After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

Exhaustion, endless exhaustion...

The spear in his hand was badly worn, and the cooled blood seemed to have congealed into a layer of dead skin on his skin and clothes.

As the last monster was pierced by the chains and slowly rose into the sky, the city of slaughter returned to peace.

Exhaling slowly, he rubbed a large patch of dried scab off his face. Ereon wanted to raise his head and roar, to announce their victory once again.

But he was too tired, too tired to say a word. He licked his lips, trying to melt the scabs back into blood to quench his thirst, but all he got was a mouthful of foul-smelling blood.

The soldier beside him slumped down amidst the pile of corpses, disregarding his appearance. A spring breeze brushed past his face, and as the warm sunlight broke through the horizon, tears finally flowed silently.

Aerion smiled at this, used his spear as a cane, and turned to walk away.

What greeted them was a heavy silence.

The military formation was solemn, and his comrades did not lay down their weapons. Many of their men had their eyes fixed on him.

Eryon was stunned. Why did everyone have such wary and sad expressions?

"Child, come here."

A call broke the deadlock, and Lady Elene, who was always meticulous in my memory, looked a little anxious at this moment.

She stood there, surrounded by the corpses of monsters, her long hair billowing in the wind like a dazzling crimson medal.

Not understanding what had happened, Erian had no choice but to obediently walk over. He was first ordered by Lady Elene to squat down, and then his whole body was covered by a Northern Army flag.

Following Elene's gaze, Erian turned his head and saw a group of tall, muscular soldiers, each nearly the size of two adult men, standing on the sea of ​​blood.

Black is their color scheme, and an aura of immortality is the continuation of their existence. They are both soldiers of the Northern Army and the most loyal servants of the Undying King.

Startled, Erian quickly stood up, then heard Lady Elene say softly, "Don't be alarmed. You looked the same a few minutes ago."

Elena looked up at Oswald, who was standing on the tower. Oswald, who was standing against the wind, lowered his head at the same time, helplessly meeting her gaze.

Oswald waved his hand, and the undead soldiers turned around in unison and ran away from the battlefield.

"Kate, Federico, quickly arrange for men to seize the city walls. Don't let the monsters in the royal city escape."

"Yes, Lady Elene!"

This was a depressing victory, for which the Northern Army suffered enormous casualties, many of which came from the immortalization of soldiers.

Several days later, Federico received the report of his death in action. His hands were trembling. From now on, the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Division could be renamed the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Division...

The soldiers who returned to the capital to rest were in low spirits. Occasionally, Federico would see one of his soldiers standing alone by the lake, staring blankly at the ripples as the raindrops flowed down.

Sacrifice is noble; becoming an undead can allow one to continue fighting for the Northern Territories, but it is also a thorn that cannot be removed from the hearts of the living.

"Brother, oh brother, have you ever thought of me?"

Determined to stop them from falling into despair, Federico performed a piece of performance art in public.

He ran to the undead soldiers' encampment, hugged one of the undead's legs tightly, and howled in tears, attracting the attention of many people.

"Commander! Please don't be like this, Commander. I know you're hurting, I... I'm hurting too!"

Finally, there was a living presence in the army. The soldier who wanted to persuade Federico couldn't help but tear up when he saw his brother's familiar yet unfamiliar face.

As they tried to comfort him, the soldier collapsed to the ground, overcome with grief and unable to breathe. He pounded his chest and struck the ground, quickly escalating the wailing into a full-blown mourning.

"Brother, you should take Sanbian with you! Sanbian has let you down!"

"Don't do this, Commander! We can't give up on ourselves, Commander!"

The tombstones of the living dead stood silently in the square, as soldiers pulled them along, weeping and embracing them. The tattered rain covered the ruined royal city, which had become a place of sorrow.

They won, and they lost.

"Go back, everyone, and get some rest. As for the compensation for the fallen soldiers and the rewards for the meritorious officers, Elena, you must handle this matter well."

"Yes, Your Grace."

After several days without sleep, Oswald, with his soul barely calmed, finally assembled his army and issued an order to withdraw.

Commander Rondo, standing below the ranks, was momentarily dazed. The Fourth Division had suffered the highest casualty rate in this battle, as most of his soldiers were ragtag troops recently integrated from the Western Territory, and their combat effectiveness was somewhat poor.

However, the elite of the Fourth Division still exist and can continue to assist the Duke in expanding his territory. More importantly, after capturing the royal city, the Duke can completely declare himself emperor!

Even if it meant offending someone, Commander Rondo felt he should set an example and step forward to offer some advice. But as soon as he took his first step, Lady Eleanor's gaze glared at him.

Rondo, who quickly backed down, returned to the team, pretending that nothing had happened.

The troop movement orders were quickly issued. The Fourth Division returned to the Western Territory for rest and replenishment. The Second Division returned to its garrison in Iron Lake City. Federico and his instructors and students returned to the military academy to resume their duties.

The 1st Regiment of the 3rd Division went to the Eastern Territory, while the Knight Divisions were dispersed and stationed in various camps around Green Gorge City. The 3,000 militiamen under the command of Ereon stayed behind, as did the 6,000 undead from the Loyal Death Legion...

Because the giant python still carries many monsters that store lustful power, Oswald is temporarily unable to escape from the royal city.

After the brief meeting, the rain stopped and the sky cleared. The various units did not waste any time and left the capital one after another.

The end of the siege of the royal city will be a new beginning. They need to regroup to prepare for the war to come.

Elena set off with the knights back to the Northern Territory. Before leaving, she said to Jenny, who had come to see her off, "His Highness the Duke is not feeling well. Please take good care of him."

Jenny nodded: "I will."

Watching the cavalrymen's horses disappear into the distance, Jenny sighed sadly and turned back to the deserted royal city.

The immortal soldiers took over the cleanup work in the royal city. They only need one order, and even if there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, they will jump down without hesitation.

But everyone knows that those once inseparable comrades-in-arms will never come back.

The Duke named them the Legion of Loyal Deaths... an undead legion composed of the most valiant warriors and those most compatible with the Duke...

The soldiers cleaned the streets spotless, so spotless that it filled all the loneliness. The bustling city was gone, and the memories of a dead city were like a sorrowful fortress.

"You're back, Lady Jane."

Erian, who was guarding the palace gates, opened the door for Jenny and bowed respectfully.

Jenny nodded slightly and gave Arian a careful look. Everyone now knew that Arian was an extremely special being.

A lucky person who successfully escaped immortality.

Jane knew Eleanor well; if things went as expected, Ariane would become the commander of the Duke's personal guard.

Over the years, Eleanor has been working to balance the power of the various forces, and she has maintained a surprisingly vigilant attitude in guarding against the military.

"In a while, the caravans and logistics troops from the Northern Territory will be heading south. You should remind them not to disturb His Majesty the Duke."

"Understood, sir." Erian nodded like a chick pecking at rice, then asked, "Why are the caravans and logistics troops heading south?"

Jenny stopped and explained, "There are many good things buried under the ruins of the royal city. The wealth accumulated by the nobles and wealthy merchants who lived in the royal city over generations is beyond our imagination, so we need to send the logistics troops over."

"As for the caravans, His Highness the Duke has already planned to make the royal city a national transit hub for goods, and it will become the merchants' headquarters in the future."