Throne of the North.

Chapter 767 Before the Holy Mountain
His Majesty the Emperor of the Empire is gaining the prestige left by his father at an astonishing pace, and the constant reports of victories in the south are the ladder to his imperial authority.

Admittedly, the new war in the south was the result of the concerted efforts of the nobles throughout the empire, but undeniably, the highest credit belongs to that esteemed Emperor.

The Kingdom of Nantes.

The king nominally governs all of this land, but all the wars on this land have nothing to do with the king of Nantes.

A group of noble knights clad in imperial insignia stood amidst a pile of corpses. The warm blood and the hot breath of their breaths indicated that not much time had passed and the battlefield had not yet been cleared. In the distance, the clamor of hooves could be heard, drawing the attention of all the knights, who looked up in alarm.

The longswords in their hands were raised, their surfaces pitted and uneven. This wasn't because the weapons they wielded were of poor quality, but because they were facing enemies of equal strength and possessed weapons of equal quality.

They were alive, they were nobles; the corpses on the ground were dead, they were also nobles. In this battle, no blood was shed except for glory.

"Viro to the left, Amir, take Cass to the right, Eric, you come with me."

A young man with a ruby ​​tied around his forehead stood with his legs slightly bent, holding a longsword upright in both hands. Beside him, a disheveled young man stared coldly ahead. The two of them were positioned to ensure that the impending cavalry attack could not be launched from behind.

Fortunately, as the sound of hooves drew closer, everyone relaxed. Those were the Empire's highland warhorses, and the riders on horseback carried the Empire's banners.

"Beline, it's so good that you're still alive."

The group of knights who had arrived on horseback also sheathed their weapons, dismounted with smiles, and embraced the young man with the gem on his forehead. The sound of their metal armor clashing together was heavy and sharp.

"Pat, you're still alive too."

Both men were of noble birth; one was from the royal family, and the other was the son of an earl.

“This is Eric, you know Amir and the others.”

Bellein introduced him to Pat, who nodded at the disheveled man. The easiest way for men to improve their relationship is to share life and death. Even Amir and the others next to him no longer looked at Eric as they had when he was a lord's second son; their gazes were now full of respect and recognition.

"These guys..."

The riders on horseback glanced at the corpses on the ground.

"Humph!"

"The Kingdom of Lausanne is just a bunch of ignorant fools who dare to try to take off our emblem and weave it into their skirts."

After finishing her sentence, Belair kicked the corpse whose neck was wide open and its blood-red maw gaped open, and then asked in return:

"And you? Did Commander Chrysus lead you to fight the Redcoats?"

"The casualties are not light. When Legion Commander Chrysus returns to the Empire, he will likely face a lot of questioning from the nobles."

Pat shook his head helplessly, his eyes filled with an anger and sorrow he had never felt before when he participated in war, because on that battlefield, every one of the dead was a nobleman.

"What exactly happened? We received our orders without knowing anything, and then we encountered these guys. Only the nobles of the Kingdom of Nantes sent us news that Aatrox Clayton had killed another cardinal?"

Patte nodded, glanced around to make sure no one else was there, and then lowered his voice to say:
"His Highness Freud and his men ambushed Cardinal Nils Shaw, who was heading to the Iron Eagle Kingdom. They thought they had failed and that the Cardinal had escaped using divine power, but they didn't expect that His Highness and his men had more than that."

"When Legion Commander Chrysus received the order, Prince Freud and his men, along with another Cardinal Creed who had come to their aid, were surrounded. In the chaos, Lord Aatrox killed Nils Shaw. Then Legion Commander Chrysus led his army to the scene and finally killed Cardinal Creed, who was trying to escape, on the battlefield."

"Hehe, the Dawn Church must be going crazy right now. Two cardinals have died in one go. Let's see what they have to be arrogant with us about."

"The battle report has already been sent back to the capital. His Majesty the Emperor has probably already passed on this victory news to all the nobles. It's a pity that you, Bellein, were unable to participate."

