Throne of the North.

Chapter 597 Swavnir's Rebel, A Girl Who Never Stops Growing

How powerful Brand is remains unverified due to the unspoken rules among the nobles of Norris.

Because Ryan's army does not face extraordinary enemies beyond their corresponding rank in war, legends have their own to deal with, slaves have their own to resist, and the chivalric code and noble honor make war full of romance and credibility.

Brand faced Sky Knights as his enemies, and he wasn't fighting alone when facing the Sanctuary.

So ever since Ryan bestowed the Dragon Spirit Blessing upon him, Brand's immense power has never been manifested. Ryan seems unaware of just how powerful he is, just as he is unaware of how powerful his righteous guardian knight is.

Undoubtedly, Ryan never believed that any Sky Knight from any Empire or Church could be a match for Brand. He was once a boy favored by the Spirit of the Stag, the most powerful warrior in the world of Exner. The stag bestowed upon him unimaginable power of blood and qi, allowing him to unleash his fighting prowess endlessly on the battlefield.

However, here, Brand was forced to summon the phantom of the Spirit of the Buck at the very first moment, which means that he felt pressure and threat the instant they clashed.

The stag roared as it charged from the ancient world, unleashing a power more terrifying than that of a dragon as it crashed into its enemies. Opposite the stag, amidst the flickering firelight, Ryan slowly raised his eyes and saw a blurry, even more imposing silhouette in the darkness.

That seems to be... a snake.

The enormous serpent was comparable to a dragon, the kind whose wingspan exceeded a hundred meters. It roared a deafening threat at Brand, and from the darkness, a tremendous force slammed down on Brand. The moment the serpent's tail collided with the stag, countless cracks appeared on Brand's armor. It could not withstand Brand's power, nor could it withstand the power brought by the giant serpent.

"How did such a massive monster appear here so silently?"

Ryan looked puzzled. The next moment, his body tensed up, flames ignited on his arms, and he smashed them into the void to the side. But the flames disappeared the next moment, and all the power in Ryan's hands was forcibly suppressed, replaced by his arms being spread open.

The reason was simple: Archmage McKen, despite his old age, was kicked toward Ryan by an unknown force, and Ryan had no choice but to protect this most precious mage of the Frozen Territory.

He gave up the attack, so he couldn't stop the brown-haired girl who rushed out of the darkness. She raised her dagger and stabbed at the native boy standing next to Ryan. The boy seemed to have sensed her arrival, and waited calmly for the dagger to cut his throat.

"leader."

He murmured softly, but the girl, who carried a sharp killing intent, did not hesitate to assassinate him because of his words. However, the next moment, a transparent barrier blocked the dagger, and the trembling force backfired, causing the girl to take two steps back.

"It seems that the natives of this world have never witnessed the power of a magician."

Archmage McKen had somehow appeared behind Ryan, his vast magical power surging forth, life force swirling around him. Mages' methods were always earth-shattering; a single spell caused a phenomenon that shook the heavens and earth for tens of meters.

The wild grass beneath her feet grew into hard vines and ropes, and the stones and soil transformed into enormous arms that pressed down on the girl.

The native, trapped in place, was helpless. He had wanted to speak up and offer a warning, but the power of magic prevented him from controlling his muscles.

Seeing the girl being forced to retreat, the native boy couldn't help but get anxious and began to struggle, trying to attack Ryan, but to no avail.

In the eye of the magical storm, the brown-haired girl suddenly stopped running, turned around and danced with her long hair. The moment she raised her head, both Ryan and Archmage McKen were stunned by her pupils, as if they saw a colossal serpent looking down at them. Under the sudden intimidation of the enormous creature, the magic stopped.

Ryan stretched out his palm and threw a punch forward. He didn't know when the girl had appeared in front of him. The moment of shock just now had only provided her with an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

But she underestimated Ryan. The giant serpent was terrifying, and Ryan had also seen Surtur at dusk. That fire giant, capable of tearing the world apart, was the true awe-inspiring colossus.

Seeing that her surprise attack had failed, the girl did not hesitate and continued her attack. The moment she lifted her foot, she disappeared from Ryan's sight, leaving only invisible threats from all directions.

Left? Right? Above? Ryan raised his hand and slashed his sword towards the top of his head, but the attack missed. He turned to look at Archmage McKen, whose magic raged around him, but to no avail.

After taking a breath, Ryan looked at the native boy, who had already fallen to the ground, his pupils dilated, his hands instinctively covering his bleeding neck. As for the girl who had attacked him, she had already left Ryan with only her back view, disappearing into the darkness.

On the other side, Brand was even more furious. He was unusually violent, like Egil, and he bombarded his surroundings. He had been deceived. The hundred-meter-long giant snake that he had fought with was just an illusion and not a real giant snake at all.

Ryan approached the native boy and looked at him with a smile.

