Chapter 75: The War Approaches
Two days remained before the war.
Inside the quiet study of Bluemoon Estate, Ethan sat across from Luna, the heavy oak desk between them. Her clear blue eyes remained fixed on him. She looked exhausted; the past few days had left little time for sleep, let alone rest.
"You said you have something for me?" she asked, her voice quieter than usual.
There was a faint strain beneath the words. With only two days remaining before a war she had almost no chance of winning, Luna could no longer afford to waste time on mysteries. Every hour mattered.
Without a word, Ethan waved his hand over the desk.
A soft, low hum filled the room as rows upon rows of crystal vials materialized from his spatial inventory, settling onto the polished wood. The soft candlelight caught the liquid within, reflecting a vibrant sapphire hue threaded with delicate, shimmering strands of silver.
The sheer quantity covered half the desk.
Luna’s breath hitched in her throat. Even without opening a single vial, the dense, refreshing mana wafting from the glass was impossible to mistake. Her eyes widened as she stared at the glowing bottles, her composure shattering in an instant.
"W-Where did you get these?" she asked, looking from the desk back to Ethan as if she couldn’t quite process what she was seeing.
"Didn’t I tell you when we first met?" Ethan smirked, leaning back in his chair. "I came to Bluewind for trade and investment."
He gestured vaguely at the shimmering desk.
"Though it seems the first batch of elixirs I refined will have to be used by your soldiers instead of sold to the market."
Luna remained frozen for a moment. When Ethan had first called himself an investor after defeating two Knight Commanders and walking into her estate as though none of it were unusual, she had assumed he was being sarcastic.
Ethan reached forward, picked up a single vial near the center—a bottle glowing with a noticeably deeper, purplish-blue hue—and held it out toward her.
"Try it," he said simply.
Luna looked at the vial, then shifted a suspicious glance toward Ethan’s calm face, hesitating for a split second.
Ethan let out a dramatic sigh, rolling his eyes as he pulled his hand back slightly. "Really? After everything I’ve done for your house over the past two days, you still suspect I’m trying to poison you?"
"N-No!" Luna blurted out, her face flushing slightly.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she snatched the vial from his hand, unstoppered the glass, and tipped the contents down her throat in a single gulp.
The moment the sapphire liquid hit her tongue, Luna’s eyes snapped wide open.
A violent, roaring wave of warm energy erupted from her core, surging through her veins like liquid fire. She felt her muscle fibers rapidly contract and tighten, her bone density hardening as her aura channels expanded forcibly. Old, lingering fatigue from months of administrative stress evaporated in seconds.
More than that—a subtle, crisp sensation bloomed in her senses. Her natural affinity toward ice sharpened noticeably, but beneath it, she felt tiny, subtle sparks of earth and fire aura reacting deep within her body. It was miniscule, but to a Peak Knight Commander, it was unmistakable.
Without saying a word, Luna slid off her chair, crossed her legs on the marble floor, and immediately began circulating her house’s core cultivation technique.
Ethan watched quietly, leaning his cheek against his hand as the frost-blue aura around Luna’s body flared, stabilized, and began hungrily absorbing the elixir’s power.
Nearly two hours passed in absolute silence.
When Luna finally opened her eyes, a sharp, brilliant flash of blue light illuminated the room. She stood up smoothly, her movements lighter, her breathing deep and effortless. The physical and mental exhaustion that had been dragging her down for weeks had completely disappeared, replaced by a dense, brimming reservoir of energy.
She stared down at her own hands in disbelief before snapping her head toward Ethan.
"R-Really... you made this?" she asked, her voice laced with deep suspicion.
Ethan looked her dead in the eyes, his face completely expressionless. "Yes."
He paused, then let out a cold click of his tongue. "Though it seems House Bluemoon isn’t interested in a trade deal. Allow me to take them back."
Ethan reached his hand out, gesturing toward the hundreds of crystal vials resting on the desk.
