What's wrong with me, a mage, loving to farm?

Chapter 252. The War Near the North

The two dukes, unusually, put aside their past grievances and got together to discuss matters.

Duke Nar was a level four warrior, and it was said that he also had some blood of the Icefield Berserker, which made him look exceptionally tall and had a lot of hair.

Standing at a height of 2.2 meters, he looked like a ferocious humanoid beast covered in fur.

In stark contrast, the Duke of Olivier, standing at no more than 1.7 meters tall, was handsome with neatly styled gray hair, exuding a mature charm.

He wore a robe so luxurious it was almost cumbersome, and every move he made exuded aristocratic elegance, affectation, and fussiness, forming a stark contrast to the duke opposite him, who resembled a humanoid beast.

"He must have known there was a red jade dragon egg inside."

Duke Olivier spoke first: "Otherwise, he would never have dealt with our remaining troops so directly. We also discovered Dragon Island's unique berry syrup at the Ruby Volcano."

A glint of light flashed in the eyes of the cunning duke, who was as sharp as a fox. "He might even have found a Ruby Dragon, which is why he was able to activate the portal to the Ruby Volcano so quickly."

Although Duke Nar loathed his opponent who dressed like an elf every day, he quite agreed with his speculations.

Driven by shared interests, even if the two have some sordid differences, it can be ignored. After all, they are nobles, and everything must be done with the interests of the family in mind.

They were both furious that a lowly mage from a remote region in the North had stolen their rightful spoils.

Although they knew that Kroya had a certain reputation in the Mage Association and the Royal Court. Putting aside everything else, the daily revenue of that milk tea shop and the magical beast and plant battle pet shop, which occupied a prime location in the capital, was simply incalculable.

What frustrates them even more is that even the ladies and younger members of the family often buy it, and they also enjoy drinking that sweet "magic potion".

Those two shops contributed a significant amount of tax revenue to the Mage's Guild and the Royal Heraldry, in addition to the grain and various crops produced in the North.

Therefore, if they want to cause trouble for Kroya, they must have a plausible reason.

They never considered that Kroya could confront both of them head-on. As a long-established duke who existed since the founding of the Kingdom of Norland, they possessed considerable military capabilities...

Even the king had to be cautious.

How could a minor lord who had only emerged from the North a few years ago occupy the North if he hadn't been involved with Prince Milfield?

The two dukes were plotting their scheme here, completely unaware that someone was listening outside the door—this was Olivier family property, the wind and rain could enter, but even the king could not.

……

Ian Olivier's heart pounded as he overheard his father's plot with Duke Nar. This youngest son of the Olivier family was the one who had made the deal with Kroya.

Because of his connection to the still-active merchant Seleuth, he knew a great deal about the North and therefore held his father in very low regard.

Even... he harbored some rebellious thoughts and secret expectations—

"If Father were to fail or even die in battle..."

This thought was like a wild, overgrown weed; once it sprouted, it could no longer be suppressed and gradually spread, engulfing his mind.

If his father had used his power as duke, his mother might not have suffered so much, and might not have even died.

As a nobleman, he was all too aware of the limitations of inheritance rights among nobles; no matter how hard he tried, his father could not give him the power he desired.

Regardless, his mother was always a maid. He didn't hate his mother for not helping him; his only hatred was for his father, who blocked his path to advancement.

"..."

After taking a deep breath, Ian left quietly. He hurried to his residence and met his mother in a garden in full bloom.

The young noblewoman was using large scissors to trim the overgrown roses. The large swaths of roses were as dazzling as blood, yet so alluring and beautiful.

But even such magnificent roses could not suppress the charm of the noblewoman, who seemed like a flower fairy from a fairy tale, pure and beautiful.

It was this beauty that made the Duke favor her, but it also confined her forever to the magnificent cage he had built—such a beautiful object must never be coveted by others, not even allowed to be seen.

"Mother!"

He strode forward, took the woman's arm, and said softly, "I want to take you somewhere."

"Where?" his mother asked curiously. "Ian, you know I can't leave the capital."

She seemed to have accepted her fate, just like this garden nourished by magic, where the roses, once they left, were destined to wither.

"The North." Ian lowered his voice even further: "Father is going to attack the North with Duke Nar, and we can take this opportunity to go with them."

I will personally plead with the Lord of the Northern Reef to grant you a peaceful place to live.

"So, what's the price?"

Although the beautiful woman was imprisoned here, she was not stupid at all. She stroked her son's face and said, "My dear Ian, what price will you pay to have him protect a useless person like me?"

Ian didn't hesitate at all: "I'm going to betray my father. I should be able to take his life and the Olivier family."

Mother...can you tell me your surname now?

