Lord: I can see loyalty.

North of the Blackwood, the camp of the Northern Allied Knights' army stretched for miles like a gray ocean, with no end in sight.

Tents were densely packed on the flat ground, and wisps of smoke rose from the gaps, gathering into a thick layer of clouds in the hazy sky.

The neighing of warhorses, the clanging of weapons, and the shouts of soldiers mingled together, creating a noisy yet magnificent prelude to war.

This army was unlike any previous Northern army.

It had no uniforms, no flags, and not even a unified command system—the White Horse family's battle flag, the Gray Wolf family's wolf head flag, the Silver Fox family's fox flag, and the various flags of more than a dozen small and medium-sized families fluttered in the wind, colorful yet exuding a chaotic and disorderly aura.

Although there are no knights from any major families, they are all from small and medium-sized families in the North.

But no one would underestimate this army, because behind each of its banners were hundreds, or even thousands, of elite knights.

This army was known to the people of the North as the "Allied Knights Army".

In the history of the Kingdom of Rovia, there has never been a knightly alliance of such scale.

Or rather, it is rare to see such a spectacular sight anywhere in the world—thousands of knights dressed in various armors, riding tall horses, with lances like a forest and banners that blot out the sun.

They converged from all corners of the North, like rivers flowing into the sea, eventually forming a force capable of crushing everything on the plains north of the Blackwood.

……

In the center of the camp was a huge tent.

The tent was made of thick canvas, edged with gold thread, and the White Horse family's flag fluttered on top—the white horse with its head held high, standing out against the hazy sky.

Inside and outside the tent stood two rows of fully armed knights, dressed in silver-white half-plate armor, holding halberds, their eyes scanning the surroundings like those of hawks.

These men were not the White Horse family's private soldiers, but rather Golden Mane Griffin Knights sent by Cedric, ostensibly to protect the commander's safety, but in reality to monitor him.

Inside the tent, a long table was placed in the center, with a map of the Black Forest spread out on it.

Representatives from the various families of the Northern Territory sat on either side of the long table.

Some of them are young, some are old, some are calm, and some are impetuous, but without exception, they are all core figures in their respective families.

In the main seat sat a man in his early thirties, burly and with a cold, hard face, bearing a resemblance to Jimmy in his features.

He wore a dark blue knight's coat with a white horse emblem embroidered on his chest, and a longsword hung at his waist with a blue gem inlaid on its hilt.

He was Marcus Whitehorse, the eldest son of the Whitehorse family and Jimmy's older brother.

Based on seniority, he shouldn't have been able to become the commander of this large army.

Among the smaller families in the North, there are many generals with more seniority and military achievements than him. Even if his father, Edmund, came in person, it might not be his turn.

But he has one advantage: the White Horse family and the Golden Griffin family are getting married.

Although Daphne ran away, the pretext of the marriage remained, and the prestige was still there. Cedric needed an obedient puppet, while Marcus needed an opportunity to make a name for himself, so they hit it off immediately.

To Marcus's right sat a taciturn man.

He wore dark gray knight's armor, without any family crest, and a longsword hung at his waist, the patterns on the blade gleaming faintly in the candlelight.

His face was cold and stern, and his brows bore a resemblance to Cedric's, but he was more reserved and more dangerous.

He was Selin Villar, the second son of the Golden-Maned Griffin family, known as the "Griffin King".

On the surface, he was the commander of the guarding griffin knights outside, who came from the capital to support this united knight army.

In reality, he was an overseer sent by Cedric to ensure that the army acted in accordance with Cedric's will.

To Marcus's left sat a young nobleman, about twenty years old, with a fair complexion and wearing a brand-new set of knight's armor, engraved with intricate patterns, clearly of considerable value.

His name was Raymond Grey, the son of a minor noble family in the North. He infiltrated the Allied Forces through family connections and took on a sinecure.

His sword was never stained with blood, his armor was never scratched, but his mouth never stopped.

Clearly, this person is here to gain merit in battle.

