After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

Before long, Federico ran back, bringing with him a strange man.

The heavily armored soldiers stormed into the camp with such a massive display that anyone who didn't know better would think they were rebelling.

Kate glanced at the soldiers who had casually taken her tobacco pouch, raised an eyebrow, and saw that the men's eyes darted around, and when they noticed her gaze, their faces hardened.

Knowing that these guys were trying to protect her, Kate wasn't angry and focused intently on the newcomer. Judging from his attire, the man was probably a high-ranking mage, likely the one who had fought Lisa earlier.

According to Lisa, who was forced to collapse on the ground due to a lack of magic power, the other party was nowhere to be seen throughout the entire process, perhaps possessing some incredible secret technique.

But... why is a grown man crying like this? And his army is supposed to be an ironclad force.

With a flick of her cloak, Kate sat down with an air of authority and gestured for the other person to come forward.

"By order of the commander, I, the mage Bana, have come to surrender to the Northern Army. I sincerely hope that you will forgive our warriors and grant them a way out."

Bana stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and raised the wooden box in his hand high.

Kate, as a battlefield commander, was so perceptive that she could identify the contents of the wooden box directly from the smell and sound.

He nodded and asked in a deep voice, "Whose corpse is inside?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, these are the heads of my elder brother and Giovanni, the garrison commander of Guanhai Town. Twenty minutes ago, Commander Giovanni committed suicide in the basement and gave the order to surrender."

After briefly understanding the whole story, Kate sighed, "I see..."

The garrison of Guanhai Town is undoubtedly a strong army. If it weren't for the young lady and Miss Lisa taking turns to fight, the casualty rate of the Northern Army would probably have far exceeded his bottom line.

After a moment of silence, Kate asked again, "How many of you have left?"

Barna, who just wanted to end the war as soon as possible, replied without reservation: "There are still more than 1,800 soldiers left, and nearly 1,000 wounded."

More than two thousand brave and skilled soldiers...

Upon hearing the answer, Kate took a deep breath, momentarily tempted.

The Northern Territory's consistent approach to dealing with surrendered soldiers was to throw them into the mining areas, unless they were peasant soldiers who had been forcibly brought to the battlefield, in which case they might be reorganized and incorporated into the army.

While Kate was tempted, she dared not directly accept the surrendered soldiers, in case the Duke was displeased.

However, the second regiment, having just finished a major battle, definitely needs fresh blood to replenish its strength in order to cope with the fierce battles to come.

After hesitating for a moment, Kate decisively sent someone to invite the young lady. This is the advantage of having someone backing you up. By following the young lady, you can cross any ambiguous boundaries! Anyway, if the sky falls, the young lady will hold it up.

When Luna arrived at the tent, munching on dried fish, her first words were: "Who secretly poured water into my mead? Did they think I couldn't tell?"

"Hmph, don't let me catch you, or you'll be in big trouble."

Kate sighed. These oddballs in the Second Regiment, do they really have to go toe-to-toe with the young lady's personal guards?

Fortunately, Luna showed no signs of anger. She tore into the dried fish, crossed her legs, and sat down in Kate's seat, sniffing.

"Who smells so strongly of blood? Tell me, Federico, is that you?"

Federico, who was inexplicably called out, looked around blankly. Everyone knew that he had failed to breach the city walls with his heavy infantry in the last battle... Wait, is this a call to accuse me of poor performance?

A casual remark caused the heavily armored soldiers present to look ashamed, and they never raised their heads again.

Kate quickly stepped forward. "Miss, we asked you to come here to deal with the surrendered soldiers."

"Surrendered soldiers?"

Only then did Luna notice the magician standing among the soldiers, carrying the wooden box. To establish a preconceived notion, Kate immediately began explaining everything that had happened.

"Now that the garrison commander is dead, the remaining surrendered soldiers should be dispersed and incorporated into the ranks. Also, select two hundred strong personal guards for me to show my trust in them."

Luna licked her fingers and looked at the numb-looking Bana.

"Your brother is a responsible man, and my brother also said that war cannot be generalized. Many wars are just one farmer's son killing another farmer's son."

"I have doctors in my army who can stitch up your brother's body and find a place to bury him."

Bana raised his cloudy eyes and nodded slightly.

"Thank you for your kindness, sir. However, may I ask a question on behalf of my brother?"

Luna lowered her crossed legs and sat up straight, saying, "Sure, go ahead and ask."

"My brother always wanted to know why the Northern Territory helped the Central District suppress the Southern Territory's rebellion?"

"Well... I don't know much about it." Luna shook her head, and seeing that Bana's eyes quickly dimmed, she hurriedly added.

"But I can tell you clearly that the core principle of the Northern Territory is only one: to ensure stability within the kingdom as much as possible, especially to prevent the collapse of the monarchy. Frank's regime will eventually fall, but not now."

"If your Southern Territory were to drag Frank into this during this period, the struggle within the kingdom would be far more complex than a simple change of dynasty."

……

In a secluded mountain forest fifty miles outside of Plenty City, in an inconspicuous ancient castle, the fluctuations of magic gradually subsided.

Stepping out of the teleportation array, Medivh straightened his clothes, held his staff, and smiled at another white-bearded old man wearing a wizard's hat.

"My old friend, I'm so glad you're still alive."

The white-bearded old man glared, his voice surprisingly strong despite his advanced age, and said, enunciating each word clearly, "If you hadn't come, I could have lived to be a hundred years old."

But when Medivh walked up to him, he opened his arms and embraced him warmly.

"You should have thought about the retirement plan I've prepared for you sooner," the white-bearded old man complained to Medivh as he led him into the restaurant, busily bringing out all the prepared snacks and tea.

"The times won't change because of any individual, my old friend. You've been living too hard. In fact, many things would have ended up the same way even without your involvement."

Medivh picked up his teacup and just chuckled.

"That's enough, Herman. We're getting old and can't eat that much."

Herman put down the plate full of fresh desserts, wiped his hands on his mage robes, and sat down opposite Medivh.

He picked up a small cake and sighed heavily. "I hope you didn't come to see me this time because of some troublesome matter, but I know that whenever you smile like that, it's never anything good."

"You orchestrated the Northern Army's sudden attack on the heart of the Southern Territory, didn't you? I knew it. That little girl from the Charles family spends all her time at sea; how could she have turned her attention to..."

Herman brushed the stubble off his beard, and as soon as he looked up, he found that the smile on Medivh's face had vanished without a trace.

"When did this happen, Hermann? When did the Northern Army launch its attack on the heart of the Southern Territory?"