Throne of the North.

Chapter 811 The Aura of the Abyss

On Rhinoceros Horn Mountain.

Ryan was busy once again, with letters from nobles coming from all directions, all of which he had to handle personally.

There was no other way, because his butler and the viscountess lady-in-waiting always twisted his meaning.

“As I said, I welcome Viscount Amber’s child, but I don’t expect him to appear at the Northern Knights Academy. I also cannot promise Viscount Punka five Imperial Army officers. If the person he sends can become an excellent student, then we can certainly try to win him over.”

Ryan deeply felt that, with the passage of time, his authority on this land had finally become so overwhelming that it made people breathless, and he had become glorious.

Because many people within his territory had actually begun to try and figure out what he was thinking.

This would never have happened before; people would say whatever they wanted, and be very straightforward.

As it turned out, he had only casually mentioned that the heir and second son of a certain viscount seemed to have a good talent for the path of knighthood. As a result, during his correspondence with that viscount, the viscountess, with her ample bosom, the first lady of the baron's castle, wrote this information down while writing it down for him, which greatly annoyed Ryan, who could only vent his anger on the spot.

“The Northern Knights Academy can’t hold this many people anymore. Just tell him to send his second son over. With his Bronze Knight strength, he’ll definitely be able to go to the capital in three years.”

"As for the heirs, those who will inherit territories cannot appear here. The best students of the Northern Knights Academy are noble students under the jurisdiction of the Northern Military Council."

"Understand?"

Ryan was furious, and the female officer in charge of relaying the information could only nod and hum in response to indicate that she had heard him.

"Also, have all the people from the academy been sent out?"

A moment later, a sound came out.

"They have all been dispatched. Most of them are used to patrol the roads that are being built in the east, and a small number are going to the battlefield ruins in the north of the Andara Kingdom for group training."

"That's good. Send them all out quickly, so that every place has someone from that nobleman's own people. That way, the academy won't have to arrange accommodations for the students. After they leave, the Knight Academy will be able to take in the noble knights from the five western provinces of the empire."

"We must take advantage of this time to quickly build the academy's residence. I don't want the rumors that spread to the capital that Baron Ryan can't even build a proper knight academy, just a country-style courtyard. If that happens, it won't just be me who loses face, but also His Majesty the Emperor."

Ryan pondered for a moment. He believed it was necessary to implement an annual elimination system, sending those who didn't perform well back to the noble territories to prevent the Northern Knights Academy from having too many students.

He hadn't expected the political turmoil in the capital to be so severe. He had only wanted to make the Northern Knights Academy more famous in the south, but he ended up getting caught up in such a political struggle, resulting in the Northern Knights Academy soon being overcrowded.

This is getting better than expected; he can't possibly handle all the daily tasks of a knight.

"We should consider charging them some tuition fees."

There is also a problem here: the Northern Knights Academy has commoners, and even if they are not commoners, a considerable number of members with noble bloodlines are actually very poor, and they probably can't afford the tuition.

Ryan didn't want future officer candidates to be sidelined because of this.

That's putting the cart before the horse. He has plenty of ways to make money, and this is the last thing he needs to do.

However, unfair tuition fees are also impossible, as this would cause even greater conflict.

"So...a loan?"

"First, go and check how much money those lords in the Northwind Province currently owe me."

Ryan hadn't forgotten that he had lent out a lot of money back then.

The sound of pages turning frequently filled the air. After searching for a long time, the female official finally found the copy on the bookshelf, but she asked hesitantly:
"Should we make those lords pay back their money? According to Appiah and his team, those lords may not have saved any money in the past few years."

"Why should I ask them to pay back money when they have no money? There's still plenty of time."

Ryan gently slapped him. He rose higher and higher, so much so that many of his followers grew further and further apart, and could only try to close the distance between them by trying to guess his intentions.

The entire empire has already recognized his status as a baron; otherwise, who would recognize the Northern Knights Academy established by a baron?
Even the Marquis of Hot Springs only mentioned in his letter that he could send a Holy Knight to help him teach his knight students, rather than taking them by force.

If this had happened a few years ago, it might have sparked a war in the name of land.

