Who taught him to restore the country like this

Chapter 158 War begins

"Thank you for the reminder, I will pay attention."

Ron glanced indifferently at the horrific scene inside the house, then turned and left this large, yet rarely visited, den of demons seeking refuge from the wind and snow.

“I’m so sorry to have shown you this disgusting scene.” Peggy handed the captured cultist to the soldier and followed Ron.

"It's alright, you'll get used to it," Ron said calmly.

"Should I gather all the refugees in the village together?" Peggy asked.

"No need, I'm going back." Ron waved his hand.

Go back... Peggy was taken aback when she heard this.

She assumed that narrow-minded, overly kind people like Ron were here simply to satisfy their vanity as saviors.

Next, he would disregard Shirchin's situation and demand that she bring food to distribute to the refugees.

That's what she thought, and she had prepared a relatively tactful response in her mind to jolt Ron's idealism back to reality.

Ron, however, did not play by the rules and left after just one glance.

"Can I understand these refugees as not belonging to His Majesty the Duke's subjects?" Ron asked.

“…You can understand it that way,” Peggy replied.

"So, does that mean I can do whatever I want with him?" Ron asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Peggy frowned slightly.

How will Ron deal with these refugees?

The first thing that came to her mind was: sacrifice.

Ron's reliance on sacrifice to enhance his strength is no secret in Hilchin. Given the intense aura of the end emanating from him, if it weren't for the calamity... Princess Isabella's close attendants would have been attacked by a mob long ago.

She couldn't think of any other value these refugees had besides being used for sacrifices.

It seems that his reputation for benevolence is merely a facade, and in reality, countless people have been sacrificed in secret.

That's true, how could anyone dedicate themselves to something that has no value...

“If you don’t say anything, then I’ll take that as a yes.” Ron smiled and stepped into the carriage.

Peggy watched the carriage carrying Ron leave, and although she was reluctant, she didn't say anything.

At noon, she returned to report to Grand Duke Michael.

"Let him be."

This was the reply from the Archduke of Mician upon learning of the matter.

Those refugees were of no value and provided little in terms of faith; he had no reason to antagonize Ron over them.

Moreover, this is a good thing for him.

When news of Ron's sacrifice to the refugees spread, he had a legitimate reason to kill Ron later.

In the afternoon, Peggy, who had accepted Grand Duke Mithian's mission to "record Ron's crimes," sought out Ron again.

At this moment, Ron was planning to return to the village where the refugees were staying.

But this time he wasn't alone; he brought along thousands of refugees he had taken in from along the way in Canare County.

Did they feel that the refugees in the village were not enough to offer as sacrifices, so they brought several thousand more offerings to sacrifice together?
Peggy was curious.

She followed at the back of the group.

Soon, the team arrived at the village.

Then, under Ron's command, these people began to systematically clean up and rebuild the village's living environment.

Some people cleared the snow from the village, some cleaned and buried the skeletons and the dead, some cleaned the houses, some set up stoves to prepare hot meals, and some gathered the refugees to provide emergency treatment and comfort...

At the same time, their faith power can be directed wherever it is needed, providing a continuous source of faith power to those who know earth magic and nature magic.

As the afternoon passed, the once desolate village was transformed into a collection of more than ten spacious wooden and earthen houses that could provide shelter from the wind and snow.

Fireworks, unseen for months, rose in the village as refugees gathered around, laughing and chatting.

Peggy was stunned by the unreal scene for a long time.

So homeless refugees can be this happy?
"It's so late, aren't you going home?" Ron asked Peggy, who was standing blankly at the door of the makeshift medical room.

Peggy snapped out of her daze and replied respectfully, "I am acting on His Majesty the Duke's orders to protect your safety."

“I’m not going back tonight, and I’ll be here for the next few days. Are you sure you want to stay in the village?” Ron asked with a smile.

"My lord, Shirchin really can't allocate any more grain." Peggy looked troubled.

Ron's actions today truly impressed her.

But this kind of thing is not something to be encouraged.

Ron has already done more than enough by helping these refugees for a day; to do more would be asking too much.

“Don’t worry, all the supplies I use are brought in from outside,” Ron said.

