Wiping out the Snow Oath

Louis woke up and opened the daily intelligence system out of habit.

The daily reports haven't been much direct use lately. O great intelligence system, give me something good.

[Daily intelligence update complete]

[1: As the Snow Oath grows increasingly deranged, Duke Edmund has decided to summon his vassals and wipe out the organization in one decisive campaign.]

[2: Knight candidate Vale has awakened his bloodline and officially become an Apprentice Knight.]

[3: A group of Ice Armor Bears will pass through the northern part of the Red Tide Fief tomorrow afternoon.]

Louis scanned the intelligence screen. All of today's updates seemed quite useful.

The first report immediately caught his attention: Duke Edmund had decided to wipe out the Snow Oath in one decisive campaign.

The news pleased Louis, though it also stirred a faint unease.

The Snow Oath was the largest terrorist rebel organization in the Northern Frontier, and it was growing more brazen by the day.

Recently, its members had not only attacked several small fiefs but also abducted nobles and knights to perform horrific Evil Sacrificial Rituals.

Although those disturbances were still some distance from the Red Tide Fief, what if the organization's reach extended here?

The Snow Oath's sheer size and ruthless methods worried Louis.

His forces were nowhere near strong enough to deal with such a rebel organization.

Duke Edmund stepping in to destroy it was undoubtedly good news for the Northern Frontier.

Yet his gaze darkened again.

Under the terms governing the Northern Frontier Fief, he was nominally one of Duke Edmund's vassals-or rather, the entire Northern Frontier consisted of the duke's vassals.

"I'll certainly have to answer the summons," Louis murmured.

The Northern Frontier was in turmoil. As a vassal, he would have to send troops to suppress the rebellion at the duke's call.

Yet the Red Tide Fief had only just stabilized, and the forces at his disposal were still weak.

If he marched against the rebels, losses would be inevitable.

Then Louis suddenly remembered something: he had the daily intelligence system.

This powerful tool had already brought him safely through many crises.

Through the system, Louis could learn about potential threats on the battlefield ahead of time and avoid direct clashes.

He might even seize the opportunity to gain more resources for the Red Tide Fief amid the turmoil and strengthen it.

"I'll deal with whatever comes." With that thought, he felt considerably more at ease.

Louis continued reading, his eyes settling on the second update.

"Vale has officially become an Apprentice Knight and awakened his bloodline."

He paused briefly, then a glimmer of approval flashed in his eyes.

With the daily intelligence system's help, he had long foreseen this moment.

Besides, Vale's future held far more than merely becoming an Apprentice Knight. He would someday be one of the Red Tide Fief's strongest assets.

"Just what I'd expect from a future Peak Knight," Louis said with admiration, nodding in satisfaction.

He moved on to the third report. "Ice Armor Bears have awakened from hibernation and are expected to pass through the northern part of the Red Tide Fief tomorrow afternoon."

An adult Ice Armor Bear was an extremely dangerous magical creature.

It stood 7.2 meters tall, its skin covered in a natural layer of ice crystals that could withstand almost any attack.

Its forepaws had developed half-meter-long cold iron claws, and when hunting, it could release a freezing pulse that instantly congealed its prey's blood.

Louis showed no concern. Instead, a faint smile appeared on his face.

"For me, this is actually a good thing," he murmured.

Although Ice Armor Bears were powerful and ferocious, they posed little threat to his current fighting strength.

Their meat was also highly prized, capable of strengthening a knight's flesh and battle aura.

It would make an excellent reward for the knights under his command, as well as the eight children training to become knights.

Moreover, these knights had gone a long time without real combat. The Ice Armor Bears would also rekindle their fighting spirit and enthusiasm for training.

He immediately summoned Lambert. "Lambert, gather all the knights and archers. Prepare to head north for a hunt."

Lambert asked no questions. He acknowledged the order and withdrew, quickly setting about the arrangements.

An urgent report swiftly reached Duke Edmund's study.

"Report: a fief in the Northern Frontier has been attacked by the Snow Oath. All civilians were killed, and the nobles and knights were abducted."

Those few brief lines struck the duke like an enormous bomb detonating in his chest.

This was the sixth such incident in the past two months.

The Snow Oath's atrocities were growing ever more rampant, and every inch of the Northern Frontier trembled with unease.

"Damn the Snow Oath!"

Duke Edmund abruptly rose to his feet, sweeping the documents on his desk onto the floor.

The Snow Oath had once been a surviving force of the Snow Kingdom, gradually turning into outlaws in the wake of the Empire's conquest.

Now, steeped in hatred, the organization was setting the Northern Frontier ablaze with the fires of its vengeance.

"These are no mere bandits anymore. We must strike hard!"

Anger burned in the duke's heart. This threat had to be completely eradicated before peace could return to the Northern Frontier.

Even if he could not destroy them entirely, he had to cut off their hands so they would never again dare pillage the fiefs within his borders at will.

That evening, the duke summoned the senior members of his family, his strategists and advisers, and his key commanders for an emergency meeting.

"We can't wait any longer. Mobilize every vassal and assemble the army. Divide our forces and surround the Snow Oath's strongholds. We will annihilate them in one decisive campaign!"

At the duke's direction, all the family members began discussing in detail how to face the coming storm.

The meeting entered an intense phase of strategic discussion as the strategists began drawing up concrete battle plans.

"We will divide our forces to encircle and destroy the Snow Oath's strongholds, sparing no effort at any of them. At the same time, we will station substantial forces along the border to prevent the northern tribes from exploiting our absence..."

The duke instructed them, "Notify every vassal to assemble and prepare to attack. Make certain they depart on time."

As the meeting drew to a close, one strategist asked, "Your Grace, should we also include those Frontier Lords who recently arrived from the south?"

Duke Edmund sneered, disdain in his eyes. "All of them! Those Frontier Lords from the south?"

"They're nothing but worthless noble offspring. Even if they die, those powerful figures in the south won't mourn them. Let them go to their deaths along with the rest!"

His tone dripped with contempt, making his attitude toward the southern Frontier Lords unmistakable.

The emperor had originally issued the Northern Frontier Development Edict so that southern nobles would send some of their younger family members to develop the Northern Frontier, using their strength to stabilize the region.

Instead, those bloodsuckers of the Empire had merely sent a few castoffs to pay lip service to the emperor's orders.

Since that was the case, he would use this campaign to clear away those useless nuisances as well.

Once the meeting ended, the duke immediately began putting the plan into action.

The knights moved swiftly, delivering orders to every vassal to ensure all forces could assemble on time.

The entire Northern Frontier began to stir like a sleeping beast, preparing for the bloody battle to come.

Duke Edmund stood atop a high tower in Frost Glaive City, coldly surveying the land that would soon be set ablaze.