Throne of the North.

Chapter 758 The Grand Duke's Fear, A Death Threat from Ryan

The Grand Duke's residence within the royal city of Coran.

Galic and his grandfather sat facing each other in the study.

"The Dawn Church will not send reinforcements. The continent of Norris underestimated the Empire. Even after suffering two full-scale invasions by the orcs, it still failed to make the Empire feel pain."

"In the extraordinary duel in the west, the Empire, which started the battle in the name of revenge, still has the upper hand. The Dawn Church cannot stop the Empire's slaughter, so... even our Kingdom of Coran has lost the right to intervene in the Holy Mountain."

Grand Duke Gaelan did not know who was on the winning side in the current struggle between the Empire and the Dawn Church, but the answer given by the Dawn Priest led him to guess that the Church was at a disadvantage.

Otherwise, why wouldn't the Dawn Church try to regain control of the Kingdom of Coran?

"The King has decided to reinstate you as a member of the Northern Military Council, and you will be dispatched to Zero Crossing City."

After listening to Grand Duke Gelan's words, Galic knew that they were the losers in this political struggle with the king.

"The nobles will not agree easily."

Galic said that although he was not entirely ignorant of the kingdom's politics, he, as the Grand Duke's heir, was not entirely useless.

"The nobles will certainly not agree, but the knight killed the legendary abyss monster, and given the king's decision, the nobles will wait two months."

Will the orc war end in two months?

Galic didn't know if Ryan was capable of defeating the orcs in just two months; it was too short a time.

The last time the orcs launched a full-scale invasion, it took them almost two years to completely end the invasion in their north.

"That damned baron!"

Grand Duke Guillaume gritted his teeth.

"The king has no idea what he wants. He's obsessed with his power and tries to get the nobles to hand over all their power except for the land. But the king doesn't understand that this is exactly what Ryan wants!"

Galick looked at his father in surprise, his resentment towards Ryan growing stronger each day.

“Lyan helped the king, and through us and the king, gathered power from all over the Kingdom of Coran, concentrating all power in this royal city, but in the end all of this will belong to him.”

Galic was puzzled as to why his father would think that way.

"He can't possibly become the king of the Kingdom of Coran, or even have a title in this land. He can't do it, can he?"

Galick believed that Ryan was not as likely as his father had suggested.

“I don’t know either, but that’s how I suspect it. I don’t know how he has any methods, but I just feel that he wants to do it.”

Grand Duke Gaelan's gaze was gloomy. No one believed his guess, and he himself had no evidence.

"As the kingdom's only Grand Duke, and having coexisted with the Coran royal family for an ancient history, I don't think my suspicions are wrong; that baron has an incredibly terrifying ambition."

He will destroy everything we have.

"Galik, don't you feel that the nobles of the Kingdom of Coran no longer have absolute control over their territories?"

Grand Duke Gelan stared at his successor, hoping he would come to his senses, but Galic remained puzzled.

“Noble lords have absolute rights over their territories. This is the oldest noble law. Even a king cannot touch a noble’s ownership of his territory. Ryan can’t do that either.”

"The nobles will not admit that their territory and power have been divided up by others."

This is a vicious cycle. Grand Duke Gelan was always extremely vigilant, but he had no evidence. The nobles simply believed that Ryan had affected their interests without touching their rightful land rights.

Grand Duke Guérin received no support in this regard.

"You don't need to explain anything when you go to Zero Crossing City. Ryan won't do anything to you. Once you get to Zero Crossing City, just leave."

"what?"

Galic was puzzled, but Grand Duke Gelan continued:

"Go to the Kingdom of Andara."

"Why? We have no reason to be afraid of Baron Ryan."

“We are not afraid, but my child, you must take back your power.”

Grand Duke Gelan said helplessly:
“Since the king has agreed to resume providing supplies for the orc war, when you leave the Kingdom of Coran, that follower knight of Ryan will gain command of the kingdom’s army.”

"You are the commander of the Kingdom of Kolan's army. You must establish your own prestige in the war against the orcs."

"I understand."

Galic understood this point. The Kingdom of Coran currently only had two sizable armies: one was the Kingdom Legion, composed of all the nobles, and the other was the elite legion of the Grand Duke of Gelan, which had been trained in the Frozen Territory.

