Amber Sword

Viscount Finn put away the intelligence, took a closer look at the chaotic Bunoan region, then wiped his sleeve and descended from the highlands. Accompanied by several knights, he mounted his horse and galloped toward a nearby pine forest.

Count Vitokin was waiting for him.

Vitokin was currently standing in a forest clearing, and in front of him were Marquis You Xi, Duke Xifah, Old Knight Commander Reid, and Marquis Balta, several high-ranking figures from the Northern Army. If they were all taken out here, the collapse of the Northern Alliance near Ambeser would be imminent.

Unfortunately, the presence of ten Holy Temple Knights in gold and red flame-patterned robes wielding flame giant swords around the forest wouldn’t allow this possibility to become reality.

Vitokin glanced at the paper report, flicked it lightly with his pale fingers, his facial expression showing neither joy nor sorrow. In fact, it wasn’t that he was intentionally maintaining such composure, but losing a battalion of Highland Infantry seemed truly trivial to him, since they weren’t his direct forces. Although his count’s territory was Grey Mountain Territory, Highlanders have always been proud and independent.

It’s good to let those barbarians suffer a bit; only the death of the loyal house servant Baron Valen under his command made him feel a bit distressed.

He handed the parchment to others, then raised his head to look at the middle-aged man standing among them—in a clearly more distinguished position—wearing a red robe, silver Gothic plate armor revealed underneath. The man had a unique face, sharp and long, but two curled mustaches added a touch of unique dignity to this face, with vibrant sky-blue eyes under thick golden eyebrows resembling sharp swords.

"Lord Williams, it seems the judgment of the White Lion Legion wasn’t wrong. The Princess indeed has trump cards beyond our expectations, far exceeding our predictions." Count Vitokin’s respect was sincere, so much so that when facing Molosi Chief Priest, his expression at most showed reverence, but facing this middle-aged man was like a rat seeing a cat.

This man was the leader of this trip for the Holy Temple Knights, reserve instructor of the Flame Temple’s Holy Temple Knights, Deputy Commander of the Holy Temple Knights, Duke Doronk of the Cruz Empire, Great Knight Williams.

If Brand were here, he would recognize this man at a glance. His status in the Cruz Empire was akin to that of Female War God Veronica, far above Ambeser’s Great Priest. However, his own strength also surpassed Veronica by a line, being late in Peak Rules, one step away from the Extreme Realm.

However, this man was a thorough national chauvinist, a purebred Cruz noble, probably never taking Erune seriously. Even though he knew the special significance of Erune Kingdom for Cruz different from other small duchies, his visit here was mainly to clear out some pests, and naturally to retrieve the Flame Blade Odefis.

Williams nodded arrogantly but didn’t respond.

"But we’ve almost investigated thoroughly. The army under the Princess isn’t her own private soldiers, nor the Royalist forces. The royalists have indeed parted ways with her, and the forces she holds likely come from a young man named Brand."

"Brand?" Williams raised an eyebrow: "I haven’t heard of such a noble in your kingdom, could he be from the Wind Queen Temple?"

"Related in part," Count Vitokin laughed coldly: "This person is about twenty years old, first appeared in Buqi..."

Upon hearing the word Buqi, the Deputy Commander of the Holy Temple Knights raised his head and frowned.

"...then gathered a group of outlaws in Tonyger, causing chaos. We mistakenly judged him initially as merely the Princess’s pawn, but later realized the mistake was significant."

Count Vitokin glanced at Marquis You Xi, who quickly replied, "The first time I saw him in Ambeser was at the Holy Hall, he has Golden Rank abilities."

"Wait, you say he’s only twenty years old with Golden Rank abilities?"

"Exactly, the first time I saw him, he was being consecrated by Main Priest Wood as a Holy Temple Knight, my subordinates engaged with him once, and the Lord of Priest can attest for me," continued the Marquis.

"Alright, I believe you. However, since this person is willing to serve the Holy Temple, he’s also a worthwhile talent," Williams answered casually.