The woman's body stiffened for a moment.

She looked down at the roses shrouded in shadow and answered in an even softer voice, "Seth."

"..."

The young duke's son was stunned.

How could it be this?

For the first time, a bright smile appeared on the face of the former princess of the Saishen royal family as she looked at her son, who was in a daze.

……

Ten days later.

The two dukes sent their challenge to Han Reef Island.

Along with the declaration of war came Sir Cameron, who was considering a gradual expansion.

He is now a count, and according to the official records of the Kingdom of Norland, the North is his fiefdom.

But he remained humble in the presence of Cloa.

After handing the challenge to Chloe, he waited for Chloe to make a decision.

Kroya glanced at the challenge and clicked his tongue in amazement, saying, "A friendly spar between nobles? Why do nobles these days talk about war so casually?"

To be honest, he had considered that the two dukes might do something, but he never expected them to be so shameless as to act like elders and try to give Kemoye advice.

In other words, it means we need to give him guidance!

They're really daring.

Even Kroya's current calm demeanor was provoked, and he immediately ordered, "Since they want to come, then let them come. I have only one request... that is to bring the two dukes to the noble island of Han Reef as guests."

The so-called Noble Island is where Kroya has imprisoned those nobles. There are barons and viscounts of all ranks there, but no counts or dukes have ever appeared.

If we can capture a few counts and dukes this time, it will satisfy Kroya's collecting hobby in this area.

"yes!"

Count Camoyer nodded with great excitement. He was well aware of Cloa's war capabilities, and now that he finally had the opportunity to demonstrate them to the outside world, he was extremely excited.

He immediately left Hanjiao Island and began preparations.

After Kemoye left, news came from Mifein and the Mage Association Estner.

First was Milfein. After meeting Kroya, he said directly, "I just found out about this myself. You know, there are quite a few nobles who don't like you."

Besides, they're targeting Count Camoyer.

This was no longer a hint, but a direct instruction from Mifein: that if Kroya quickly became the lord of the North, there would be far fewer troubles.

The implication was so obvious that even Chloe looked at him in surprise: "Aren't you the prince of Norland, the noblest of nobles?"

"..." Miffy looked at Kroya helplessly, without saying a word.

The latter laughed heartily and said, "Alright, alright, since you have no problems, once I've resolved these matters, I'll officially declare the Northern Territory independent."

"Well, you can tell the royal family... think about what kind of title they should give me, this mage. I won't agree to anything lower than a duke."

Once he said that, Mifein finally felt at ease. He was actually quite afraid that Kroya would directly declare that the Kingdom of Norland had been seceded from him.

After all, he is still the prince of Norland, and this status is rather awkward. If Kroya really declares autonomy, then the kingdom will have to send troops to fight Kroya head-on no matter what.

Just like that Gray Sand Lord.

Completely relieved, Miffy spoke with Kroya for a few more minutes, but this time he didn't offer any advice.

This time, unlike the previous assassination attempt, it's a direct confrontation. Kroya already knows what he needs to know; it's just a matter of how the battle on the front lines is handled.

To be honest, he was quite curious, since he had never seen Kroya wage a direct war.

Miffy left quickly after the conversation ended.

After he left, Kroya had a brief conversation with Estner.

The latter shrugged and said, "Don't kill him. After he's captured, give him the treatment due to a nobleman. His family will pay the ransom."

"what?"

"Isn't there anything else you want to tell me?"

Kroya was speechless. How could someone be more confident than him? They hadn't even fought yet, and they were already talking about ransom after capturing prisoners.

In a sense, however, he and Estner were actually friends—one directly demanded ransom, while the other had planned to send them to the island to satisfy his collecting obsession.

Estner shook his head: "There's nothing else. After all, nominally they're looking for trouble with Count Kmoye, and the Mage Association can't directly interfere."

"But it's fine if you go a little too hard, after all, you're a member of our Mage Association. As long as we win, I'll personally negotiate with those people from the Herald Academy!"

After saying that, he waved his hand and left, leaving Kroya speechless once again. However, he knew in his heart that after this matter was over, the North should be under his control, both legally and practically.

After ending the call, Kroya looked out the window, her mind blank, but she was far from as confident and at ease as she appeared on the surface.

War means death, and although he knew that as a superior he shouldn't care so much about sacrifice and death, he still couldn't help but feel heartbroken.

Those are all my own apprentices! They're usually so well-behaved and obedient. I just hope the magical beasts and plants can be more helpful.

He painstakingly cultivated so many magical plants and beasts in order to reduce the number of sacrifices.

……

At Kroya's command, all the apprentices who were willing to participate in this war rushed to the front lines, including Rob, who had not left Han Reef Island for a long time.