"This matter was too rushed. Opportunities are fleeting, and there was no time to transmit military orders. This allowed the Dawn Nobles to find an opening. Otherwise, would they have thought they could appear before you unscathed? Impossible."

After speaking, Pat looked at Belairin.

"How are you? Are you alright?"

"It's fairly intact. The nobles of the Kingdom of Nantes have a very good intelligence network in this land, and they informed us of the arrival of the Kingdom of Lausanne in advance."

"Does the tiny Kingdom of Nantes dare to conceal this?"

After Pat finished speaking, he glanced around again, hesitated, and then said:

"Berein, the war is probably coming to an end. Two cardinals were killed in a single day. As long as His Majesty the Emperor doesn't really intend to march on the Holy Mountain, the Papacy will likely surrender soon."

"When you return to the Empire, His Majesty will surely reward you."

Bellein frowned slightly. He came from the royal family, but he also knew how many members there were in the royal family.

"We don't know what His Majesty is thinking. After all, we're here to avenge His Majesty Columbus, and as for rewards..."

"On the contrary, you and all of you, as the offspring of nobles, will surely be seen by your father when you return. You'll have to ask me for help then."

"Sure, sure, haha."

As everyone knows, the current royal family is also facing severe competition, with many members who are just coasting along, only able to wait anxiously for the next meal after finishing their current one.

Of course, they also have plenty of opportunities. As long as they have this idea, they can exist in many parts of the empire and enjoy wealth.

Take Beleine, for example; the reason he was able to follow the noble knights to the south is because of this.

Hundreds of miles away, smoke rose from a desolate land, magical chants filled the air, and the flickering light was the flames burning corpses. Only when all the clergy were burned to ashes did the mages finally relax.

However, two bodies were not burned.

The two cardinals lay before the assembled legends and Chrysus.

"Including Raymond from before, that makes three now. How will Solarian react?"

"I don't know, but anger is certain. His Holiness the Pope is always getting angry on the Holy Mountain. I wonder if the Lord of Dawn can sense his bad mood."

Chrysus chuckled, and the people around him laughed too.

"Where is His Majesty? Does His Majesty have any new orders?"

With his gaze fixed on Freud, the Marquis of Carlos fell silent. Seeing this, everyone else understood.

"So, His Majesty doesn't intend to stop here. We still need to head towards Dawn Mountain." Aatrox looked at the others, who hadn't spoken, so he wouldn't stand on ceremony.

"Approaching the Holy Mountain is undoubtedly dangerous. We haven't left the Kingdom of Nantes for the past two months. If we continue south and get closer to the Holy Mountain, we may encounter a more direct attack from the Papacy."

"The Dawn Church is not as powerful as you think, sir."

Chrysus looked at Aatrox; how could he possibly agree with what the other was saying?

"Then let's continue."

Aatrox shrugged and smiled. Everyone else knew that for the Clayton family, continuing to fight on the Holy Mountain was a good thing, because it gave them a chance to become the fifth Grand Duke.

How much did we lose?

Freud looked at Chrysus. This war was no longer something that the imperial nobles could avoid or resolve through various underhanded means, as it had been before, so casualties were inevitable.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Chrysus was completely taken aback and took a deep breath, saying:
"Two hundred and twelve knights."

These are no ordinary knights; behind each knight is a noble lord.

In other words, without even returning to the Empire, 212 letters concerning Chrysus had already been sent to the Emperor from within the Empire, and even Grand Duke Meyers would be affected.

If he continues south, this number could seriously affect him, the future Grand Duke of Meyers.

Damn it, how can war be fought without deaths!
Chrysus's mood was no better than that of the two cardinals in red robes on the ground, perhaps just a little more bloodshot.

"Never mind that for now, take these two corpses to the Holy Mountain and see Solarion's reaction. If he doesn't surrender..."

Freud's eyes turned ruthless.

"Then let's march all the way to the Holy Mountain!"

The breathing of the people next to him quickened unconsciously.

