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He Was Reborn In The Middle Ages And Turned A Small Province Into A Large Empire | Manhwa recap

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This is a fantasy narrative about a Duke who is reincarnated into his past self and uses his future knowledge to prevent a devastating famine and war, ultimately challenging the corrupt empire.

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Deep in the gloomy mountains where

eternal darkness reigned supreme stood

an old castle whose stone walls

remembered hundreds of cold winters and

scorching summers. In the huge castle

only one window glowed behind which the

shadow of a loyal adviser flitted, his

heart torn by thoughts of the famine

threatening their lands. Deep in thought

about the fate of his people, the

tormented adviser did not notice a

bright beam of strange light piercing

the night darkness outside the window.

Rushing to the window, he saw a terrible

sight. The city he loved so much was a

blaze, and the air was filled with the

cries of battle and the clang of

weapons. Among the attackers, the

adviser recognized the emperor's

soldiers by their black and gold flags,

and a bitter realization struck him. The

cruel ruler had begun his revenge. The

adviser had always harbored a deep

dislike for the emperor, but even he

could not have imagined that the ruler

would resort to such a treacherous

attack on his own subjects. Bright

flashes of magic lit up the night sky as

the emperor's mages attacked the castle.

While the Duke stood silently on the

tower, as if accepting his fate, the

Duke knew that the fiery magic would

soon reach him. And all he could do was

wait for the burning ball to sever the

threat of his life in this cold world.

The fatal blow struck both of them, the

Duke and his loyal adviser, whose last

cry was drowned out by the crash of the

ancient castle's collapsing walls. Thus

fell the beautiful land of Bran, which

many considered to be just a small dot

on the map of a vast empire. But for its

inhabitants, it was their entire world.

The nightmare was interrupted by a

sudden awakening. The young man, once

the Duke's most loyal servant, woke up

with a scream of horror on his lips.

Fate had played a strange joke on him.

Instead of a well-deserved rest, he had

been given a new life in the body of his

master 20 years before that fateful

night. The entire day after his

astonishing rebirth in the body of Duke

Aaron flew by in an instant, leaving

behind only a fog in his head and

trembling hands. The new owner of the

body could neither eat nor drink nor

even speak. His mind was too shaken by

this incredible twist of fate. He spent

the second day in anger, cursing the

cruel emperor whose hands were stained

with the blood of the innocent

inhabitants of beautiful Brana. On the

third day, his dark thoughts receded,

replaced by a firm resolve. Since fate

had given him a second chance, he would

use it to save everyone. His thirst for

knowledge drove him forward. He searched

old books for any mention of Duke Bran,

hoping to find the key to saving his

people. For several days, he did not

tear himself away from the books until

persistent hunger reminded him of simple

human needs. Bitter thoughts tormented

his soul. In his past life, he had

helped the hungry, while the real Duke

thought only of his whims and pleasures.

His younger sister, Cheryl, found a

meeting a simple breakfast and scolded

her brother for his strange behavior,

reminding him of her attempts to get

through to him. His quick wit helped him

find a simple explanation. He said he

wanted to share the bread so it would be

easier to eat, and this calmed his

agitated sister. When Cheryl's agitation

subsided, he gently asked if she was

free today, as he really needed the

support of a loved one. Soon, the

brother and sister met with a tall

warrior whose armor glinted dimly in the

morning sun. Knight RML couldn't hide

his surprise. For the first time in a

long time, the Duke himself had decided

to speak with him. Honesty had always

been important to Aaron, so he told the

knight directly about the emperor's

plans to attack their lands. Cheryl

froze in horror. She couldn't believe

that their uncle would break the sacred

oath he had made to their father on his

deathbed. Aaron knew more. The emperor

feared their claim to the throne, and

loyal men had already informed him of

his plans to break the ancient oath. Now

their only hope for salvation was to use

the ancient power of the dragon to

protect their people from destruction.

His sister tried to stop him, for he had

sworn never to reveal his gift, to keep

it secret until his dying breath. But

time demanded decisive action. They had

to prepare for battle against the

emperor's army, gather their forces, and

strengthen their defenses. Cheryl took

her magic staff in her hands, and

ancient words of a spell poured from her

lips, opening a path through space. The

knight froze in amazement. He had no

idea that his rulers possessed such

powerful magic capable of changing the

laws of the world. With a sly smile, the

girl confessed that she had hidden her

abilities for many years so that their

enemies would not learn of their true

power. The magic of the portal

transported them to a snowy land where

white flakes slowly swirled in the air,

covering the ground with a soft blanket.

At the foot of a high cliff, Cheryl

prepared for a new spell, though her

hands trembled slightly from the long

break in her magical training. With a

wave of her staff, she created a bright

flame that lit up the dark sky like a

second sun rising over the snowy plains.