At the entrance to the North, at the starting point of the Terai River in the Terai Mountains, the area has been transformed into a vast plain.

The flat land and the distant, undulating mountain ranges formed a striking contrast, making this vast plain ideal for direct combat.

Lina and Kemoyer planned to eliminate the two dukes' armies here, trying to prevent them from entering the heart of the North and affecting the ongoing infrastructure work.

……

The Knights.

Count Camoy was inspecting the knights' ranks on a tall, strong, and fierce-looking horse that was entirely red.

This entire force of three thousand men consisted entirely of level one knights and level two magical beasts, the Flame Dragon Horses. They were arrayed in an extremely orderly formation on the flat ground, with each knight displaying a serious expression and keeping their eyes fixed straight ahead.

"I won't say anything more. This is the first time Lord Kroya has shown his strength to the outside world..."

The count raised the classic knight's sword high in his hand, and a dazzling light shot out from the gleaming blade—it was a gift from his ancestors, a knight's sword that was almost legendary.

"For Lord Chloe, victory is certain!"

He shouted loudly.

"For Lord Chloe!!"

The knights roared along with him. The roar of two thousand knights who had studied basic and advanced knight courses was like a war cry that resounded through the sky.

This is the romance unique to knights. It lacks the flashy spells of mages, and instead focuses on day-to-day, year-after-year training, honing their martial skills and physical bodies to be as solid and hard as steel.

They desperately needed a war to prove themselves and show that Kroya's investment in their training had not been a waste of resources.

After all, the mages in the North are so powerful that the knights are practically invisible—they can only get some recognition by doing dirty and tiring work.

They are all extraordinary beings, so are mages really more noble than knights?

They're all holding their breath right now.

Like a volcano, they were eager to erupt—if Kroya knew what they were thinking, she wouldn't know whether to sigh or feel helpless.

Meanwhile, Lina was leading her apprentices in a final inventory and inspection of the magical beasts and plants.

"Cloud Mist Sunflower high-altitude support ready!"

"Elemental Dimension Summoning Beast is ready!"

"The Earthshaker Bull Squad is assembled!"

A series of reports rang out from the mycelium communicator on Lina's temple.

Lina nodded with great satisfaction.

Some of these items are being used for the first time, but hopefully they will perform as intended.

……

Beyond the North.

Two armies advanced in a clear-cut line without interfering with each other.

These two armies looked impressive, probably numbering in the tens of thousands, but their composition was actually quite subtle.

The vast majority of them were peasant soldiers temporarily conscripted by the dukes from their respective territories, while the other part consisted of heavy infantry and archers trained by the lords, as well as mercenaries with a certain level of combat ability who were temporarily hired to do business in war.

The last and very few consisted of knights and mages made up of the lord's retainers, as well as various war beasts.

The peasant soldiers may have undergone basic training and can serve as artillery and suicide squads on the battlefield, in order to deplete the magic power of the mages and the stamina of the knights.

Kroya had specifically studied the composition of this kind of noble army, and he felt that such an army was very worrying in terms of organization, discipline, and technical skills.

But he did not underestimate such an army.

Because both the two dukes personally overseeing the operation, as well as the battle mage and monster guilds, are all around level three or four.

In such a supernatural world, such an army is powerful enough to influence the outcome of a battle, which is why the two dukes were so confident of victory from beginning to end.

It can be said that since these two armies entered the area surrounding the Northern Territory, they have been completely exposed to the eyes of the Reef Eagles, who are imprinted with Eagle Eye and carry image transmission magic devices.

Their every move was relayed to the command center at the northern frontier base, where Rob, the veteran lord, led the knights he had personally trained to analyze it.

Although Rob was old, under Kroya's careful care, his mind was still very sharp, and the aura he exuded while sitting in the command room was so strong that people dared not look him in the eye.

He looked at the screen with a serious expression: "According to the images, the Battle Mage Corps should have five hundred people, and there are more than a thousand Nar monsters... This time they have really brought out some of their trump cards."

To be honest, he found it a bit tricky.

Although Hanjiao Island was not afraid, he was thinking about how to achieve a greater victory with less cost, and he had watched almost all of his apprentices grow up.

He felt that if too many people died because of this war, both he and Kroya would feel a pang of regret.

Ultimately... the time frame was still too short. Even talented individuals need time to mature, and there's still a gap between them and these established ducal families.

Just as he was pondering this, an apprentice rushed in and reported, "Master Robert, a man claiming to be the son of the Duke of Olivier has brought his mother to see you."

Robert was slightly taken aback, his mind racing.

...Is this a trap or something else?

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(End of this chapter)