"It seems you people are even more cold-blooded and ruthless than I imagined, but do you think you can die like this?"

Ryan took out a crystal bottle containing a drop of pure holy water, produced by the Dawn Church, which would prevent even the demons of the abyss from taking away the dying.

As soon as a drop of holy water fell, the native boy visibly recovered from all his injuries. Even his pale face, which had been pale from blood loss, gradually regained its color, and he looked much better than before.

Ryan turned his head, looked at the girl who had stopped in her tracks in the distance, and greeted her with a smile.

"There aren't many things that can make you suffer."

Ryan smiled and said to Brand, whose eyes were serious, and he did not attack him out of anger.

With the knights back and things on guard, it would be difficult for these native assassins to cause chaos in the camp. Ryan looked at the native boy again and said:
“You’ve already died once, fulfilling your duty to your comrades. Now your life belongs to me, right?”

"Of course, I'm not interested in your life; I just want to know some very simple questions."

The native boy looked at Ryan, and this time he was no longer silent, but... he was not moved by it either.

“Guest from another world, you overestimate the morality of the Swavnir rebels. We have never been interested in upholding any honor or dignity, and it is impossible for you to expect me to be grateful.”

Even if you save my life, I will not be grateful to you.

He knew his origins and spoke with unusual eloquence. Ryan admitted that he had underestimated the native humans of this world; they possessed an excellent... knowledge and cognitive heritage.

Most importantly, he said that a group of cold-blooded guys would not be swayed by any kindness or evil.

A born assassin.

Ryan was now envious; this guy was a real talent.

"You know I'm from another world?"

Ryan asked, the question was a bit silly, but the point was whether information could be obtained through this method.

Information is the most crucial element for developing another world.

"Only humans from another world would not know how to hide in the shadows of the world, and only humans from another world would kill a Frost Demon in broad daylight."

The native boy was no longer silent. He still appeared arrogant in front of Ryan. He had seen the power of these otherworldly beings, and it was this power that gave him, despite his young age, the desire to express his sarcasm.

This is all Ryan needs.

"Only the weak hide. Frost Demons are terrifying, so let's kill as many as they come. My strength is beyond your imagination. Just now, your so-called leader... she also underestimated my strength, and that's why she failed."

Upon hearing the other person's name, the indigenous boy in front of him suddenly became agitated and began to struggle and resist.

"Chief Signi will never fail. Even if she doesn't kill me today, she will kill me tomorrow. Chief Signi is always getting stronger, and you otherworldly beings will definitely die at her hands!"

The boy's expression contorted, and his voice was filled with rage.

Ryan laughed and said:
"Then tell me about your Svavnir rebels and your leader?"

The native boy's eyes widened; he possessed excellent knowledge and understood what Ryan had just been doing.

His expression froze, he stood there stunned, shut his mouth again, and raised his head, refusing to look at Ryan's face. Ryan sighed helplessly; the natives of this world were clever and not easily fooled.

"Fine, since you won't tell me..."

Ryan hesitated deliberately for a moment, then said:
"You said you have no feelings or morals. If that's the case, you probably wouldn't mind if I used other methods to get you to talk, right?"

Ryan smiled, a smile that, in the eyes of the native boy, was as profound as the darkness of the world.

……

Archmage McKen said that magicians have plenty of ways to pry open the mouths of prisoners, so that makes things simple.

"The Mage Association, huh? I never expected that Grand Duke Rodrigo would build a branch of the Mage Association in the Northwind Province."

Ryan was somewhat envious. His beloved Northern Warriors Guild hadn't developed at all in all this time, while the Grand Duke could stir up trouble all over the empire.

Zero City now has a Mage's Guild, and also the attendants of mages...

But at least the avenue for this has been established. As a nobleman, Ryan is certainly entitled to profit through the Mage Association. This is also a compromise made by Grand Duke Rodrigo to the nobles. He cannot keep all the benefits to himself. Only by ensuring that the nobles also have something to eat can the Mage Association be truly established.

The same reason applies to the Mage Association branch in Zero Crossing City. It's not that there aren't mages in the North Wind Province. For the mages, what does the cold of the North matter? They are happy to enter the North to collect magical materials.

The real reason is Ryan. If Ryan is unwilling, the Mage Association cannot grow here. Only if Lord Ryan agrees will the Mage Association of Northwind Province prosper. In this process, it is necessary to let Lord Ryan see the benefits.

Let's see what the Mage Association is really up to.

Ryan waited for the mages to bring him soul potions. In the meantime, he also kept an eye on the conflicts in the Northwind Province, the mutual pursuit between the Black Swan assassins and the vampire legion.

Yes, this elegant killing feast in the night was a graceful death for both the Black Swan and the vampires, without disturbing a single blade of grass or tree on this land. In addition, apart from the vampire army's initial surprise attack that gave them the upper hand, the Black Swan quickly began to retaliate.