"What kind of fighting power do those militiamen in the south have?" Raymond said with his legs crossed, a glass of wine in his hand, his tone full of disdain.

"I heard they don't even have proper armor, they're still using leather armor. Our knights could crush them with a single charge."

No one responded.

Marcus glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips, but quickly suppressed it.

Serin remained expressionless, as if he hadn't heard. The other captains were either looking down at the map, drinking from their glasses, or resting with their eyes closed.

Raymond didn't seem to care, and continued, "And that Gray Hyena mercenary group, I've heard of them."

"They're just a bunch of homeless people who couldn't make it in the North, so they came to the South to beg for a living. Do they think they're worthy of standing in our way?"

"Grey Hyena." A deep voice came from the other end of the long table.

All eyes turned in that direction.

There sat a man in his thirties, with a thin face, slightly sunken eyes, and an undeniable weariness on his face.

He was wearing the armor of the Grey Wolves, with a wolf's head emblem embroidered on his chest and a long sword hanging at his waist.

He was none other than Leon, the representative of the Grey Wolf family.

Several months ago, after parting ways with Vance and the others at the Knights' Party, he had been traveling in the North with the female knight Ellie.

They went to many places, experienced many things, and their relationship grew stronger.

But the call of his family forced him to return—war was about to break out in the North, and all the major families were to contribute troops and resources, including House Grey Wolves.

Leon didn't want to come.

He disliked war, disliked killing, and disliked dying for the ambitions of a usurper.

But he had no choice. If he refused, his family would forcibly conscript more militia from the territory, and those innocent civilians would be pushed onto the battlefield.

In order to prevent his people from suffering, he even had to take matters into his own hands.

"The Gray Hyena Mercenary Group," Leon repeated. "I've heard of them. Their leader, William, is a veteran with many skilled men under his command. They're not ordinary mercenaries."

Raymond scoffed. "Just a mercenary group, how strong can they be?"

Leon glanced at him, but didn't argue further. He simply lowered his head and continued looking at the map.

Beside him, a female knight in leather armor leaned against him; it was Ellie, the female knight.

She didn't sit at the long table, but stood behind Leon, her hand on the hilt of her sword, her eyes wary.

She hadn't originally intended to come, but since Leon came, she came too.

"You've been traveling with me for so long, and I've been with you for a while too. It's fair." These were her exact words. Leon had tried to persuade her, but to no avail.

"Regardless of their strength," Marcus finally spoke, his voice low, "our primary task is to take down these three fortresses."

He pointed to the map, where Vio had built three gray fortresses.

"The Gray Hyena Mercenary Group is just an appetizer." He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "Once we take the fortress, the gateway to the South will be open. Then, our army will march straight down to Portor City and capture Vio Ross alive."

"Capture him alive?" Raymond laughed. "Commander, you're too merciful. If you ask me, it would be easier to just behead him."

Marcus glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips, but no real laughter in his eyes—a standard fake smile: "The Earl of the Southern Border isn't so easy to capture."

"He has at least four Grand Knights and two Knight Orders under his command. If we fight him head-on, our losses will be substantial."

"So we need to wear them down first," Selin finally spoke, his voice soft. "The Gray Hyena Mercenary Group is their outpost. Taking them out first will demoralize the Southern Territory."

"Knight Commander Selin is right." Marcus nodded, then looked at the map. "I plan to start here."

On the map is Blackwater, a small city in the North.

It was very close to the Black Forest, so it had long been occupied by the Grey Hyena Mercenary Group.

"Blackwater City is currently the only stronghold of the Southern Territory in our Northern Territory. We must take it first."

Leon, Serin, and the other family captains and representatives remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

"no problem."

Leon lowered his head and continued looking at the map, but the weariness in his eyes deepened. Ellie gently squeezed his hand without saying a word.

Outside the tent, it was getting dark.

In the distant dark forest, three gray fortresses could be vaguely seen, resembling three sleeping giants in the twilight.

The smoke rose from the watchtower, drawing three black plumes of smoke across the hazy sky.