Fireballs multiplied in the air, forming

a perfect circle like a crown of flame

above the snow-covered peaks. Raml

immediately understood. Before him was

the legendary inferno ring, ancient

magic that the world had not seen in

many years. The power of the fiery ring

under Cheryl's control cut off the top

of the distant mountain as cleanly as a

sharp knife cutting through butter. The

knight stood with his mouth open and the

girl frowned. She knew that her seventh

circle magic was too weak for the coming

battle. Cheryl explained to the

astonished warrior that the seventh

circle of magic was very little compared

to the power of the imperial mages.

Aaron looked at his sister in surprise.

The diary had mentioned the fifth circle

of magic, but standing before him was a

true arch mage. Cheryl's eyes shown with

confidence. She knew that her brother's

power far exceeded her own magic. Aaron

drew his sword, thanking Fate for

spending the previous day studying the

old diary of his predecessor. The pages

of the diary revealed many secrets about

the dragon's blessing, an ancient power

that lay dormant in the blood of their

family. This gift had made Cheryl a

fifth circle mage, and the Duke himself

a great warrior whose name was known

throughout the empire. A tremendous

power lay dormant within his new body.

The former butler could feel it, but he

did not know how to awaken this ancient

gift. He decided to start with the

basics. He took a book on sword fighting

and began to learn again. For the skills

of a true duke were not yet within his

reach. Suddenly, the sword in his hands

glowed with a bright blue light,

responding to the call of the blood

flowing through his new veins. Ancient

words came to mind. Piercing wind, and

the blow of his sword cut a huge

mountain in half, revealing the power of

his awakened gift. The debris of the

mountain fell down with a deafening

roar. And the hero tried to look

confident, hoping that no one had

noticed his awkward mistake in the blow.

In fact, he had aimed at a completely

different mountain. But his companions,

struck by the unprecedented force of the

blow, did not even notice this small

oversight. The next morning, an ancient

dragon flew over the lands of the duche,

its wings casting huge shadows on the

fields and forests below. The mighty

reptile immediately felt the familiar

warmth of his blessing, which he had

left with the people of this land many

years ago. Wanting to test his hunch,

the wise dragon turned into a small hawk

and flew down to the ground, searching

with his keen eyes for traces of his

magic. Close to the ground, he dispelled

the spell of transformation. Taking the

form of a tall man in light colored

clothes embroidered with gold thread.

Carefully examining the walls of the old

palace, he sensed that somewhere nearby

lived people with his ancient power whom

he had blessed many years ago. After a

few days in his new body, the former

servant found the Duke's old diary

hidden among dusty books in a far corner

of the library. The pages of the diary

revealed a secret that Duke Aaron had

kept his entire life, trusting it to no

one, not even his closest confidants.

The story began many years ago when

Aaron's uncle Jiren, with the help of an

influential lord, seized the throne from

the old emperor, who had been weakened

by years of rule. After their father's

death, the young heirs had to flee from

the new authorities, saving their lives

from brutal assassins. They were saved

by the only condition their father

managed to set before his death. As if

foreseeing the future misfortunes of his

children, the children swore never to

claim the imperial throne. And in

return, their father negotiated for

Aaron the title of Duke of the distant

land of Bran. This land was considered

cursed, a barren wasteland with a

half-ruuined fortress where even weeds

did not grow and dangerous monsters

often appeared. But for children who had

possessed the power of a dragon and the

gift of a grandmaster since birth, even

such an inhospitable land could become a

real home. Over time, they managed to

establish a life in these lands.

Although Aaron decided to hide his

abilities forever, remaining faithful to

his father's oath. Upon learning the

truth, the former butler could not

believe that an ancient oath was more

important to the Duke than the lives of

the common people who had entrusted

their fates to him. One ordinary day in

Bran's lands, disaster struck. A little

boy seriously injured his arm while

playing, and his cries echoed throughout

the neighborhood. As if by magic, a

young healer appeared nearby, her hands

glowing with a warm golden light,

quickly soothing the pain and healing

the wound. Saying goodbye to the boy,

the kind girl asked him to be more

careful when playing because next time

she might not be there to help. This

kind healer was Cecilia, a young saint

of the Order of Viven, whose heart

always sought to help those in need.

Suddenly, Cecilia's attention was drawn

to the loud voice of a herald summoning

the people to listen to an important

speech by the Duke. The Duke's

appearance caused a murmur of discontent

among the crowd. People considered him a

weak ruler and did not want to waste

their time on empty words. A quiet

whisper passed through the crowd.

Someone had noticed that the Duke had

changed greatly in recent times, as if

he had become a completely different

person. Many agreed, remembering how the

Duke had recently found and punished

dishonest knights who had long oppressed

the common people. Standing before the

hostile crowd, the hero understood their

feelings. The people were tired of

hunger and the excessive taxes collected

by the former duke. Summoning all his

courage, he announced the alarming news.

Intelligence had reported a growing army

of orcs ready to attack their lands. The

crowd responded with bitter laughter.

