Chapter 607: War is Declared

Besides sending a formal reply to Roland Wimbledon, he also wrote a private letter to Edith, subtly expressing his thoughts – the young king hadn't established a queen, and he would feel more at ease if she could further her relationship with Roland.

There was no true love in political marriages, or rather, love wasn't the main focus. This was without a doubt in the eyes of the Pearl of the North. He believed it was an excellent opportunity, especially since there would be no more granting of fiefs in the future, meaning the king would become the sole noble of all Graycastle, and the queen's position would naturally be extraordinary.

Calvin believed his daughter would understand his intentions.

However, not only did His Majesty not reply, but Edith didn't either.

"Don't tell me it's because you don't like him," the Duke poured himself a third cup of tea, "I've never seen you like anyone, and that's not important at all… If you would consider Tyfico before, why not consider Roland now?"

"It's not the same, Father."

"What's different? Aren't they both kings?"

Edith closed her notebook. "Tyfico needed a reliable ally, or rather, subordinate, in the North, and the guarantee was marriage. If I disagreed, he would kick the Kant family aside and support someone willing to obey. In other words, if I didn't become queen, the family's status would be in jeopardy, and there was nothing we could do. So, at the time, I could only stall. If Roland and his Western Region completely failed, then I would follow the rules of the nobility and marry into the palace. But… Roland doesn't need it."

"What does 'doesn't need it' mean?"

"He chose me only for my ability, not for what's behind me… family, territory, wealth, these are all unimportant in his eyes." The daughter brushed a strand of hair that had fallen down. "Since the nobility and the rules no longer exist, why should I confine myself to those old conventions?"

"Do you know?" she continued. "In the City Hall of Neverwinter, which I manage for him, there are very few officials of noble birth – most of them come from ordinary civilians, selected through rounds of assessments. I have to admit they are indeed quite lacking in most aspects, but at least when it comes to doing their jobs, they are no worse than the average noble."

"This is His Majesty's new rule: as long as you can complete the work for him, you don't have to worry about losing your position. So, you should also drop the old ways as soon as possible and adapt to the new policies issued by the City Hall, lest you hold me back."

"But even so, becoming queen wouldn't hurt you at all," the Duke still didn't want to give up. "You can still demonstrate your abilities and bear him a prince… This way, the Kant family would become an inseparable ally of the royal family, and your brother would have a guarantee in the future."

"I…" Edith rarely showed hesitation. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Why?"

"His Majesty Roland… he seems to believe in love."

The Duke frowned. "He has someone he is interested in?"

"Yes, a witch."

"What?" He wondered if he had misheard.

"Scroll said that His Majesty Roland will marry a witch," Edith said frankly. "And Scroll is also a witch, working in the City Hall as the Minister of Education."

"A political marriage?" Calvin could only think of this answer. "But that's too… absurd. Witches can't have children!"

"It's not a political marriage, it's just because he likes that witch," she leaned back in her chair, playing with the quill in her hand. "That's right, in this marriage of the future, love is the protagonist – it sounds incredible, but for some reason, after being in contact with him for a month, I've come to believe it somewhat."

"What's the reason?"

"A feeling," the daughter curled the corners of her mouth. "You'll understand naturally after you meet him – he's the least like a noble I've ever seen."

"Then what about the heir?"

"If you want to solve it, there's always a way to solve it," Edith shook her head. "But that's not a problem we should care about, and we must never interfere."

*******************

Iron Axe led a group of officers on an inspection of the crisscrossing trenches.

The trenches were mainly used to avoid enemy spear or other ranged attacks. According to His Majesty's instructions, they were divided into several lines, each separated by twenty or thirty meters. Horizontal trenches were connected by longitudinal trenches, allowing soldiers to move back and forth. The ground was also fitted with wooden stakes and barbed wire to prevent the enemy from breaking through quickly. Pillboxes were set up on both sides of the battlefield, with low bunkers in the front and towering turrets in the back, forming a network of fire with high and low angles intersecting.

Behind the trenches was the artillery position, with fifty 12-pound field guns standing side by side. Further back was the firing area reserved for the 152mm fortress guns.

To ensure the progress of the project, Iron Axe specifically requested Maisie's express transport from His Majesty to transport Lotus to Quiet Valley Town in advance.

Just looking at this ambush-laden position, the commander of the First Army felt that victory was already half in hand.

The group came to the end of the position, looking out at the distant gray-brown mountains.

This place was located at the foot of the large gap in the Impassable Mountain Range, and it was also the only way down the mountain. Less than half a kilometer ahead was the steep Impassable Mountain Range.

Coldwind Ridge was located halfway up the mountain.

Its strategic significance was similar to Border Town's, mainly established to monitor Hermes. Once the beacon was lit in the town, many villages in the North and the nearby Quiet Valley Town could see the warning.

It took a day and a half to travel from Coldwind Ridge to the ambush site, so the First Army had plenty of time to prepare for the enemy.

"Can't we really evacuate all the townspeople of Coldwind Ridge in advance?" Brian, who was following him to familiarize himself with the battlefield, couldn't help but ask. "The Holy City might turn them into the first batch of Berserkers charging at the front line."

"That would alert the enemy. We can't take that risk until the entire position is set up," Iron Axe replied expressionlessly. "Coldwind Ridge is too close to the Holy City, so it can only be used as bait, not as the main battlefield."

"And no one will listen to us," Vanna added from the side. "Think about it, someone runs into the town and tells the locals that the war is about to begin, and you should quickly flee from here to the foot of the mountain… who would believe it? Unless we get tough and force them to leave. If we did that, the Holy City would immediately see our plan."

Brian sighed. "I understand that too, but…"

"Don't worry, the encirclement of the position will be completed in three days," Iron Axe said in a deep voice. "By then, we will be able to notify the people of Coldwind Ridge to evacuate. According to the information sent back by the scouts, the main force of the Holy City is still stationed in the camp, so we should have enough time to clear the town."

"Hopefully—" Brian suddenly widened his eyes. "Wait, what's that?"

Iron Axe followed his gaze towards the distant mountains, and his heart sank slightly.

A wisp of black smoke was slowly rising from behind the peaks, like a black line in the gray sky.