Ryan glanced at the internal report of the Frozen Territory submitted by Chief Governor Aetria and was quite satisfied. As expected, the 'heroic' followers who were favored by the gods did not have so many troublesome things. They had excellent abilities and were able to keep up with Lord Ryan's footsteps without falling behind.

They would not make wild guesses about his other intentions as the lord.

……

……

The Kingdom of Kolan, bordering to the south.

A heated argument broke out on both sides of the trench, which had only been dug a short time ago.

"What are you doing? We are the advance team of the Earl of Kanazawa. Open the bridge and let us across!"

The tall knight in his armor shouted angrily. His armor was different from the angular armor commonly seen on the continent of Norris. It was more rounded at the joints and also thinner.

Such armor is suitable for the weaker.

This group of people also came from the vast noble lands in the south of the Kingdom of Coran. Judging from their shouts, they seemed to be from a noble count's territory.

Nobility on the continent of Norris is not something that can be self-proclaimed. Every noble is recognized by nobles from all over the world, including empires and many kingdoms, as well as the Dawn Church.

However, the soldiers guarding the other side dared not respond. They knew why the other side was angry and looked ready to start a war.

Corporal Bogeld and young master Galick were arguing, each trying to outdo the other in volume. It seemed that the way they argued didn't matter; only the loudest voice could win the argument.

"Boss Ryan likes women like that, and you actually want me to give her back?! How am I supposed to become a legend like that?"

Bogeld was furious. His imposing figure overshadowed Galic, the kingdom's commander, who felt a chill run down his spine. Looking at the beautiful woman trembling in the carriage not far away, Galic swallowed hard, but still shouted:

"This is Count Kanazawa's wife. Do you want us to go to war with them?"

"Return it immediately. Count Jinze has already sent word that they have been invaded by demons from the abyss and need to flee north for refuge."

"Moreover, Baron Ryan is about to marry our kingdom's princess. She and the princess are not the same type at all. How could Baron Ryan like her?"

Bogeld's eyes widened, filled with rage.

"How could I not like him? I've been following Boss Ryan for years, do you think I don't know him? He'll definitely like him!"

“This is Countess Kanazawa. Her army is right across from us. If we don’t return it soon, we’ll be facing a war with the southern nobles.”

"No way, I want to send her back to the Frozen Territory. Boss Ryan will definitely..."

Bogeld paused halfway through his speech, his eyes widening and gleaming with eagerness.

"What did you say?"

"Are they about to start a war?"

Galic stared blankly, then suddenly realized he had said the wrong thing.

The trenches on the southern border of the Kingdom of Coran had been dug for a long time, and he had heard the woman's shouts more than once or twice, each time because there was no war. "Well... that's not necessarily true. Aren't we supposed to be dealing with Abyss Servants? These are humans. Let's send Countess Kanazawa back."

Galick's voice softened.

Bogeld had reached the magnificent carriage, rushed in, and scooped Countess Kanazawa out of his arms. He then ran to a distance where both of them could see each other.

"If I don't return her to you, are you going to start a war?"

"Borgold asked in a low voice, his whole body trembling with excitement. Countess Kanazawa, whom he was holding, was trembling with fear. The woman holding her was getting stronger and stronger."

On the other side, the knight snorted coldly, thinking that the knights of the opposing kingdom were afraid of the outbreak of war.

"I swear by the blood of the Kanazawa family, if you do not release the Countess, I will raze your kingdom to the ground!"

"Great."

Bogeld put Countess Kanazawa down and turned the surrounding soldiers around.

"Keep a close eye on her. If anyone loses her, I'll kill them!"

After speaking, Bogeld ordered the soldiers to take Countess Kanazawa away, and at the same time drew his weapon.

"Everyone, put on your weapons and prepare for battle!"

In the distance, a series of howls could be heard. On days without war, Commander Bogeld could only torture these soldiers, but now they could finally be released.

If they can't beat that girl legion commander, surely they can beat this bunch of ugly-looking bastards?!
"Kill them!"

A soldier was celebrating wildly, shouting and yelling like a madman. Everyone around him was swept up in his fervor, raising their weapons and looking eagerly at the other side.