They had heard such threats many times

before, but the former Duke had never

tried to protect his people. Seeing the

people's distrust, the Duke passionately

called on them to unite against their

common enemy, so that together they

could rid themselves of their eternal

fear of the orcs. His fiery words

silenced the crowd. The people looked in

amazement at their ruler, in whom an

unprecedented determination had

awakened. Gathering his courage, the

Duke announced a new approach to

defending the land. They would no longer

hide behind walls, but would go into

battle themselves. Aaron firmly stated

that he was tired of watching his people

suffer from orc raids while the monsters

lived in wealth stolen from the people.

The words that the monsters lived richer

than them struck accord with every

inhabitant, awakening long-forgotten

pride in their hearts. Seeing the fire

in the people's eyes, the Duke called on

them to unite to defeat the orcs and

finally build a decent life for their

families. Not far from where he spoke

stood the very dragon in human form,

watching his blessed heir closely.

Later, a dispute broke out in the castle

between the Duke and the treasurer. The

ruler urgently needed money for armor

for his warriors. Their loud argument

was interrupted by a knock on the door

and both angrily shouted at the

uninvited guests to go away, not wanting

to interrupt their important

conversation. It turned out that night

Raml had arrived with important news. A

messenger had arrived from Duke Rayon

with a special message. A stately man

named Kanos appeared at the door, handed

over the letter, and said that he had

come at the personal request of Duke

Reol. The hero pretended to be

surprised, although he immediately

recognized Kyos. In his previous life,

this man had become famous as a great

military strategist. Quickly breaking

the seal, the Duke began to read the

message in which his old friend offered

help in difficult times. The letter

spoke of the three difficult years Aaron

had spent in Bran's lands, constantly

fighting for the survival of his people.

Rean had sent them a talented strategist

and some gold, hoping the Kanos would

help strengthen Bran's lands until their

next meeting. Suddenly, the Duke

remembered the promised gold, and the

greedy treasurer immediately demanded to

see the letter, forgetting their recent

argument. Kynos said with a slight smile

that Duke Reena had sent 50,000 gold

coins to support his allies in their

time of need. The treasurer's face

darkened, but he was not surprised by

the modest sum. He knew that Duke

Renon's lands were also going through

difficult times. The hero sternly

ordered him not to grumble. The money

would be enough to equip the soldiers

and clean the dirty city streets. Seeing

the treasurer's confusion, Aaron

explained that it was pointless to keep

gold when disease threatened their

greatest treasure, their people. He

wisely noted that the loss of

inhabitants would lead to the decline of

the entire duche, as there would be no

one left to defend the walls or work the

fields. The dragon watching this

understood the flaws in the young

ruler's plan, but was pleased by his

concern for the people, a rare quality

among the nobility. The treasurer,

looking displeased, allowed the duke to

spend the money as he saw fit, clearly

disagreeing with such extravagance.

Leaving the room, the old man slammed

the door loudly, showing his attitude

toward the new ruler's decisions. The

Duke merely smiled. The arrival of the

experienced strategist Kinos saved him

from long hours of studying military

treatises. Despite his friend's

recommendation, Aaron was in no hurry to

make Kanos his chief strategist. Fearing

that the people would be dissatisfied

with such a quick appointment, he

suggested that the strategist prove his

abilities in a campaign against the orcs

in order to earn the trust not only of

the ruler, but also of the common

people. Kinos agreed to help, although

he was seething with pride inside. How

dare a mere mortal doubt his military

talent? Watching the young Duke, the

strategist understood that if the

campaign was successful, they would have

three interesting years of working

together ahead of them. Aaron

immediately told him about his plans to

develop the dungeons after the victory

over the orcs, which surprised and even

frightened the experienced strategist.

