After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

The continuous spring rain carried the stench of blood. For the sake of the soldiers' health, Kate disregarded fire safety and ordered the fire to be moved into the tent.

The soldiers dug shallow pits in the ground and chatted idly around the fire pit.

The meat porridge in the iron pot was bubbling away. After drinking a bowl of porridge and drying his clothes, Erion moved a stool to the tent door and quietly watched the raindrops glisten like fine silk.

The continuous fighting left him exhausted. What was even worse was that, due to the intense fighting earlier, everyone in his company except him had become wounded, so he could only fight alongside the Shield Guards now.

As cavalrymen entered the camp, Eryon assumed it was the returning knights, but instead he saw Lady Luna, undeterred by the wind and rain, receiving Kate's audience with a gentle smile.

Rain dampened her pale blue hair, but the young lady's eyes shone brightly. She bent down and patted Commander Kate's shoulder before walking into the tent.

Honest and dutiful dwarves, well-armed yet disciplined, lined up in a procession, holding warhammers and large shields to protect the young lady's safety.

Arian was certain that anyone who dared to approach rashly at this moment would be smashed into a pulp.

Among the young lady's personal guards were the most agile horse archers, lance cavalry skilled in charging into battle, powerful paladins, and heavily armored dwarves who had joined at some unknown time.

It is said that their military medals could fill a whole basket.

"Don't stare at them for too long, Third Company Commander. Your position as company commander means nothing to them, and they won't reason with you."

The soldiers who had come to join the commotion started chatting about random things again. One of them, a battalion commander who had been severely beaten by his personal guards for being shirtless during the battle in the southern territory, reminded Erian with lingering fear.

Arion nodded without saying anything more.

Inside the large tent, Luna stood in front of the sand table and pondered for a while. The Second Division's advance was in line with her expectations, and at this moment they were less than fifty kilometers away from the royal city.

However, the nearly 200,000-strong peasant army had already set up its battle lines with its back to the royal city, and war mobilization was underway within the city.

With the Second Division in the center, the Knights Division was divided into three regiments and stationed in the northwest of the royal city. The terrain there was flat and suitable for cavalry deployment.

The Second and Third Regiments of the Third Division, which came to support, also tied down the enemy forces in the east. In addition, the Second Division, which had been expanded to 30,000 men and had three main regiments and three militia regiments, was not without a chance of winning this battle.

Two hundred thousand peasant soldiers may sound like a lot, but don't forget that the Northern Army had an entire knight division, totaling ten thousand lance cavalry and five thousand light cavalry.

Have powerful enemies, such as cursed avatars, ever appeared?

Luna brushed aside the bangs that were clinging to her forehead and asked the question that concerned her most.

"Reporting to Miss, they haven't appeared. Moreover, since the beginning of spring this year, we've rarely even encountered regular troops from the Central Army. I suspect they intend to concentrate their elite forces to defend the capital to the death."

Kate made a rather cautious decision, and he prepared to launch a full-scale attack on the royal city once the weather cleared up.

Even if it meant sacrificing the entire Second Division, he would dedicate this honor to the young lady and the duke.

"Hmm, who's in command on the other side right now?"

"The intelligence gathered by the scouts is that the nobles have elected a man named Falkov to command the entire Central Coalition Army."

Luna frowned, feeling that the name was somewhat unfamiliar.

"Who?"

Kate immediately explained, "A marquis in the central district, belonging to the aristocratic faction, was given an important position after the curse broke out in the royal city."

Kate's impression of the Marquis of Falkov was that he was a complete madman who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

First, he incited the peasants to form an army to rebel against the northern territories, and later he contacted nobles in other regions and obtained a large amount of military aid.

From a general's perspective, Falkov is competent; he has successfully caused considerable trouble for the Northern Army, and the number of wounded in the 2nd Division is now a major concern for Kate.

But as rulers, Falkov was essentially using the blood of commoners to prolong their aristocratic rule.

He incited hatred and fear among the common people, making them believe that the policies of the Northern Territory were false propaganda.

In fact, it is not unreasonable for the common people to think this way. In their generations of oppression, they have never heard of nobles renting land to commoners for free to cultivate, and with such low taxes. Who are they trying to fool?

As the two talked, the soldiers brought over a brazier burning charcoal. Lisa draped a dry coat over Luna, and Luna sat down to warm her hands with the heat, letting out a soft sigh.

"My elder brother has done so much, all he wants is for everyone to live a good life... Has the Southern Principality made any moves? Have they sent troops?"

"Please rest assured, Miss, the Southern Duchy does not have enough troops to support the Central District. However, the Eastern Territory has been quite active recently."

Luna's face fell at the mention of the Eastern Territory. She had previously thought that although Dale was a foolish lover, he was also sensible and knew his place.

He gained a great advantage by defeating the Central District in the Northern Territory. Even if you search through the entire history of the kingdom, you can't find a single nobleman who dared to lay a hand on the Queen. The princesses, on the other hand, had all sorts of tricks up their sleeves...

But what is his attitude now? A roundabout way to achieve his goal? If Frank were still alive, he would have dragged him off the bed long ago, and wouldn't tolerate him playing both sides here.

"If the young lady wants to take the royal city, I think we must act quickly. Dragging it out could be disadvantageous for us."

Kate stepped forward and pointed to the area on the sand table that represented the Elf Kingdom.

"The undead army and the calamity within the Elven kingdom are opponents we must be wary of. Moreover, judging from the last war, if I am not mistaken, some elves have already sided with the Cursed Avatar."

"There's also a hero named Thorne in the Elf Kingdom."

Luna chuckled. A hero going to the Elf Kingdom—it's truly a clash of titans. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.

Currently, all regions are under wartime curfew. To learn about the situation in the Elf Kingdom, one must pass through the Eastern Territory or reach the area adjacent to the Southern Duchy.

In other words, due to Dale's inaction, Luna and the others had no idea what the Elven Kingdom was like now, or whether those cursed incarnations were still active there.

"Yes, they also seem to have extracted an evil curse, a curse that afflicts the battlefield..."

Kate glanced furtively at Paul, who stood impeccably behind Luna, and coughed a few times before adding, "It's dangerous."

From a holistic perspective, the only force that posed a significant threat to the Northern Army was the Undead Legion. Kate had even hesitated about whether to halt the offensive and seek the Duke's advice.

After all, the Northern Territory is currently launching a three-pronged attack, the Fourth Division and Earl Rondo are plundering the Western Territory, and although the Second Division can provide assistance, the Eastern Territory is also facing considerable trouble.

Kate, who had shouldered almost the entire responsibility of the Southern Expedition, could not even imagine the consequences of the Second Division's defeat.

Seeing through Kate's worries at a glance, Luna, who was also concerned about the situation in the Elf Kingdom, stood up and grabbed the flag representing the Eastern Territory on the sand table.

"You continue your attack on the royal city, and I will personally lead troops to the Eastern Territory."