Before his fingers could even touch the glass, Luna moved at lightning speed.
SWISH!
A streak of blue motion crossed the desk, and Luna’s hand clamped tightly around Ethan’s wrist, freezing his arm in mid-air with a grip like forged steel.
"Wait."
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you weren’t interested."
"I never said that."
Luna’s gaze flicked toward the vials.
"House Bluemoon will gladly accept your... assistance."
She didn’t hesitate for another second. With a quick sweep of her arm, her spatial ring flashed, and every single elixir vial disappeared off the desk, secured safely in her personal storage before Ethan could change his mind.
Ethan looked down at her hand, which was still firmly grasping his wrist, then raised a single eyebrow at her.
She’s still as shameless as ever when it comes to protecting her people, Ethan thought, a faint, amused glint flickering in his eyes.
You’re a Count now, Luna. At least try to act like one.
Luna finally released his wrist and straightened her clothes, trying to recover what remained of her dignity.
"You’re really giving all of these to us?"
Ethan glanced at her.
"You need them more than I do."
Luna studied him for a moment.
"Those elixirs are worth a fortune."
"I know."
"Then why?"
Ethan didn’t answer immediately.
His gaze shifted toward the window, where the faint lights of Bluewind flickered beneath the night sky.
"Let’s say... I don’t want House Bluemoon to fall."
Luna’s expression changed slightly.
He could have sold these elixirs for a fortune. Instead, he had handed them to a house whose survival was still uncertain.
Luna studied him quietly.
Whatever his reason for coming to Bluewind was, it clearly wasn’t just business.
"Then I’ll make sure House Bluemoon survives."
Luna stared into his eyes. As she met his gaze, an odd sensation settled deep within her chest. The suffocating terror that had been slowly crushing her since she learned of Count Thorn’s 4,000-man army seemed to melt away. Looking at Ethan, she felt a profound, unshakeable sense of security—a feeling so deep and familiar it almost made her chest ache, as if she were standing beside a trusted friend she had lost a long time ago.
She didn’t know who he really was. But in that moment, she believed him.
"Gather all the knights immediately," Ethan commanded, his tone instantly shifting into that of a seasoned wartime general.
"Distribute the Rare Grade elixirs to the Knights and Great Knights. Reserve the Epic Grade vials for the strongest and most promising among them. Your remaining Knight Commanders should receive them as well."
He stood up from his chair, his dark cloak settling around his shoulders.
"Tell them to cultivate and assimilate the energy immediately. And have every Knight Commander gather in the strategic war room tonight at midnight."
Luna straightened her posture, her eyes sharp and clear. "It will be done."
Ethan returned to the room assigned to him and closed the door behind him. Rune was still asleep on the bed, barely reacting to his arrival.
Ethan sat down and finally opened the system notification he had ignored the previous night.
[Ding!]
———
[Blood Essence Acquired]
Eclipse Cultists: 150 (Note: This Essence was acquired from the Eclipse Cultists encountered in the cave and during the recent scout encounter. Blood Essence yield varies depending on the target’s strength. Wild Beasts generally yield 1 Essence, Elite Beasts 4–8, Dire Beasts 18–25, and for Apex Beasts it’s around 50–80.)
Wild Beast Essence: 400
Elite Beast Essence: 3,450
Dire Thornhide Bear Essence: 2,200
Dire Canopy Stalker: 1,730
Dire Thornhide Boar: 1,700
Forest Troll: 70
Total Blood Essence Acquired: 9,700
———
So it finally finished refining.
Ethan had noticed the notification the previous night, but with everything happening inside House Bluemoon, he hadn’t had the time to check it properly.
"Rune..." he gently called out.
The cub slowly opened his eyes and stretched before jumping down from the bed. He padded over to Ethan and looked up at him curiously.