Even the drawbridge that the knights of the Earl of Kanazawa had been shouting for so long to keep lowering was now down, the road was smooth, and the enemy only needed to take two steps to launch a charge.

Seeing this, the knights of the Earl of Kanazawa were somewhat dumbfounded; why was there such a reaction?

However, in war, reaction time cannot be slow. Before he could even think, he heard a slight tremor in the ground, and then a series of tall, armored bears appeared before him, their fangs sharp and their bloodthirsty maws stained with thick blood, having returned from hunting somewhere.

"what?"

The knight was somewhat terrified. Warcraft? Warcraft cavalry? The legendary extraordinary legion that only the Flor Empire and the Dawn Church possessed?

"What are you trying to do? We are knights of Earl Kanazawa!"

"Didn't you say you wanted to start a war?"

Bogeld was somewhat displeased. Her hopes had been dashed. With her keen sense of warfare, how could she not see that the enemy had completely lost their will to fight?

"Release the Countess!"

The tension was palpable. Galic, in a polite manner, escorted Countess Kanazawa to the back, then approached Bogeld and asked the person opposite him:
"Where is Count Kanazawa?"

Didn't he say in his letter that he would travel north to the Kingdom of Coran?

The atmosphere eased slightly, and the knight opposite continued, "..."
"Our Earl is currently waging war against the servants of the Abyss in Brady Canyon. He commands an army of 100,000 men from six noble territories. We have acted ahead of time, and there are other noble ladies and their children following behind us. Once the war in the canyon is over, the Earl will arrive in the Kingdom of Coran."

Hearing this, Galick whispered to Borgold:

"Why don't you write a letter to Baron Ryan? Earl Jinze isn't dead yet. If we send Countess Jinze to the Frozen Territory, it will become the biggest joke on the entire Norris continent."

"No, Boss Ryan will definitely like it."

Bogeld remained stubborn.

"Isn't the Baroness about to give birth? What if something like this happens at this time and it causes a commotion?"

"Our princess of the Kingdom of Coran will not marry Baron Ryan until next year, and that's because of this matter."

Bogeld hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting around intelligently, before quickly making a decision.

"Then let's keep it here for now. I'll go and kill that Earl Kanazawa later."

Galick was horrified and quickly tried to stop him.

“That’s absolutely unacceptable. Killing a count or nobleman is something even Ryan can’t protect you from.”

Bogeld looked at Galick with a smug expression and burst into laughter.

"Commander Galic, it seems you have no chance of competing with me for command of the upcoming war, hahaha."

"what?"

Galick was caught up in Bogeld's sudden words. Were they talking about the same thing?
“I have no interest in that count at all. Didn’t you hear what he said?”

Bogeld pointed at the knight opposite him and said to Galic.

"What did he say? Wasn't it just about Count Kanazawa still being alive?"

Galic was also thinking that if the entire Kanazawa family were wiped out, it wouldn't be a bad idea to send Countess Kanazawa to the Frozen Territory together with Bogeld.

He said his count had an army of 100,000.

"This... must be fake, right? The Kingdom of Kolan doesn't even have an army of 100,000."

"It's definitely fake. You can tell just by looking at him. Of the 100,000 troops, 50,000 would be a lot. And if there are 5,000 soldiers out of 50,000, that would be a miracle. But the total number must be a lot."

Do you know what this means?

What does it represent?

Galick was somewhat slow to react.

"This means that Earl Kanazawa and other nobles have already fled with their families and all the people in their territories. It means that there is war. The servants of the Abyss Faith are hunting them down. You don't really believe that those nobles would stay behind to fight the Abyss servants to the death, do you?"

"That's true... well..."

Having already sensed the approaching war, Borgold was no longer waiting for Galick. He immediately mounted the armored bear and roared:

"Soldiers, follow me and charge!"

"I'm going to lead the Armored Bear Legion to slaughter those disgusting abyssal minions. Commander Galic, do you want to come with me?"

Looking at the soldiers around him, Galik finally suppressed his desire for war; he had to defend the borders of the Kingdom of Coran.

"Then stay put, Vice Commander Galik."

(End of this chapter)