After a week of intense preparation,

they assembled a strong army of

well-trained knights ready to fight for

their land. After a long study of the

battle plan, the Duke made sure that

every warrior knew his task and gave the

order to march. This day was to go down

in history. The people would finally

repel the evil orcs and reclaim the

riches stolen by the monsters. The army,

inspired by the shouts and blessings of

the town's people, proudly set off to

meet their destiny. After a long

journey, the army stopped at the edge of

the dark forest where their formidable

enemy lurked among the ancient trees. In

the heart of the forest, Hid Kuruk, the

leader of the Orc tribe, who had turned

an old fortress into an impregnable lair

for his warriors. It was this cruel

chieftain who had been ravaging their

trade routes for years, condemning the

people to starvation. And now Aaron was

determined to put an end to his evil

deeds. Suddenly, RML arrived with

alarming news. Scouts had spotted five

groups of cobalt archers hiding in the

forest. Realizing that they couldn't

defeat the cunning archers without

magic, Aaron called on his sister for

help, whose spells could turn the tide

of battle, Cheryl quickly ran into the

forest, clutching a magic staff in her

hands and began to cast a thirdle

fireball spell. Although the spell was

considered weak, in her hands, it gained

the power of the fifth circle, revealing

the true strength of the young

sorceress. A fireball flew toward the

enemies, and the last thing the cobalt

saw was a huge flame that engulfed them

without a trace. Instead of joy, Aaron

was filled with horror. He had asked his

sister not to use powerful magic so as

not to attract the attention of the

Imperial spies. Cheryl only snorted in

response to her brother's reproaches,

not understanding his alarm. After all,

she had used a simple third circle

spell. The young Duke bitterly regretted

his decision to take his sister on the

campaign. He had thought she would only

use simple combat spells. Kinos

reassured the ruler, explaining that the

emperor would find out about their power

anyway. But as long as the soldiers

remained silent, they had time to

prepare. Calmed by the strategists

words, Aaron asked if he had found a

suitable place for the decisive battle

with the Orc army. The day before the

campaign, they gathered to discuss the

battle plan, and Kynos explained his

idea. It would be best to destroy the

enemy before the open battle began. The

strategist suggested luring the enemies

into a trap, using the advantages of the

terrain to save the lives of his

warriors. The choice of location for the

battle was particularly important. They

were about to face 2,000 orcs, relying

only on skillful calculation and

cunning. Their squad numbered only 500

fighters, so even victory in open combat

would result in huge losses among their

people. The wise strategist suggested

using a 100 horsemen as bait to lure the

orcs out of their hiding places in the

forest. Their fast horses gave them the

advantage, allowing them to lure the

enemy straight into a prepared ambush.

According to the plan, the archers were

to destroy at least half of the enemy

army before the orcs realized their

mistake. The remaining orcs were to be

driven into open ground where armored

knights would surround them. After

listening carefully to the plan, Aaron

agreed. There was no better solution for

their small army. Suddenly, a breathless

knight ran up to the Duke and reported

that the enemies had already begun to

move toward their detachment. The orc's

quick reaction surprised everyone. It

seemed they had skilled scouts who had

immediately noticed the humans

approaching the forest. Seeing the

unusual organization of the enemies,

Kano suggested that after the victory,

the surviving orcs be made slaves to

work in the dungeons. The idea seemed

interesting to the Duke, but he doubted

that the proud orcs would agree to serve

humans even after their defeat. He had

heard before that such creatures only

obeyed dragons whose ancient magic could

bend their will. Kanos hastened to

explain that orcs recognize the

authority of anyone who surpassed them

in strength. Be it a dragon or a mighty

warrior. The Duke decided to postpone

the conversation. Saving the lives of

his people was more important than

thinking about future gains. It was time

to act. Aaron ordered his sister to take

200 warriors and hide in the forest

while the knights prepared to surround

the enemy. After giving his final

instructions, he asked Kanos to watch

the battle from the hill and save his

life for future battles. After all

preparations were complete, the Duke

took his sword, gathered his loyal

warriors, and led them to meet their

fate. At that moment, a scout ran to the

orc chief with news that human troops

were approaching their territory. Kuruk

flew into a rage upon learning that the

pathetic humans dared to attack after so

many years of cowardly hiding behind

their fortified walls. The chieftain was

confident of victory. Once the humans

entered the black forest, they would be

easy prey for his warriors. The orcs had

another trick up their sleeve. The chief

ordered them to release their most

terrifying weapon, one that the humans

did not expect to encounter in battle.

The heavy gates creaked open, releasing

a terrifying creature, a huge minur with

curved horns and powerful muscles.

Gathering his entire army, including the

fearsome minotaur, the orc chieftain led

them toward the humans, anticipating an

easy victory over their insulent

enemies. An invisible guardian hovered

in the heavens. An ancient dragon in the

guise of a bird watched the battle

begin. Knowing that the time had come

for Aaron to show his true strength. At

the Duke's signal, the warriors lined up

for battle. A hundred brave hearts under

his command against 2,000 ferocious orcs

of Kurac. Blessed with dragon power, the

Duke easily struck down his enemies, his

sword flashing like lightning amid the

raging sea of battle. But alarm crept

into his heart when he saw his warriors

drowning in an endless stream of enemies

like grains of sand in the surf. In the

heat of battle, the Duke did not notice

the approach of a huge minotaur. And

only his animal instincts helped him

dodge the deadly blow. The deafening

roar of the monster caused the warriors

to cover their ears with their hands,

trying to escape the sound that could

rupture their eardrums. As soon as the

echo of the roar faded in the forest,

the Duke raised his sword and called on

his soldiers to continue the fight,

promising to stay by their side until

the last drop of blood. Throwing himself

at the orcs with his sword, Aaron

remembered Kyno<unk>'s wise words that

living enemies could become useful

allies. Changing tactics, he began to

stun his opponents with the hilt of his

sword and hide them in the thick

undergrowth, planning to return for them

later. Seeing an endless stream of

enemies emerging from the gloomy depths

of the black forest, the Duke realized

that it was time for a tactical retreat,

the horsemen began to retreat, trampling

their enemies under their hooves,

followed by the enraged minur, shaking

the ground as it charged after them. The

Duke ordered his men to retreat to

higher ground. Deciding to delay the

monster himself and buy time for a

maneuver, turning his horse in one swift

movement, he rushed toward the minur,

managing to save his warrior from

certain death at the last moment. The

loyal knights, defying the order to

retreat, remained by their lord's side,

watching his desperate bravery with awe.