–——
[ BONDED COMPANION ]
Name: Rune
Trust: 100
[ Blood Essence Transfer: UNLOCKED ]
Bloodline: ??? [Stage I - 10%]
Progress to Stage II: 0/1000 Blood Essence
Progress to Stage III: 0/5000 Blood Essence [ Available ]
Transfer Blood Essence: [Y/N]
———
Yes.
It’s time you grow stronger, Rune...
The moment Ethan confirmed it, the Blood Essence flowed into Rune.
The cub’s body stiffened.
A faint silver glow spread beneath his fur as the Blood Essence surged through his body. Rune’s aura began to fluctuate violently, growing heavier with every passing moment. His small frame trembled as the power within his bloodline continued to rise, pushing past its previous limits.
The transformation continued for several hours.
When the final wave of Blood Essence disappeared into Rune’s body, the silver radiance gradually faded.
[Bloodline Evolution Complete]
[Bloodline: ??? — Stage III]
Rune let out a small yip before settling beside Ethan, his eyes slowly closing as the transformation finally ended.
Once the transfer was complete, Ethan directed the remaining Essence toward himself and closed his eyes.
Nearly eight hours passed before the process finally came to an end.
When Ethan opened his eyes, he slowly flexed his fingers. A denser strength ran through his body, and even his aura felt heavier than before.
Beside him, Rune rose to his feet.
The cub had grown slightly larger, his silver coat thicker and his presence noticeably stronger.
By the time Ethan reached the strategic war room, Luna was already there with Kaelen and the four remaining loyal Knight Commanders of House Bluemoon: Valen, Justin, Teresa, and Gerald.
The effects of the Epic Grade elixirs were already visible. The four commanders’ previously depleted auras were now considerably denser and more stable, their presence noticeably stronger than it had been earlier that day.
Ethan walked in, looking over the map before looking up at the gathered commanders.
"We let them believe Julian succeeded."
For a moment, nobody spoke. The commanders exchanged uneasy glances. After everything they had uncovered about Julian’s betrayal, Ethan’s suggestion sounded dangerously close to inviting the enemy straight through their defenses.
Commander Valen frowned. "You mean... we’ll open the gate?"
Ethan nodded.
"At midnight."
The uncertainty on the commanders’ faces was obvious, but Luna had already made her decision. Ethan had exposed the traitors within her own house, uncovered Thorn’s movements before her scouts could, and moreover knew his strength was beyond normal comprehension...he turned an impossible situation into something they could actually fight. She didn’t understand his entire plan, but she trusted that he had one.
"We follow his plan," Luna said, her voice leaving no room for argument.
Ethan then explained the rest of the plan to Luna and the commanders, assigning each of them their roles and making sure everyone knew exactly what to do when Thorn’s army arrived.
"Prepare the men." Luna said as she got up.
Valen hesitated, but eventually bowed his head.
"Understood, my Lady."
The others followed, though the confusion on their faces remained.
The next day passed beneath a constant tension that settled over Bluewind like a storm waiting to break.
Weapons were inspected, armor repaired, and every defensive position around the eastern approaches was reinforced. The soldiers who had spent the previous days exhausted and uncertain now moved with purpose, carrying out Luna’s orders without complaint.
By the time the night arrived, the city had gone strangely quiet.
Then midnight came.
In the distance, the heavy, rhythmic thud of thousands of marching boots echoed against the canyon walls. The army of House Thorn emerged through the mountain pass, its vanguard advancing through the thick fog.
Suddenly, a bright green signal flare shot into the night sky from the watchtower, casting an eerie emerald light over the fog.
Far down below, the forward enemy troops cheered quietly.
A murmur spread through the forward ranks.
"The signal..."
"Julian succeeded."
Their pace quickened, confidence spreading through the ranks as the massive Eastern Fortress Gate began to rise with a deep grinding roar of iron gears.
Thorn’s vanguard rushed forward, expecting traitorous guards waiting to welcome them inside.
Instead, the darkness beyond the open gate remained completely still.
Then a figure slowly stepped into view.