"What will you do when you run out of the supplies you brought?" Peggy asked.

“If we’re done, we can go outside and find some more,” Ron said with an indifferent expression.

“Lord Ron, you may not realize our current situation,” Peggy said seriously.

Ron's innocent appearance made her somewhat annoyed.

“Most of the grain in Misian Prefecture was burned by the Order of the End, and the rest is also concentrated in the hands of the Order of the End. How easy is it to find food that can feed so many people?” she said in a deep voice.

She hoped Ron would wake up from his boring and ridiculous ideas.

"I don't know if we can find enough food to feed so many people. I only know that if we do nothing, many people will die in front of me, so even if there is only a sliver of hope, we should try our best."

Ron patted Peggy on the shoulder with the air of an elder who said, "You're not mature enough," and then walked away.

Peggy stood there, stunned.

Ron's words reached her ears clearly; they were clearly absurd, yet they deeply touched her heart.

Does this sound like something someone exuding an aura of impending doom would say?
Is it worthwhile to apply this kind of awareness to these worthless refugees?
Peggy's emotions became somewhat complicated.

……

the next day.

Ron kept his word and led five hundred young and strong men out of the city to search for supplies.

They didn't return until late at night.

The same thing happened for the next few days.

What Peggy found difficult to do, Ron accomplished with seemingly no difficulty whatsoever.

Ron would go out every day and come back with a lot of food, which not only satisfied the refugees' survival but also allowed them to distribute some of the food to families living in poor conditions.

This move quickly made Ron famous among the common people of Hilchin.

Ron, who was initially feared and ostracized because of his cult aura, gradually became popular in Sylchin.

Even Isabella became popular, with many people worshipping and giving thanks in front of her statue every day.

This trend made Grand Duke Michael feel very uneasy, as the people's original pure faith in him was now being divided in half with Ron.

He felt that if things continued like this, Hilchin would soon no longer be surnamed Michael, but rather Ron.

"He must be killed today!"

Peggy followed behind Ron, her mind preoccupied with the task the Duke had given her that morning.

"Lord Ron."

"Lord Ron."

At the entrance of the village, which has now grown to several hundred households, villagers lined up on both sides to respectfully see Ron and the warriors who had gone out to search for food off.

Looking at the enthusiastic crowd, Peggy's mood grew even heavier.

She had witnessed the changes in the village these past few days. Ron wasn't just a man of empty promises; he had faithfully fulfilled his commitment. He not only provided the refugees with food but also taught them knowledge, medicine, magic, and martial arts.

Throughout the entire process, he never used his superior position to exploit these refugees for personal gain.

He was like the sun, selflessly shining upon these people and spreading warmth.

That dazzling light... was what she had always dreamed of.

As they parted at the city gate, Peggy finally couldn't help but speak: "Lord Ron, the snowstorm today is much heavier than the past few days. Why don't you take a rest..."

“Thank you for your kindness, but this little bit of snow won’t stop me,” Ron interrupted Peggy, smiling as he spoke.

From Peggy's tone, Ron knew that they would be ambushed on their search today.

But he didn't care. Now that he had finished his foreplay, it was time to give Xierqin a climax.

He has decided to "die" in the next couple of days, but not by being ambushed and killed in the open.

It's still uncertain who will ambush whom.

"I have a feeling that today will be a great harvest."

He finished speaking with a smile, and his warhorse charged off.

A group of five hundred people followed closely behind.

Peggy watched the departing procession, pursed her lips, and ultimately swallowed back the words she wanted to say.

That evening, at the time Ron usually returned, she came to the village.

At the village entrance, all the refugees who could leave were waiting.

But today they waited for several hours, and Ron's team still hadn't returned.

"Why hasn't Lord Ron returned yet?"

"Could something have happened to Lord Ron?"

"Shut up! Lord Ron will be alright."

Even after waiting for several hours without seeing anyone, many refugees still waited at the village entrance.

They insisted that Ron would be alright, but the worry and panic on their faces betrayed them.

"Lady Peggy, was Lord Ron summoned to a meeting by the Duke?" some villagers asked Peggy, seeking an answer.

“I’ll go back and check,” Peggy replied.

Her calm expression reassured the villagers.

