Fifth Hundred and Twenty-Second Chapter: The Rushing Northern Lands

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"What did you say!?"

The lord of Eternal Night City, Duke Calvin Kant of the Northern Lands, stood up in disbelief, staring at the messenger before him. The water glass on the table fell to the ground, emitting a crisp shattering sound.

"Duke, this is all I saw with my own eyes!" The latter lowered his head even further. "The rebel prince took only one day to break through the walls of the royal capital. His Majesty the King couldn't escape either and is likely dead!"

"This... how is this possible?" Calvin murmured. "That's the royal capital!"

Five-zhang high blue stone walls, thousands of guards, and catapults and snow powder. It would take a force of at least twenty to thirty thousand to even consider crossing that line of defense. And even if the Fourth Prince could gather that many people, he shouldn't have been able to take the royal capital in a single day!

"Their... their firearms are too powerful," the messenger's voice trembled slightly, whether from exhaustion after traveling all night or from being shocked by everything he had witnessed. "Not only can they fire continuously, but the power is also astonishing. Not even the King's Berserker Guards can stop them. If you get hit once, even if you don't die, you're basically half-dead... In comparison, His Majesty's firearms are as useless as fire pokers."

Calvin's mind went blank, with only one thought: it's over, it's all over.

A little over a week ago, he received an order from the new king, requiring him to send a force to support the royal capital. As the newly appointed Duke of the Northern Lands, he naturally had to respond. After some discussion, Calvin ultimately drew a force of two thousand five hundred men from Horse Horse, Snow Fox Lista, and his own family, to set off after the snow melted to serve the king – although the estimated arrival time was about half a month after the request for help, considering that sieges often lasted for months, it wasn't too late.

Since the spring plowing was about to begin, there weren't many serfs in the team, and knights were few and far between, mostly mercenaries and free men. But regardless, as long as a team was sent, the rebel prince would inevitably see it as an act of treason, and his good days would soon be over.

That's right, there's Edith! Calvin suddenly remembered his precious daughter. If it were her, maybe she could come up with a way to salvage the situation.

"Quick, bring my eldest daughter to my room!" he shouted to the guards beside him.

Soon, Edith, wearing close-fitting casual clothes, entered the room. A training sword hung at her side, and fine beads of sweat dotted her nose. Clearly, she had been practicing swordsmanship as usual, with a hint of displeasure on her face. "Didn't I say not to disturb me when I'm practicing?"

"This time is different. The family is about to face a great disaster!" Calvin eagerly recounted the news the messenger had brought. "What should we do now?"

He looked at his daughter expectantly, hoping she could provide a solution – if the Northern Lands were rich in pearls, then Edith Kant was the brightest one. She was not only beautiful and moving, but also extremely talented, overshadowing other men in both politics and military operations. It could be said that the Kant family's rise from the position of Earl to the current Duke of the Northern Lands was largely due to Edith's contributions.

His daughter showed a hint of surprise when she heard that the Fourth Prince had captured the royal capital in one day, but quickly regained her composure. "Now you know why I didn't agree to marry Tiffeau back then, right?"

Calvin couldn't help but widen his eyes. "Did you foresee all this back then?" After Tiffeau led his army to defeat Duke Ace, who intended to rebel, he had stayed in the Northern Lands for a while. Like most men, he had also taken a fancy to the pearl of the Northern Lands, but Edith did not immediately agree, instead cleverly rejecting the envoy he sent with excuses. At the time, he was quite puzzled, and even blamed his daughter somewhat, knowing that marrying him meant becoming queen, which was something many women dreamed of, and the Kant family's position in the Northern Lands would naturally be more secure.

"You said the city was captured in one day? Not really," Edith loosened the straps, allowing her blue hair to cascade down. "I just didn't think he was the right person."

Not... suitable, Calvin couldn't help but groan in his heart. He was the ruler of Graycastle! Even if only briefly, he was still a true king! If even such a person wasn't suitable, what kind of person did you want to marry? But the Duke didn't say these words. He had already decided that if his daughter never married, he would pass the title of Duke to Edith – he believed that, compared to his two sons, his eldest daughter was the best successor to carry forward the family.

"Back to the matter at hand," Edith bent down to pick up the broken porcelain cup on the ground. "The first thing you need to do is call back the army you sent out."

"But they've already been gone for four days, and it's not clear which road they're taking. I'm afraid it's too late..."

"It doesn't matter," she arranged the fragments into the shape of three cities. "First, send someone to Hollow Valley Town. If they leave now, they can arrive by evening, and then take a boat to the royal capital tomorrow morning. This should allow them to arrive a day earlier than the army. No matter which road the army takes, they will eventually converge on the official road to the North Gate. As long as you search along it in reverse, you can intercept them in the suburbs of the royal capital."

"I see," damn it, I should have been able to think of this method, the Duke patted his head hard. It was all because the news came too suddenly, and he couldn't recover for a while. "I'll write a letter now! No, let the personal guard take the token directly! Someone!"

After the personal guard left to carry out his orders, Edith continued slowly, "Father, do you think we can withstand the Fourth Prince's attack?"

Calvin couldn't help but shudder. The outer walls of Eternal Night City were not even half as sturdy as those of the royal capital. He was afraid that in the face of those sky-fire-like weapons, they wouldn't be able to hold out for even half a day. "I think... not."

"So, just recalling the army is far from enough," she shrugged. "Don't forget that you only became a duke by attaching yourself to Tiffeau. In Roland's eyes, you're probably no different from an enemy. Even if he doesn't come now, he will eventually come. Therefore, if we want to continue the family, we must do more, and be more proactive."

"You mean... you want me to turn around and pledge allegiance to His Highness the Fourth Prince?" Calvin hesitated. "Why would he believe me?"

"With sincerity," Edith said softly. "After the results of this siege spread, I'm afraid most nobles will be intimidated. Since they can't resist together, it's better to admit defeat early. Of course, I'm probably not the only one who thinks this way, so you have to show sincerity in order to stand out among the many nobles."

"What kind of... sincerity?"

Edith smiled, drew her training wooden sword with one hand, and before Calvin could react, lightning-fast shattered two of the three fragments on the table into powder.

"I think the Horse family and the Lista family would be good gifts. What do you think, Father?"