The disobedience of his warriors

saddened the Duke. But fate turned their

mistake into good fortune. Strong hands

were needed to bind the defeated

Minotaur. The Duke calmly explained to

the surprised knight Arthur his decision

to spare the monster's life. Such

strength would still serve their

purposes. In the midst of their work

with the captive minotaur, new orcs

appeared, but Cheryl met them with a

wall of magical flames. The knights had

to dodge the crazed orcs who fled in

fear from the fiery wrath of the young

sorceress. Many enemies fell in battle,

but Kuruk and his loyal warriors

continued the pursuit. Burning with a

desire to avenge their fallen comrades.

Just as the orcs were celebrating their

imminent victory, the knight's steel

ring closed around them, cutting off all

routes of retreat. The knights parted,

forming a living corridor through which

their leader made his way to the

surrounded orcs for negotiations with

the dignity of a ruler. Aaron offered

Kuroko an honorable way out to decide

the outcome of the battle in a duel

between the leaders, granting the loser

his life. Distrust was evident in the

orc's yellow eyes, but he understood

that one order from the Duke and his

warriors would become food for the

crows. The Duke reinforced his words

with a warrior's oath, demanding the

same promise from the orc chieftain to

seal their agreement. The leader

hesitated, but the hopelessness of the

situation forced him to agree, taking

the man's word that he would spare the

lives of his warriors. The battlefield

was surrounded by shields, and the orc

immediately rushed into the attack,

swinging a fearsome mace with iron

spikes. Aaron stood motionless until the

last moment like a statue, and then

easily dodged the blow, sending the Orc

chieftain into a frenzy of rage. With

each dodge of the new attacks, the Duke

felt the ancient power of the dragon

flowing through his veins, making his

movements light and precise. After

another graceful dodge by the Duke, the

enraged cocker burst into a torrent of

foul language, calling his opponent a

cowardly rag. The insult wounded the

Duke's pride. He thrust his sword into

the ground and challenged the orc to a

fair fight with his bare hands. Raml

looked anxiously at his unarmed master,

considering his decision rash. But Aaron

was determined to teach the orc a lesson

in strength. Appreciating his opponent's

noble gesture, Kuruk threw down his

mace. His muscular arms seemed

sufficient weaponry against the frail

human. Raml's heart sank with fear. No

matter how strong his master was,

fighting an orc without weapons seemed

like pure madness. Everyone knew about

the natural strength of orcs raised in

endless battles. Even their claws were

sharper than steel, and the Duke stood

before his enemy without any protection.

When the orc aimed his terrifying claws

at the Duke's face, the latter noticed

with surprise how slowly his opponent's

hand moved, easily dodging the attack.

Testing the limits of his newfound

power, Aaron decided to take the orc's

next blow without trying to defend

himself. The result astonished him. The

orc's powerful blow, capable of piercing

armor, felt like a mere push against his

blessed body. Seeing their master dodge

the blows, the loyal knights began to

worry not only for his life, but also

for their own fate in the event of

defeat. The first successful blow caused

jubilation among the orcs. They were

already imagining how they would turn

the arrogant humans into their slaves.

Aaron calmly asked his enemies to temper

their enthusiasm, after which his body

seemed to dissolve into the air,

reappearing next to the stunned orc.

Appearing above his enemy, the Duke

announced that fate had turned against

the orcs. Now they would have to serve

humans. A light blow knocked the

chieftain back several steps. And when

he got up, he accused the man of

witchcraft. Such power could not belong

to a mortal. In response, Aaron

continued his attack, demonstrating the

true power of his gift until the proud

orc begged for mercy. After his victory,

the Duke led the bound chieftain to the

orc fortress, where the fate of the

entire tribe would be decided. In the

captured fortress, he announced his

will. The orcs would be spared, but they

would have to work for the good of

Bran's lands. Showing mercy, he allowed

them to hunt in the forests and promised

to share food for good work, but warned

that the slightest disobedience would be

punished by death. The orc's distrustful

glances expressed their doubts about the

man's words, as they were used to seeing

only enemies in humans. Irritated by

their doubts, Aaron pointed to the

beaten chieftain, promising the same

fate to anyone who dared to challenge

his authority. Finally realizing the

seriousness of the situation, the orcs

bowed their heads, acknowledging the

power of the unusually strong man. The

Duke decided to secure his victory by

taking all the orc's supplies. This

would help him fulfill the promise he

had made to Bran's starving people. Late

at night, the victorious detachment

returned to the fortress, leading wagons

loaded with the captured food supplies.

When the joyful cries of the welcoming

crowd died down, Aaron instructed his

loyal Raml to take care of the captured

orcs. With Cheryl's magic, they opened a

portal to the Frostlands, where they

took the defeated monsters for their

final lesson. Here, Aaron showed the

orcs the full power of his gift, and

they finally understood that they were

standing before a man blessed by the

dragon himself. The stunned orcs fell to

their knees, swearing eternal loyalty to

the Duke, whose strength surpassed even

their most terrifying legends. The Duke

ordered them to raise their heads and

remember the lesson. The mountain split

by his power would serve as a reminder

of the punishment for their betrayal.