But they couldn't see the sadness that appeared on Peggy's face after she left the village.

Grand Duke Mistyan dispatched an eighth-tier expert and three seventh-tier experts today, almost half of the top forces of the Hillchin, to ambush Ron.

If Ron had taken Isabella with him, he might have come back alive.

However, he trusted Grand Duke Mician too much and, without any precautions, separated from Isabella for several days.

Now he... is likely in grave danger!
Peggy suppressed the sadness on her face and went to Grand Duke Michael's residence to report on the situation in the village.

Grand Duke Michael laughed with delight when he heard that Ron had not returned.

The death of this arrogant fool outside can be perfectly framed for the End Order.

“Your Grace, Colette…have they returned?” Peggy asked.

"Not yet." Upon hearing this question, the joy on Grand Duke Michael's face faded somewhat.

Logically speaking, Colette and her group should have returned long ago after besieging and killing a minor seventh-tier character.

But to this day, none of these people have returned to report.

“Your Grace, what if something happened to Colette and the others?” Peggy asked.

“Impossible!” Grand Duke Michael said firmly.

The fact that the faith power provided by Colette hasn't disappeared means he's not dead.

One eighth-level and three seventh-level opponents ganging up on one seventh-level opponent—what could possibly happen?

Colette didn't return to report simply because she encountered some difficulties and needed more time.

However, just to be on the safe side, Grand Duke Michael used the communication pact, which he only had two chances left, to contact Aetheril and confirm Ron's fate.

Soon, Aetherel sent a reply with only four words: The person is still alive.

Grand Duke Michael's face immediately darkened: "That brat is still alive!"

not dead?

Upon hearing this, Peggy was taken aback at first, then a barely perceptible look of joy appeared in her eyes.

Boom——

As Grand Duke Michael pondered what had happened to prevent Ron and Colette from returning, a tremendous roar suddenly echoed from afar.

woo-

Immediately afterwards, the bugle call to prepare for an enemy attack was sounded.

Immediately following, the array formation in the palace was activated.

At this critical juncture... Grand Duke Michael's heart skipped a beat.

He got up and immediately rushed to the city gate.

"What's going on?" he asked the officer on the city wall.

"It's terrible, Your Grace! The Order of the End's army is attacking! They've deployed at least four high priests!" the officer replied anxiously.

Four high priests… Duke Miansian’s heart sank to the bottom.

Why would the Order of the End send so many high priests to attack Hilchin?
And he didn't receive a single piece of information.

Four eighth-level experts! Even if they had come a day earlier, it would have been better. Why did they have to attack when he had just sent out one of the eighth-level experts?
It must be him!
That kid must have conspired with the Order of the End.

Grand Duke Michael clenched his fists, regretting that he had been deceived by the boy's apparent honesty.

"Your Grace, we can't get in touch with Lady Colette. What should we do now?" the officer asked.

As Grand Duke Miansian watched the magic array crumble under the combined attack of the four high priests, only one person came to his mind who could save him.

"Go quickly and invite Princess Isabella."

"Yes!"

Before long, Isabella was invited over.

Upon seeing Isabella, Grand Duke Mician breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly stepped forward, saying, "Your Highness, Lord Ron was out searching for supplies when he was attacked by the Order of the End. His fate is currently unknown. Please join us to defeat the Order of the End and search for Lord Ron outside the city."

He casually shifted the blame for the attack on Ron onto the Order of the End.

"Open the city gate."

Anger did not show on Isabella's face; she simply spoke calmly.

"Open the city gate!"

Without hesitation, Grand Duke Michael ordered the city gates to be opened.

Isabella slowly walked out of the city gate, and the "Annihilation" domain of her third-stage power expanded as she moved further away from the city.

Upon seeing Isabella approaching with hostility, the four high priests of the End Order immediately changed their target.

hum-

All attacks collapsed and disintegrated within five meters of Isabella.

call out!
During gaps in the enemy's attacks, the "annihilation" field, rapidly condensed into several points, radiates out in several straight lines.

The speed was so fast that it was as if space itself was being forcibly shortened.

Even though the four high priests reacted quickly, they were still unable to dodge and were hit in the body.

(End of this chapter)