From ancient times to the present, no, it can be said that since the beginning of human civilization, no non-papal army has ever appeared at the foot of the Holy Mountain.

The body was sent to the holy mountain, but no surrender was heard from there.

The good news was sent back to the empire, but the imperial capital did not issue any further orders to stop there.

The emperor, however, kindly sent someone to inquire whether continuing the revenge would lead to heavy casualties.

But if that's the case, what will Freud and Chrysus get in return?
The reply will certainly be yes, Your Majesty, please let us return? Or will it be that with their wise commander, not a single person will be killed or injured?

The former offended all the nobles because their revenge for His Majesty Columbus III and for Princess Hilde was interrupted; the latter offended most of the nobles, the fathers behind those noble knights who were about to die on the battlefield.

Therefore, no noble member in the vengeful army had the right to say, "Let's go back."

Until clear orders arrive from the rear, they can only follow their original purpose: to avenge the emperor and Princess Hilde.

However, although the emperor did not issue a retreat order, he still dispatched ten extraordinary legions to assemble in the province of Carlos.

To prevent the Dawn Vatican from resorting to desperate measures.

The day after the emperor sent someone to inquire, Freud, with a grim expression, ordered the army to continue south, and this vengeful force began to approach the snow-white holy mountain.

All the noble knights were filled with excitement, trepidation, and nervousness.

The march was not fast, because once they left the Kingdom of Nantes, the land beneath their feet no longer belonged to the Empire's allies, so they carried their own supplies.

Aatrox, also in this large noble army, received a message from Earl Clayton of the Empire.

“Our Majesty probably doesn’t have the resolve to kill Pope Solarion, so don’t make that your goal. We Claytons alone cannot accomplish this.”

"In addition, the Emperor has already asked the members of the Senate in the capital whether your fighting in the south is still necessary, because hundreds of noble knights have died and their fathers have put a lot of pressure on the Emperor."

"But... don't be fooled by appearances. How could the nobles possibly put pressure on the emperor? This is the empire's revenge for His Majesty Columbus III. No noble has the right to say that there is a problem with their child dying in the south."

"So this is pressure orchestrated by the emperor, and he is using this pressure to pressure the Senate."

Why the Council of Elders?

Aatrox continued looking down.

"From the moment you killed those two cardinals, the Empire's vengeful trial against the Papacy was already a great victory. The world has witnessed the Empire's strength and the Papacy's decline. That is the ultimate goal."

"His Majesty the Emperor is putting pressure on the Senate; in reality, he is cutting off Freud's roots in the capital. As for the outcome..."

"Let's see what Marquis Freud chooses on our way back."

The word "Marquis" was very striking to Aatrox. As Clayton's successor, he was certainly not ignorant of anything.

He understood that in the past, the entire empire would have been united in its efforts to avenge His Majesty Columbus III and Princess Hilde.

However, since the war ended, killing two cardinals and thousands of clergy who followed them, it has become less pure and more politically charged.

So, His Majesty's inquiry is not simple either.

It appears to be asking the frontline whether to continue, hoping for valuable and 'truthful' advice from the nobles there. In reality, however, it's an attempt to absolve themselves of responsibility for potential deaths in the upcoming war.

The responsibility will fall on Freud, the supreme commander of this revenge. Of course, Chrysus, as the legion commander of the noble army, will also have some of the blame on him.

"Freud... Your Excellency Marquis, what will you choose?"

Aatrox's black flames burned, turning the letter to ashes. He then looked at Freud on the back of his warhorse to the side. Freud's eyes were gloomy, but he probably hadn't figured out the politics yet. Instead, he exuded a fighting spirit.

What is this guy trying to do?
Aatrox was suddenly alarmed. Freud was certainly no match for the current King Columbus IV Volvo in terms of political awareness, but he clearly had his own strengths, and these strengths could destroy the political landscape with a technique of overwhelming force.

"He wouldn't actually be planning to attack the Holy Mountain, would he?"

(End of this chapter)