To reiterate, countless years of rule have endowed the Dawn Church with a profound foundation, enabling it to handle any kind of trouble.

Once exposed to the Vatican, the Vatican has ways to counter it, and even the so-called natural restraint cannot be justified.

That's how vampires are. In the past, the Dawn Church had many methods for killing vampires. Many of these methods lost their effectiveness due to the divine origin, such as sunlight and mithril. However, the remaining methods still allow the Black Swan to fight back against vampires.

Moreover... the birth of black swans is inherently linked to vampires in an inexplicable way, and after death they will turn into a mummified corpse like a vampire's body.

Those vampire counts were very familiar with the Black Swan of the Dawn Church, and vice versa.

The nights in the Northwind Province were therefore always filled with fierce confrontations. The nobles quickly adapted and began to place large bets on how many vampire or black swan corpses would appear before them the next day.

"I'm so angry."

Bogeld led the Stag Legion around the Northwind Province. Their arrival brought great security to the nobles, but it was not so pleasant for Captain Bogeld. She excitedly took over military power from Ryan, but now she could count the number of enemies she encountered on one hand. The girl was so angry that she repeatedly provoked the nobles and tried to start a war.

She still remembered that she owed Ryan a lot of beautiful, big-breasted women, and the best way to do that was to snatch them from the nobles.

The nobles initially resisted, but war was out of the question. Letters were being sent to Rhinoceros Horn Mountain, giving Baroness Avril a headache, and Ryan was in another world.

Later, the nobles simply stopped bothering him and ignored Bogeld's challenge to a duel, as their knights were no match for him.

With her fighting spirit dashed, the girl was completely dejected.

Ryan told her she could go to the vampire legion, that Al would definitely be able to find the Black Swan, and Bogeld gradually became excited.

The waiting time was short, or rather, the magicians' methods were very clever; two days later, a magical potion was delivered to Ryan.

The potion didn't look like a potion. Ryan looked at the bottle in his hand. Even through the transparent crystal, he could see a large number of ghost-like things inside. Was this a potion?
It's best to deal with scary things quickly, so Ryan entered the otherworld again and poured the soul magic potion into the mouth of the native boy.

His eyes struggled, but in the end, they remained vacant. There was indeed a gap in the world's understanding of magicians.

“We are the rebels of Svafnir, that’s what they call us. Chief Signi doesn’t care about their slanderous attitude and words, and instead uses this title to establish the tribe.”

"The rebels of the past were chaotic, lacking strict order and a unified ideology, and none of them respected each other. But after Leader Signy arrived, everything changed."

“Signy is a natural leader, and all those who rebelled against her became sacrifices to her scorched-earth policy.”

"Under the leadership of Chief Signi, the rebels of Svafnir have abandoned the honor they once held as wandering nobles. We no longer pursue the restoration of our bloodline's glory, and we will kill our enemies regardless of the cost and consequences."

“We have encountered many opponents, but in the end, Leader Signy will always prevail. She is stronger every day than the day before, forever and ever.”

"The rebels of Svafnir gradually became the name they feared most. Thousands of people became the vanguard of Lady Signi, following in her footsteps, and every vanguard absolutely believed that Lady Signi could do it."

At this point, the native boy's vacant eyes began to struggle; he was resisting, still able to resist even in this situation.

"What?"

Ryan's cold question left no room for argument, while the native boy's voice gradually became hoarse, turning into... the voice of a ghostly monster.

"To save the world and elevate the great god, Chief Signi is His shadow."

A group of people who have no morals, act without regard for the consequences, kill their opponents through clandestine means, and whose ultimate goal is to save the world?

“The entire wilderness is Chief Signi’s hunting ground, and Svafnir is destined to submit to her.”

"Tell me about your gods."

Ryan asked, "Once you understand human civilization, it's quite simple. Rulers and rebels are always the eternal topics surrounding human civilization."

The gods are different.

"He is dead."

The first words spoken by the indigenous boy were somewhat expected, but what followed was unpredictable.

"Just as in many years past, there has always been a time when great gods die."

"He will return again. The branches of the World Tree provide the source for His resurrection. He will become stronger with each return after death. Leader Signi is His shadow. That is why Leader Signi is always getting stronger. Every day, every year, Leader Signi will have more and more power."

"She is destined to become a great being. Leader Signi will save the world of Svafnir. We are the rebels of Svafnir, and Leader Signi will lead us."

They talked about gods, but eventually the native boy steered the conversation back to the Siguni girl.

He thinks the Signi chieftain is no different from a god?
"What about those Frost Demons? What are they?"

"Those are the remnants of the rotting branches of the world's trees. They are evil and try to destroy Svafnir, but Chief Signi will stop them..."

(End of this chapter)