The next morning, Kuruk made a sacred

oath to the Duke that his people would

keep the secret of the ruler's power and

suppress any attempt at rebellion. Aaron

sternly reminded the chieftain of his

threat to exterminate their entire clan

for disobedience. And the orc hastily

withdrew, struck by the determination in

the man's eyes. His place was taken by

an inspired Kanos, who did not hide his

admiration for how skillfully the Duke

had subdued the wild orcs. The Duke

explained that the orcs had mistaken him

for a dragon, which greatly simplified

the task. Now their submission was based

on sacred fear. The adviser's face

darkened. He reminded everyone of the

well-known vindictiveness of dragons

toward those who dare to claim their

greatness for themselves. Aaron

reassured Kanos, explaining that he had

never called himself a dragon. The orcs

had come to that conclusion themselves

after seeing his power. The tension left

the adviser, and he laughed, imagining

how frightened the orcs must have been

when they mistook a human for an

ancient, powerful creature. The butler

kept his thoughts to himself, although

he knew that his strength was indeed

comparable to that of a dragon. It was

best to keep that secret. Instead of

long conversations, he asked Kanos to

prepare for a meeting where he would

have to tell everyone about the orc's

new status. Left alone, Aaron thought

bitterly about the former duke, who with

such power could have protected his

people from any trouble. The oath he had

sworn to his father had bound the former

duke's hands. But even that did not

justify his complete inaction in the

face of his people's suffering. The new

master of the body swore to himself that

he would surpass his predecessor and

prepare for the final battle on which

the lives of all the inhabitants of Bran

depended. A council of war gathered in

the main hall of the castle where the

Duke enthusiastically recounted the

victory, particularly praising Kano's

brilliant strategy. The wise adviser

thanked him for the praise, but

emphasized that it was the unyielding

will of their lord that had led the army

to such a glorious victory. The silence

in the hall was broken by the indignant

cry of Cheryl, a young sorceress who

jumped up from her seat, unable to

accept that her fiery power had not been

given the praise it deserved. A stern

frown appeared on the Duke's face, and

he sharply reminded his sister that

their goal was not to destroy their

enemies, but to acquire valuable workers

for future prosperity. When the passions

had subsided, the Duke moved on to

important news. Their holdings had grown

five-fold, and now they needed to wisely

dispose of the new lands. His next words

stunned the assembled company. He

proposed creating an underground

labyrinth, and this strange idea seemed

completely insane to everyone. Max, a

former secret agent and now the manager,

couldn't believe his ears. The Duke

wanted to turn the underground caves

into a lure for adventure seekers.

Instead of explaining, Aaron turned to

Kynos, asking if he was ready with a

detailed plan to present to the council.

Despite being busy with recent events,

the wise adviser had already prepared

all the necessary documents. From the

folds of his clothes, Kanos pulled out a

large scroll, which when unrolled, took

up almost the entire table, astonishing

everyone with its size. A detailed

diagram of the future underground

complex was spread out on the parchment,

and everyone present leaned over the

table, studying every line of the

drawing. After examining the plan, the

Duke praised Kano's work, but pointed

out the absence of an important element,

a system for attracting adventurers.

Even more important was to think through

a way to conclude special agreements

with the heroes when they found

themselves in a hopeless situation

inside the dungeon. Max jumped up in

righteous anger, reminding the Duke of

his noble origins and the possible

damage to their family's honor. Aaron

merely shrugged, reminding him that even

the most ancient lineage would not save

one from starvation in difficult times.

The tense silence was broken by Kano's

loud laughter, who with feigned remorse

admitted that he had not thought of such

cunning plans. The experienced adviser

appreciated his master's ability to

think outside the box and promised to

add elements of subtle manipulation to

the plan. Leaving the council chamber,

Max felt a heavy weight on his heart.

