and could only hope that he had misheard.
His agile figure leaped through the mountains and forests, crossing peaks to reach the summit, where Hellagur gazed into the distance.
At the edge of the white snowfield, black mountains are migrating.
What is the Ursus fleet like?
Unlike the high-speed fleets developed by various countries today, Ursus's fleet continues the country's consistent style.
With armor as thick as a fortress, a size half again as large as a conventional warship, and a dense array of dark cannon muzzles from bow to stern, like rows of closed eyes.
The ship's axe-like bow cleaved through the snow, and the resulting snow waves were swept away by the heat emanating from the hull, condensing into a persistent gray-white cloud above the fleet.
These mobile fortresses, with Ursus unaestheticly heavy feel, were moving along the snowfield.
Even from this distance, Hellagur immediately recognized the insignia that symbolized the Fourth Army Group.
"Why is the fleet here...?"
Hellagur's expression was grave as he calculated the fleet's direction, but the result brought him a sigh of relief.
The fleet was not heading towards the Black Forest, nor towards the Far North Central Mine where Nine and the others were located, nor even towards Chernobog, which was currently the center of the political battlefield.
After the initial shock came the questions.
As a general, Hellagur knew the garrison maps of the major army groups, and the direction in front of the Fourth Army Group was not the border.
The fleet was almost a complete unit, and the enormous energy expenditure required for its journey must have a special purpose, but even Hellagur couldn't guess Vanya's intentions at this moment.
Considering the current state of the old and new aristocracy, a worst-case scenario quietly arises.
"Vanya... do you intend to instigate a rebellion!?"
"[Ursus profanity!] Rebellion? If this isn't dealt with quickly, it'll really become a rebellion!"
Vanya waved for the soldiers to drag the insolent adjutant away, Vanya closed his eyes, his face grim.
What exactly prompted this powerful duke to launch a fleet operation at such a sensitive time?
The answer was absurd; the fleet that could only make the duchy tremble was on its way to catch a thief.
Not long ago, an outrageous report was delivered to his desk.
In the mines under his command, a large number of Originium veins have mysteriously disappeared, and some small mines have reached the point where there is no more ore to mine.
At first, Vanya regarded this as a foolish act of his subordinates lining their own pockets, and therefore specifically purged a group of corrupt officials.
But similar reports did not disappear; on the contrary, the situation worsened.
While sending people to investigate, Vanya couldn't help but wonder if it was other dukes causing him trouble.
The planned Flame Demon attack on Kazimierz was interrupted by the sudden appearance of the Balrog.
Vanya, who had sent troops without authorization, was directly punished by the emperor for failing to use the pretext of launching a war to delay the inevitable.
After paying a heavy price, Vanya barely managed to retain his position, but he had completely offended the emperor.
Taking advantage of someone's misfortune is naturally a specialty of nobles, but fortunately Vanya has the army group as a trump card, so the nobles' behavior wasn't too ugly.
But before he could stabilize the situation, the political battle that erupted in Chernobog dealt him another heavy blow.
The son of the commander of the First Army Group was not his biological child, but rather the product of an affair between Grand Duke Vanya and his wife.
Among the Ursus nobles who inherited their armies by bloodline, this news stunned the entire circle, from viscounts to the emperor.
Meanwhile, other equally explosive news broke: the marshal of the First Army Group suddenly died, and the emperor, who had always been unfriendly to Vanya, surprisingly offered to help him find his relatives.
Of course, Vanya would be a fool to actually believe that.
If it weren't for the fact that the Fourth Army Group's territory wasn't adjacent to the First Army, the two sides would already be fighting each other.
The emperor naturally hoped that the two sides would fight, so that he could legitimately sweep across the entire Ursus with the Central Army Group.
There is no doubt that the Central Army Group, which single-handedly withstood the siege of several major army groups during the Great Rebellion, truly had the capability.
Just as Vanya was racking her brains for a way out of the predicament, even worse news arrived.
The investigation revealed that the mineral vein had indeed disappeared.
Moreover, the situation was more serious than reported by subordinates; the disappearance of the ore vein had already affected Karias.