Both large-scale armies cannot avoid the surname Galen.

"War is inevitable between the Kingdom and Ryan."

Grand Duke Gelan said with absolute certainty.

……

……

Galic did not go to Zero City because of Ryan's will, but was sent away from the Kingdom of Coran because of the victory of the King and the Grand Duke. The King's purpose was simple: to get the commander of the kingdom's army to leave the kingdom's army.

On the same day, Brand temporarily took command of the Kingdom of Coran's army, leading it north to participate in the Orc War.

The King of Corinth dispatched more than thirty members of the royal family to serve as officers in the kingdom's army, the highest-ranking of whom was a prince.

Domenico Coran, the brother of Princess Gwendolyn Coran who traveled to the Frozen Territory.

"The Kingdom of Coran's army belongs to the King of Coran, to His Majesty. Even the Northern Military Council cannot directly command the kingdom's army."

"They will be under my command."

Domenico said that he successfully became the commander of the kingdom's army during Galic Gelan's absence, and placed dozens of carefully trained royal family members into the army to help him control the kingdom's army of up to 30,000.

The kingdom's army now numbers around 50,000, with the remainder heading south to guard against potential abyssal minions.

Brand glanced at him but said nothing. The internal political struggles of the kingdom were none of his concern. He had only one purpose in coming to the Kingdom of Coran: to intimidate the kingdom with force, then obtain its military power to go to the North to carry out the plan to end the Orc War.

Ryan has written to all the kings and noble lords, demanding an end to the war within two months.

This wasn't confidence, but rather because he could end this farce in the North at any time, since the werewolves' Silvermoon Court was the key to the orc war.

Two months were not meant for Ryan to end the orc war, but rather to use the war to unite this land into one.

And the means to achieve this is the Milwaukee Bucks.

“Your Highness Domenico, the army of the Kingdom of Coran is under the overall command and control of Speaker Ryan. I do not wish you to have your own ideas.”

"Furthermore, on this battlefield, it's not just your Kingdom of Kolan's army that's cooperating with us."

Domenico looked at Ryan with some confusion. To be honest, he was quite interested in Brand. This legion commander looked very young, yet he had managed to defeat a legend, and supposedly, he wasn't even a legend. This royal prince didn't seem to have a deep understanding of war; his only goal was to eliminate Galic's influence in the army and gain command of the kingdom's forces in this war.

“We follow His Majesty the King’s orders. Of course, I will not refuse as long as it does not turn the kingdom’s army into cannon fodder on the battlefield.”

Brand smiled but said nothing; his status as a knight's follower didn't allow him to make any decisions.

The army's movement was not fast; in comparison, it only took Galic two days to reach Zero Crossing City.

"too fast."

"From the Royal City of Kolan, we traveled smoothly through Kolan Avenue, Andara Avenue, and North Wind Avenue to reach Zero Crossing City. It was surprisingly fast."

Galic looked at the magnificent Zero Crossing City and still felt incredulous. Every time he came here, he would see huge changes that were different from the last time. He looked down at his carriage.

There wasn't even a thick layer of mud stuck to the ruts, which would have been unimaginable a few years ago.

In the past, it would have been absolutely impossible for him to travel from the Kingdom of Coran to the Empire in less than half a month to a month. The distance between the two was not only a long distance, but also the concept of territory between noble territories.

He couldn't even remember how many noble territories he had passed through on his way here.

Fifty? Or one hundred?

Countless people questioned him about his carriage.

Every time he thought of this, Galic was deeply shocked and couldn't help but look at the carriage.

There were three flags flying on the carriage.

One is the coat of arms of the Grand Duke of Gaelan, representing who the carriage belongs to and who it represents; another is the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Coran, which can also be called the royal coat of arms; and the third is the coat of arms of the Northern Military Council, with a very complex design, but the most eye-catching one is the Rhinoceros Horn Mountain of the Frozen Territory.

Galic vaguely understood his father's fear; Ryan had indeed caused the nobles to lose 100% of their power over their territory.

They no longer had the absolute right to question or detain carriages entering their territory.

The nobles believe they still have it, but they won't because of the emblem of that Rhinoceros Horn Mountain.

"But this shouldn't be a big deal, right?"