Such risky ventures could lead their

small duche to swift ruin. Early the

next morning, the Duke decided to

personally check the progress of the

city street's cleanup. Not trusting the

reports of others. What he saw clearly

did not please him. He immediately began

questioning the treasurer about measures

to maintain cleanliness in the city. The

old treasurer assured him with a bitter

smile that all efforts were being made

to prepare for winter since they were

now safe from starvation. Aaron abruptly

cut him off, reminding him of the

abundant supplies of food and gold that

made such fears empty excuses. The

treasurer's eyes showed indignation. He

considered his master a madman who had

forgotten the cost of the equipment for

the recent campaign. The old man proudly

pointed to the already cleaned areas of

the city, considering additional

spending on cleaning to be a waste of

money. His words enraged the Duke, who

began to explain that clean streets were

not for beauty, but for protection

against deadly diseases. The young ruler

proposed a simple solution. Pay the

workers with food taken from the orcs to

maintain order in the city. Walking

through the streets, Aaron thought

anxiously about the dwindling food

supplies and dirty streets, trying to

find a way to solve both problems at

once. Suddenly, his thoughts were

interrupted by a guard's report

informing Raml of a healer who was once

again treating people without permission

from the authorities. Raml instantly

recognized who it was. It was the very

same nun from the Order of Viven, who

had continued to help the sick towns

people. A disturbing prophecy came to

the Duke's mind. Soon, the Order of

Perez would destroy the community of

these kind healers. The knight loudly

demanded that the nuns show him

permission to use sacred magic within

their lands. The young novices looked

down in embarrassment. They did not have

the necessary papers and were preparing

to leave the place of their service. A

crowd of towns people burst into please

for help, begging the healers to stay

for the sake of their sick children. The

people bitterly reproached the guards

for the lack of a city hospital where

the poor could receive help. Seeing the

growing anger of the crowd, kind

Siccilia tried to calm the people,

promising to return with permission as

soon as possible. Suddenly, the

authoritative voice of the Duke rang

out. He allowed the nuns to continue

their noble work. To everyone's

surprise, he expressed sincere gratitude

for their care of his subjects and

lifted all restrictions on their

activities. The guards stood frozen in

amazement while the common people burst

into joyful cries, thanking the merciful

ruler. The abbis stared intently at the

young duke's face, trying to understand

the sincerity of his unexpected

decision. Her words of gratitude

embarrassed Aaron, and he hastily

suggested a private conversation while

the other nuns continued their

treatment. In his heart, the Duke was

triumphant. Now he had a free infirmary,

and he planned to use the healers to

their fullest potential. In the castle's

ceremonial hall, something unexpected

happened. An excited Cecilia forgot all

propriety and rushed to embrace the

surprised Duke. Aaron, confused, tried

to remind the girl of the strict rules

of her order, which forbade such close

contact with men. But joy overshadowed

all rules. Through tears of happiness,

the healer thanked him for his decision

to build a new temple. The Duke saw

nothing unusual in this, but his calm

was disturbed by the alarmed treasurer

with his objections. The old man began

to argue passionately that the

construction of the temple would empty

their coffers, leaving the duche without

means of subsistence. The young ruler

was aware of the difficulties, but hoped

to use secret reserves kept for special

occasions. The wise treasurer reminded

him of the sacred nature of this money.

It had been left by the emperor for

times of extreme need. But Aaron

believed that such a moment had come and

the old man had to resign himself to the

will of his unusual master. While

Cecilia expressed her gratitude for the

help with genuine enthusiasm, the Duke

carefully considered the terms he

intended to offer the nuns. At the

center of his thoughts was the question

of creating a divine elixir within the

walls of the future sanctuary. For he

hoped to enlist Cecilia's support in

developing the lands entrusted to him.

With sincere zeal, the novice assured

Aaron of her willingness to produce as

much of the sacred liquid as he needed

for his purposes, unwittingly

contributing to the realization of his

plans. A few days later, barely able to

contain his excitement at the importance

of his discovery, Kanos rushed to the

Duke to share the unexpected news. The

source of his concern was the discovery

by the orcs of a mysterious underground

complex located near their powerful

defensive fortifications. According to

the orc leader report, the ancient

structure buried deep underground was

completely abandoned and all mention of

its owners had been lost in time. In the

opinion of the experienced kanos over

the years, these mysterious catacombs

have become a refuge for various

dangerous creatures that have flooded

the underground corridors. The adviser

expressed concern about how difficult it

might be to attract adventurers to such

a remote place and asked if the Duke was

willing to undertake the investigation.

After carefully analyzing the situation,

Aaron came to the conclusion that the

sudden appearance of highlevel dungeons

would only cause mistrust and suspicion

among the local residents. A sudden

thought about the healing abilities of

the young nun gave the Duke a brilliant

idea for attracting potential explorers

to the dungeon. The astute ruler decided

to spread rumors among the population

about a legendary elixir of immortality

hidden in the ancient catacombs capable

of granting eternal life. Kinos looked

at his master with undisguised surprise,

doubting that anyone would believe in

the existence of such a treasure in

abandoned underground passages. However,

the Duke, confident in the infallibility

of his plan, suggested that his adviser

personally verify the effectiveness of

his cunning scheme. Upon reaching the

newly built temple, where nuns

tirelessly cared for the suffering, the

mighty dragon froze in amazement at the

divine radiance emanating from them.

Watching Cecilia's graceful movements,

he clearly saw the divine energy flowing

from her body. Wondering how such an

amazing creature had ended up in their

lands. Noticing the approaching

visitors, the young nun rushed toward

the Duke with unconcealed joy, while the

puzzled dragon could not understand the

blindness of those around him to her

divine aura. Gathering his thoughts and

casting aside his doubts, Aaron asked

Cecilia with sincere interest about the

current state of affairs and her

successes in her new endeavor. The

joyful novice hurried to report on the

successful completion of the magnificent

temple and her complete control over all

the community's current affairs. The

Duke cautiously inquired about the

possibility of creating holy water, to

which he received not only a confident

agreement, but also an offer to

immediately demonstrate its amazing

abilities. Approaching the majestic

statue of the goddess Viven, the young

novice offered a sincere prayer for the

gift of divine power to perform the

long-awaited miracle. A huge vat of

ordinary water suddenly glowed with a

bright golden light, and the shocked

Kanos realized the incredible power of

the girl who had inherited divine blood.

