Chapter 247: The Dead Man Lands
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[Reviewing Chapter 927...]
[Chapter 927: The Legend of Azphira Varion]
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Lady Azphira Varion.
Ruvian knew about her courageous tale, so much so that, if he was being honest, was one of the most inspiring stories from:
[The Hero That Left The Academy].
Despite not having known her newborn sister, despite not having even formed a bond with her yet, Azphira willingly put her life on the line so her little sister could live.
However, no matter how courageous, noble, and selfless her intentions were, if she truly ventured there alone, she would never make it back alive.
Everyone knew that.
And that was why, when she arrived at the Blackwall Gate, the great fortress that marked the border between the Averenthia Kingdom and the Dead Man Lands, a contingent of knights was already waiting for her.
The banner of House Varion billowed proudly against the relentless wind.
And at the center of the formation, one lone figure stood in complete silence, as though he had been waiting for her arrival all along, prepared to accompany her on what could very well become a one-way expedition.
It was none other than the First Commander of the Varion Order, who had chosen to stand beside the young lady, leading his knights into the Dead Man Lands despite not yet having received Lord Varion’s approval.
Azphira stepped down from her horse before slowly unsheathing her sword. The clear ring of steel echoed across the silent frontier.
She raised the blade before her.
"If any among you have come under my father’s command to stop me, then know that I will not turn back."
Her gaze swept across every knight standing before her.
"And should any of you still choose to bar my path... then draw your swords. I shall not resent you for fulfilling your duty, just as you should not resent me for fulfilling mine."
Her golden amber eyes burned with an unshakable resolve, blazing so fiercely that even the cold winds from the Southern region seemed unable to extinguish them.
Silence fell.
Then, Osric slowly raised a hand.
The entire contingent dismounted their horses as one.
Without uttering a single word, the First Commander walked toward Azphira. Every step was steady, unwavering, carrying the dignity of a knight who had already made his decision.
When he finally stood before her, Osric lowered himself onto one knee. One after another, every knight behind him followed. The sound of hundreds of armored knees striking the earth echoed across the border fortress.
Azphira’s eyes widened.
Osric lowered his head before speaking, his voice deep and unwavering.
"Young Lady," Osric began. "From the day we first took up the sword, House Varion taught us only one truth — As long as our swords remain unbroken and the Immortal Flame still burns within our hearts, no Varion shall ever walk alone."
He lifted his head, meeting her stunned gaze without a trace of doubt.
"You are the daughter of House Varion. Your blood is our blood, your battle is our battle, and your burden is ours to bear."
"If you choose to march into the Dead Man Lands, then we shall march beside you. If death awaits beyond the Blackwall gates, then we shall meet it together. If the path ahead is paved with voidspawns, despair, and endless darkness, then our swords will carve a road through every last one of them."
He drew his sword and planted its tip firmly into the earth before him.
"So lead us, Young Lady."
His voice grew fiercer.
"Lead us to where our blades are needed the most."
"...And until the last sword of House Varion is shattered, until the last ember of the Immortal Flame is extinguished... not a single one of us will allow you to face that journey alone."
With those final words, Osric pulled his sword free from the ground. He rose to his feet, raised the blade high above his head, and roared with every ounce of strength in his lungs.
"For House Varion! For the Immortal Flame!"
The next instant, hundreds of swords were unsheathed as one, every knight thrust their blade toward the heavens.
"FOR HOUSE VARION! FOR THE IMMORTAL FLAME!"
The thunderous war cry shook the very air.
Its echoes rolled across the border like a tidal wave, reaching every guard, every traveler, and every soul standing upon the fortress walls.
One after another, conversations ceased, footsteps halted, and countless eyes turned toward the sea of raised swords, all left frozen in stunned silence by the overwhelming display of unwavering loyalty.
Azphira’s eyes trembled.
The light within them shimmered as though on the verge of spilling over, yet no words came. She could only tighten her grip around the hilt of her sword.
"...But... but wait."
She looked at Osric, her voice no louder than a whisper.
"What about Father...?"
Osric’s expression remained composed.
"My Lady, we believe this time, it is not our lord’s decision to make."
Azphira fell silent.
"Your Father carries many burdens upon his shoulders. More than anyone, we understand the conflict weighing upon his heart. To save Young Lady Rosalin, he would have no choice but to send us into the Dead Man Lands."
His gaze swept across the ranks of kneeling knights behind him.
"And we know our lord verybwell."
"He has never regarded us as expendable blades to be discarded when dulled. To him, every knight who bears the crest of House Varion is a family. Every life entrusted to his command is a responsibility he carries to the very end."
Osric lowered his head for a brief moment before continuing.
"We are aware that this expedition offers no promise of victory. It offers no certainty of return. It is a road from which many, perhaps all of us, may never come back."
"That is precisely why our lord hesitates."
"He fears the weight of ordering his own people toward what may become their graves."
He smiled.
"So... please, allow us to shoulder that burden for him."
"Our lord does not need to order us to march."
"But we, his knights, will march because it is our own will."
"If saving his newborn — Lady Rosalin — demands that we stake our lives upon that accursed land... then let that choice be ours."
"...I see." she muttered.
Azphira slowly closed her eyes and drew a long, steady breath. When she opened them once more, the hesitation that had clouded them was gone.
She stepped forward and rested a hand over the pommel of her sword.
"Very well."
Her voice carried across the gathered knights with quiet authority.
"I, Azphira Varion, hereby accept your resolve. If you have truly chosen this path of your own free will, then I shall no longer deny it."
She slowly swept her gaze across every knight kneeling before her.
"You all have my deepest gratitude."
She placed a hand against her chest and bowed her head slightly.
"No wealth, no title, nor any glory could ever equal the loyalty you have shown me this day. For that, I shall remember every one of your names for as long as I live."
Then, her expression hardened.
"But hear me well."
"The Dead Man Lands will show us no mercy. It will not care for our courage, nor will it spare us for our convictions."
"So... I will not promise that all of us shall return."
"I cannot."
A heavy silence settled over the border.
"But I can promise you this."
"As long as I still draw breath... I shall stand at the very front. I will never ask any of you to take a single step that I myself am unwilling to take."
"If death seeks the lives of House Varion..."
"...then it shall first cross my blade."
Her eyes blazed with unyielding determination.
"So rise, my knights."
"Let the world bear witness that we, the Knights of the Varion Order, shall burn so fiercely that even death itself will remember the day we crossed into the Dead Man Lands."
A deafening roar answered her decree.
And so, after delivering her rousing speech, Azphira mounted her horse and tightened the reins.
Without a single glance behind her, she led the knight contingent through the towering frontier gates, marching toward the southern reaches where only death and despair awaited.
Their destination was....
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[Chapter 247: The Dead Man Lands]
Plot Points= 10,900