Galick said that the efficiency of just two days made him realize the convenience of the route from Northwind Avenue to Coran Avenue, which was a good thing and could bring benefits.

With that thought in mind, Galick decided not to dwell on it any longer. He didn't know Ryan, but he knew his father.

His father became dissatisfied and angry with him because of his growing awe of Baron Lane.

He believed he had submitted to Baron Ryan, just like many other nobles.

Galick himself doesn't think so.

……

Zero Crossing City houses the headquarters of the Northern Military Council. Of course, this headquarters is merely a 'registered address'; the real headquarters must be the Baron's Castle atop Rhinoceros Horn Mountain in the Frozen Territory.

Grand Duke Gelan's idea was that Galic would come here, complete the king's orders, and then leave, but he failed to do so.

"Mr. Galick, after Lord Ryan summoned you, he went to Rhinoceros Horn Mountain. He wishes to have some discussions with you, his student, about the war."

The headquarters of the Northern Military Council was kept clean and tidy only by a few servants.

And so, Galik appeared at Rhinoceros Horn Mountain.

During this time, Ryan stayed in his castle, familiarizing himself with the power he had gained after becoming a legend.

Ryan finally gave up when Galick arrived.

“Mr. Galic, you look very tired. The journey from the Kingdom of Coran to here is long, and you should definitely rest.”

Ryan said apologetically that their relationship was not simply that of teacher and student.

Strictly speaking, the other party's status as the heir to the Grand Duke is much higher than the title of Baron.

"Now that you have come here, it means that His Majesty the King of Coran, His Highness the Grand Duke, and the nobles have once again become our allies. I am pleased that you have made the right choice."

"However, as the chairman of the Northern Military Council, I still want to ask why the Kingdom of Coran would choose to betray its allies."

Galick felt immense pressure at that moment. Even though Ryan was just standing there, speaking gently, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"The Kingdom of Coran has very little food and linen left, Mr. Ryan."

Galic said that Grand Duke Gelan told him he didn't need to explain anything, but no one understood the pressure he was under.

Even... the king would probably have to answer Ryan's question.

"It is regrettable that this is the outcome, but it is undeniable that this is war."

Ryan maintained a constant smile, his aristocratic elegance unmistakable.

"But the war will soon be over, and I assure you, this year will be a bountiful harvest for the Kingdom of Kolan."

Galic remained noncommittal. He didn't know how the Orc War was going, but from the reports brought to the Kingdom of Coran by the Northern Military Council, the Gerald Noble Territory and the Kingdom of Andara were asking for help every day, and the situation in the North was dire.

The student remained silent, while Ryan continued, changing the subject to something different from the Orc Wars.

“Mr. Galic, are you aware of the new war between the Empire and the Papacy? It’s happening in the south.”

"I know. The Empire wants to avenge the death of His Majesty Columbus III, which has sparked an extraordinary duel. Neither side considers it a war and has not violated the Treaty of Nantes."

Ryan nodded and replied:
"That's right. His Majesty the Emperor of the Empire sends us news from the south every few days."

"The Dawn Church has lost a cardinal, killed by my elder brother, Aatrox Clayton, along with more than seven hundred clergy and—more than two thousand three hundred nobles."

"The war continued with unprecedented ferocity, but the Dawn Church was undeniably at a disadvantage."

“Your father, Grand Duke Gaelan, must have sought help from the Holy Mountain of Dawn, right? But unfortunately, the faith in Dawn could not help him.”

Galick stared at Ryan in horror. How did he know?

Ryan knew, of course, that it would take Galic two days to get here from the capital of Coran, but the message sent back by the Sven priest would take less than a day.

This instilled in Ryan immense confidence as he looked at Galick with complete composure.

"The war between the Empire and the Papacy has ultimately spread to the bloodline of the nobility. I think Grand Duke Gelan has not yet realized this."

"But I've started to consider the possibility of killing him."

“We should have been close allies, even closer than I am to His Majesty King Coran, but your father, the esteemed Grand Duke of Gelan, seems unwilling.”

"Can you make him understand what choice he should make?"

Ryan's gaze was fixed on Galic Gelan, causing the latter to breathe heavily and feel immense pressure.

(End of this chapter)