Lord: I can see loyalty.

The Emerald Palace, the capital of the Northern Kingdom, is located in the council hall.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. The sky outside the window was still gray and gloomy. The sunlight could not penetrate the thick clouds, and the entire hall was shrouded in gloom.

The golden griffin banner on the wall swayed slightly in the draft, the griffin baring its fangs and claws as if threatening everyone below.

Since it came under the control of the Griffin family, the capital has been shrouded in this gloomy atmosphere.

Cedric sat on his throne, clad in black and gold armor, with a griffin sword hanging beside him. His face was stern, and his brows held an innate arrogance.

Before him stood representatives of the major families of the North—Marvel of the Golden Saddle Horse, Elaine of the Black Serpent, Sand Knight of the White Horse, the Grey Wolf, the Silver Fox, and representatives of more than a dozen smaller families.

Some of them were expressionless, some had smiles on their lips, and some had shifty eyes, but without exception, they were all waiting for Cedric to speak.

Cedric slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping over the people on both sides of the long table. When he spoke, his voice was low and deep, carrying just the right amount of heartache.

"Gentlemen, half a month ago, I sent Aldrich Blackwood to the east courtyard of the Emerald Palace simply to check on the safety of the Earl of the South... However, that very night, Aldrich was murdered."

He paused, his gaze growing even more somber.

"His killer was Alec Stone, a high knight of the West and a subordinate of Count Vio Ross of the South. But Count Vio Ross not only condoned his men's murder, but also fled the capital with the killers overnight."

The hall was silent.

Everyone knew it was a lie—Audrick was sent by Cedric to assassinate Vio, and his death was his own fault, but no one stood up to refute it.

Marville of the Jin An Ma family remained expressionless, simply picking up his wine glass, taking a sip, and then putting it down.

Elaine of the Black Serpent Clan wore a faint smile as her gaze swept back and forth between Cedric and the others, confirming their stance.

The Sand Knight, who came on behalf of the White Horse family and is Vio's older brother, seemed completely unconcerned.

The old Earl of the Grey Wolf family also kept his head down, his expression unreadable.

"The Earl of the Southern Border's actions are a blatant provocation against the royal authority!" Cedric's voice rose several decibels. "Not only did he disobey the king's orders, but he also murdered the kingdom's magicians. Such a person is unworthy to be the ruler of a realm."

"Your Majesty is right," Marvel finally spoke, his voice calm. "The Earl of the Southern Border has indeed gone too far."

"That's right..." the others echoed.

Cedric's lips curled up slightly, but he quickly regained his pained expression.

"I have already sent a letter to the Earl of the South, requesting that he personally bring Alec Stone to the capital to apologize and hand Alec Stone over to the capital for punishment. If he can do this, I can let bygones be bygones."

Everyone knew that the Earl of the Southern Territory would never agree to this condition.

Handing over Alec Stone is tantamount to cutting off one's own arm. A third-tier Grand Knight is not a bargaining chip that can be easily discarded.

Cedric made this request without intending Vio to agree to it from the beginning.

"Your Majesty, what if the Earl of the Southern Border refuses?" Elaine suddenly spoke, her voice languid yet carrying a subtle sharpness.

Cedric glanced at her, a cold glint in his eyes, but his tone remained calm. "If the Earl of the Southern Border refuses, it will be blatant disobedience. In that case, I will, in the name of the new king, order the punishment of the disobedient."

No one spoke anymore.

The atmosphere in the hall was as heavy as a stagnant pool, but everyone knew that this was just the calm before the storm.

Vio did not respond the following day.

Another day passed, and there was still no response.

On the third day, messengers from the various families of the North began traveling between their territories.

The Golden Saddle Horse family announced a large-scale conscription, and the Black Snake family followed suit. The White Horse, Silver Fox, Iron Hammer and other families responded one after another.

The army from the North grew larger and larger like a snowball, converging on Blackwood from all directions.

The Earl of the Southern Border disobeyed the King's orders and murdered the kingdom's magician—a heinous crime!

The notice from the Golden Saddle Horse family reads as follows.

[To rid the kingdom of this scourge and avenge Lord Aldrick!]

The notice from the Black Serpent family reads as follows.

……

Although they each had their own agendas, they shouted slogans louder and louder than the last.

Vio naturally received the news as well.

He wasn't unresponsive; he was simply preparing.

Letters were sent out of his study and delivered to the various families in the North.

The letter detailed the facts of Aldrich's assassination attempt on him and included testimonies from several spies.

The spies were caught red-handed by the Southern Militia, and their testimonies clearly stated that Aldrick sent them to the Southern Territory to gather intelligence and create chaos.

Aldrick himself was killed when he sneaked into Aldrick's room to make his move.

The letters were delivered to various families; some glanced at them and tossed them aside, while others returned them without even looking at them.

No one wanted to offend Cedric for the sake of the truth. The truth didn't matter; what mattered was who won.

But Vio wasn't doing it for them in the first place.

These letters were quickly copied into leaflets and circulated in towns in the South and West.

Few of the common people were literate, but there were always people who would read to them.

They heard the news of the assassination of the Earl of the South, the confession of the traitor, and how Cedric twisted the truth and fabricated charges against them...

"That new king wasn't legitimate to begin with," the people of the southern border murmured. "I heard he killed his own father to seize the throne."

"If he can kill his own father, what else wouldn't he do?"

"The Earl has been protecting us, but what about the new king? He's about to attack the southern border..."

People's hearts and minds are never won over by slogans.

Although Cedric had supporters in the North, the people in the South and West favored Vio.

In a short time, he had transformed from a young lord plagued by bandits into the true protector of the southern and western borders.

In just half a month, the Northern Army had already assembled north of Blackwood.

But in the southern region, Vio's three fortresses were already completed ahead of schedule.

The gray stone walls were partially hidden in the canopy of the dark forest, and fully armed militiamen stood on the watchtowers, their crossbows drawn taut.

The Grey Hyena mercenaries, now equipped with new gear, stood on the city wall, gazing northwards.

Black Forest is already a key war zone.

"There are so many people on the other side." William stood on the highest watchtower, his gray eyes gazing at the dark mass of troops that could already be seen in the distance.

Zain stood beside him, his single eye blazing with fighting spirit. "They're just a bunch of northern barbarians."

In the distance, the banners of the North fluttered in the wind.

The commander of this northern army was from the Whitehorse family, a small family, and its leader was Marcus Whitehorse, the young master of the Whitehorse family and Jimmy's older brother.

"Vio Ross," he sneered, "do you think building a few dilapidated fortresses will stop the Northern army?"

The war between the North and the South has officially begun.