After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

Isolde, a girl with maxed-out escape skills.

As the one who healed the king, the miracle worker who created holy water, and the archbishop's chosen future saintess, Lucas never imagined that Isolde would also be skilled in wilderness survival.

Honestly, if Lucas had been on his own, he would definitely be lost in the wilderness by now.

"This defeat was too humiliating. Are the Northern Army really that much stronger than us?"

Away from the hustle and bustle of the battlefield, Isolde led Lucas to a cave, lit a campfire, and roasted rabbit meat. He fell into deep thought, muttering to himself.

Were the Imperial Guards weak in combat?

Absolutely not bad, otherwise the Northern Territory would have attacked long ago. But after several battles, they couldn't even achieve a small victory.

The flames from the CD player dispelled the darkness. Lucas remained silent, unable to understand why Isolde couldn't grasp such a simple reason.

Most of the bravest Imperial Guards died in the outbreak of the curse in the royal city. The Imperial Guards that remain are nothing more than a group of shameless fugitives.

Moreover, the Central Army's punitive expeditionary force, though seemingly large in scale with 80,000 soldiers, was actually a mixed bag, and there was no general with sufficient prestige to lead it.

Even he couldn't recognize all the generals with command authority, let alone the ordinary soldiers.

Looking at the Northern Army, the names of the people who came were more and more impressive. First, there was the Holy Knight Commander, and then came a... "Duchess"?

Isolde's explanation was vague, and Lucas could only understand it this way.

In short, if the Queen herself led the Imperial Guards to the front lines, the Central Army would be even more frenzied than the Northern Army.

Moreover, the military camp is a very pragmatic place. If a general lacks prestige and ability, his subordinates will not respect him.

Why do some generals so readily resort to whipping their soldiers and issuing a plethora of violent and abstract military orders? Don't they want to lead their troops to victory?

No, they are simply incompetent; after all, if they don't implement some drastic measures soon, the army will mutini.

Although the current Central Army is not in such a situation, when enemy leaders appear on the battlefield, and the Chinese side cannot produce a general who can contend with them, how can the soldiers not complain?

While the queen on the other side is already slicing through enemy lines, the generals on our side are still sitting high in their command posts, trying to overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers...

Alas, before the curse broke out, the Central District was so powerful, but now even the great mage Medivh has vanished without a trace.

In this situation, even if one wants revenge, isn't it a bit too hasty?

Filled with deep sorrow, Lucas ate half a rabbit and then fell into a deep sleep around the campfire.

A few minutes later, after confirming that Lucas was asleep, Isolde dispelled the magic circle in his palm and walked out of the cave alone into the darkness of the dense forest.

As dawn broke, the sound of work chants echoed across the construction site of Green Canyon City.

Soldiers wielded shovels, hauling away the bones piled up at the foot of the city wall, while not far from them, countless laborers were cutting stones and pouring cement, and an even taller city wall was rising from the ground.

The houses of the residents in the city were demolished and rebuilt one by one. After the civilians received compensation and settled in the northern territory, Green Gorge City had become a military fortress in effect.

Every day, a steady stream of supplies was transported from the large ships on the lake, but the soldiers' faces were somber, devoid of their usual cheers and jubilation.

They failed to demonstrate the loyalty they deserved, and their battle against the undead army became an indelible stain on the Second Division.

Kate stood silently in front of an old church in the city. According to the young lady's orders, all religious buildings were to be demolished.

Kate felt confused. The punishment from the gods was too severe. Even though blessings and curses go hand in hand, the Northern Territory had never received a blessing. Why should it suffer the harshest lashes?

"Commander Kate... how is everyone?"

A trembling voice came from behind him. Kate turned around and saw that it was Earl Rondo, who had arrived in Green Canyon in a flurry of travel.

"I'm late."

Rondo, his eyes reddening, sniffed hard, looking somewhat at a loss, but Kate didn't say anything, she just went over and gave him a hug.

Rondo, who had been frozen in mid-air, placed his hand on Kate's somewhat thin back and couldn't help but shed tears. He recalled the fierce confrontation with the Second Division in the Eastern Territory.

How wonderful those times were! Everyone was arguing and making noise because they all believed that the future would be better and better, and they all wanted to become the sharpest knife in the Duke's hand.

"It's good that you've arrived. Lady Elene is organizing a counterattack at the front, and she will need your help."

Kate wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Earl Rondo was actually a very good military commander, but he lacked an opportunity to prove himself.

Many large-scale constructions around Kuogu City were made possible by the efforts of Earl Rondo.

Long Chong nodded repeatedly. "Good, after we slaughter these Imperial Guards, our Fourth Division will definitely avenge the Second Division and smash every bone of the undead!"

Outside Green Canyon, the winds of war gathered once again. When Count Rondo led the Fourth Regiment to Elene, he simply knelt on one knee and silently bowed in respect.

Elena placed the hilt of her knife on his shoulder and accepted his allegiance.

With the Fourth Regiment of infantry ready for frontal combat, the legion temporarily drawn from Elene's forces was officially formed.

With shield infantry, spearmen, crossbowmen, light cavalry, heavy knights, mages, paladins, and militia, this army of nearly 30,000 men was a collection of elite Northern troops, and their fighting strength was immeasurable.

A military conference was quickly convened, and Commander Kate of Green Canyon once again provided assistance. Federico brought a large amount of supplies, and two thousand heavily armored soldiers became the final piece of the legion's puzzle.

Elena wanted this elite force. Forget about building defenses and allocating troops rationally; she only believed in one battlefield principle: to annihilate all invading enemies with overwhelming force.

Ten thousand men are enough for Kate to defend Green Canyon, not to mention he also has two militia regiments and hundreds of thousands of workers and laborers under his command.

It wouldn't matter if Red was a lone commander in Iron Lake City, since he was very good at logistics.

Now, with a veteran coach like Rondo and outstanding young players like Paul and Federico by her side, Elena is not afraid of any invading enemy.

Inside the enormous central tent, Elena stood before the sand table and solemnly handed the baton to Rondo.

Having lived through two lifetimes and fought countless battles, Elena knew very well that the number of people in the Northern Territory who could serve as commanders-in-chief could be counted on one hand, but that certainly did not include herself.

In a battle with around 10,000 men, she could fight back and forth more than a dozen times. But once the number of men exceeded 20,000, it was inevitable that the troops would become separated.

As the saying goes, "Times create heroes." In this life, he turned misfortune into fortune. After surrendering to the calamity of the Undying Serpent, Rondo finally got the opportunity to lead a large army in battle between the two Northern Lords, the Duke and Federico.

He gripped the baton tightly and walked step by step toward the spot that Lady Elene had vacated, his mind filled with the bold words he had uttered years ago.

"I hold the bow, the Duke holds the spear, and the central region, and indeed the entire kingdom, will be our land..."

He turned around, met the gazes of the generals, and smashed down the flag representing the Imperial Guard's encampment.

Your Grace, I, Rondo, hereby swear that I will offer you endless glory with my blood.