That's his largest mine! The energy for the cities and warships of the Vanya territory all comes from here!
Although only 1/10 of the mineral vein has disappeared now, what about the future?
Without energy support, people in the city cannot withstand the harsh winter, and even a magnificent fleet is nothing more than a pile of scrap metal.
Vanya had already foreseen his fate.
With his unauthorized military deployment and the loss of the mineral vein, the emperor only needed a simple decree to send him back for questioning.
Otherwise... that would be rebellion!
Although Vanya already had this thought in mind, he also knew what the consequences would be if he acted at this time.
There was no time to assess the potential consequences; Vanya immediately organized a fleet to wipe out the damned thief.
[That's a living vein! It's come back to life! It's come to take revenge on us!]
These are the miners' exact words during the investigation: Vanya doesn't believe in ghosts or gods.
Considering the previously released intelligence that mentioned a certain duke secretly contacting the Sami Snow Priestess, Vanya became even more convinced that the unknown duke had set a trap for him using Sami witchcraft.
In that case, Vanya decided to take a drastic step, sending out his entire army group.
Even if the mine does come back to life, he'll blast it to smithereens!
Fearing a possible sneak attack from other army groups, the entire army group was mobilized, except for the newly built warships, in an effort to achieve a swift victory.
Vanya couldn't help but feel sorry.
Those hard-earned mines are all going to be destroyed. To prevent the news from getting out, not a single survivor can be left alive.
As for any potential accountability measures, submitting a report on the "Infected rebellion" would suffice.
That being said, no matter how meticulous the work was, it would be impossible to regain control of the army group afterward.
Fortunately, Vanya had a successor, and the next commander of the First Army Group was also his blood relative.
Even though their blood ties were tainted, the First and Fourth Armies were forced to unite under the siege of other army groups.
With this in mind, Vanya felt somewhat relieved.
The First Army Group was well-positioned, located in the Far North Central Mine. They rarely got involved in border battles and seldom offended the emperor.
The emperor is currently preoccupied with dealing with the power struggle between the old and new nobles and cannot spare any more time. He will wait until he has dealt with that damned thief before having the First and Fourth Armies jointly plead for leniency.
By paying a higher price to appease those greedy individuals, we can barely ensure the continuation of the family line.
Yes, it continues.
Regardless of the outcome, Vanya is prepared to atone with her death.
He had already thought of a reason: to die in the suppression of the Infected, to sacrifice himself for his country.
The current emperor is too benevolent; the death of a high-ranking official from the previous dynasty will likely appease him for a while.
Exhaling a breath of stale air, Vanya opened his eyes, a fierce and ruthless aura emanating from him.
Given the national circumstances of the previous emperor's large-scale military campaigns, no incompetent person could remain in the position of army commander.
Even the marshal of the First Army Group did not act on emotion when he learned that his child was not a blood heir.
The marshal died suddenly? It's more likely he committed suicide.
The nobility is a huge interest group; as long as they can profit, those below don't care who the marshal above them is.
Vanya had to admire the old man's decisiveness; at least this way, the Field Marshal of the First Army Group was still from his family.
"You think I'm afraid if you dare to let go...?"
Grand Duke Vanya stood tall, his chest puffed out, a hint of triumph in his demeanor despite knowing his death was imminent.
As long as the First Army Group remains intact, they will remain at the top of Ursus after this mopping-up operation is completed.
At this moment, Vanya had no idea what kind of enemy he was facing, nor that the situation in Ursus was as simple as he had imagined.
The return of the Flame Demon God's people, the reform of the Colombian army, the cooperation between the military commissioner of Kazdel and a Duke of Victoria, the great purge in Casimir, and the reopening of trade routes between Yan Kingdom and Iberia.
The previously stagnant international situation suddenly became more active, which more or less affected Ursus.
Regardless of the chaotic external situation, the turmoil within Ursus has only just begun.
Before the thunder even sounded, the storm had already arrived.
All the powerful figures, including Vanya, vaguely sensed that Ursus at this moment—
Great chaos is imminent.