At the dragon's suggestion, it was

decided to test the miraculous

properties of the water on the most

seriously ill person present, so that

the effect would be as clear as possible

to everyone. The old man, exhausted by

his ailments, reluctantly agreed to the

experiment, although deep down he

doubted the healing properties of the

seemingly ordinary water. However, as

soon as he took the first sip of the

sacred liquid, his body was instantly

filled with unprecedented energy, and

the excruciating pain in his joints

completely subsided. Looking at his

transformed reflection, the astonished

old man could not believe his eyes. His

body seemed to have rejuvenated by 5

years, surpassing the effects of all

known medicines. Delighted by the

sincere praise and gratitude, Cecilia

approached the Duke again, who hiding

his excitement, was already making

further plans. A daring plan formed in

his mind to fill the dungeon with holy

water and spread rumors about a source

of eternal life, for which it was

necessary to keep the unusually gifted

novice close at hand. When all the

details of the plan had finally fallen

into place, the Duke immediately

summoned Kanos to discuss important

organizational matters. Aaron was

interested in the complexity of

spreading plausible rumors among the

population about the existence of an

elixir of immortality in the recently

discovered catacombs. The experienced

dragon confirmed the uniqueness of such

powerful holy water, noting that even

the observed rejuvenating effect was

guaranteed to cause unprecedented

excitement. Encouraged by the adviser's

support, Aaron realized with

satisfaction that the main preparations

for the implementation of his plan were

almost complete. Just as the Duke was

about to set off to explore the dungeon

himself, he was stopped by an excited

Cecilia, who wanted to introduce him to

a special guest. The novice nun intended

to introduce him to the renowned captain

of the Holy Knights of Vaviona, whose

appearance in their land seemed like an

incredible stroke of luck. The Duke was

somewhat embarrassed to admit his

complete ignorance of the legendary

order of Holy Knights. This renowned

order had earned its fame thanks to its

unmatched defensive skills. Its members

filled with divine power formed an

impenetrable formation. Due to the

tragic events that befell the order,

only one captain remained alive. A

powerful warrior whose arrival was

expected at any moment. Just as Aaron

was about to ask Cecilia more about the

mysterious captain, the silence was

broken by an authoritative female voice

that echoed throughout the area. Before

them stood the legendary leader of the

Holy Knights, who immediately demanded

that the red-haired young man stay away

from their holy maiden. Bianca explained

her unexpected appearance as being

solely due to their holy maiden's desire

to build a new temple in these lands

worthy of the great goddess Viven.

However, the warlike maiden expressed

extreme indignation at the choice of

such a miserable place with barren soil,

worthless inhabitants, and a completely

unworthy ruler. Alarmed by Lady Bianca's

harsh words directed at her respected

lord, Cecilia made a desperate attempt

to smooth over the tension. The Duke, on

the contrary, was not in the least

offended by the insults. He merely

inquired on what basis she had formed

such categorical judgments about the

weakness of the local inhabitants. The

hotty warrior declared her willingness

to obey only the strongest, bitterly

admitting that she had never met a

worthy ruler in her entire life. In

response, the Duke proposed an immediate

fair fight in which the loser would have

to endure three crushing blows from the

winner. Bianca glanced contemptuously at

the frail figure of the young man,

considering him too insignificant an

opponent, but readily accepted the

challenge. The opponents took their

positions in an improvised circle formed

by the Duke's loyal knights who were

ready to witness the outcome of the

duel. Arthur, watching the preparations,

thought gloomily about the recklessness

of the planned battle with its obvious

outcome, sincerely worrying about his

master. His comrade tried to cheer him

up by reminding him of his master's

memorable victory over a mighty orc

without weapons. But Arthur continued to

worry. Unable to prevent the inevitable

clash, the loyal knights could only hold

their breath and hope for a favorable

outcome. Before the fight began, the

Duke carefully scanned the ground for a

suitable weapon and picked up an

inconspicuous dry branch, causing the

spectators to look on in bewilderment.

Bianca was enraged that a commoner dared

to oppose a holy knight armed with

nothing but a branch. Deciding to

demonstrate the full power of her

position, the warrior passionately

called upon the goddess Viven, begging

her to grant her the strength to crush

her insolent opponent. Aaron watched his

opponent with genuine bewilderment,

wondering why she was delaying her

attack, as if she were inexplicably

afraid of a simple stick. The enraged

holy warrior finally made up her mind

and rushed forward to attack the

unperturbed Duke, intending to end the

fight with a single blow. The Duke,

masterfully controlling the situation,

used a simple branch to create a

powerful spell of cutting wind, which

Bianca tried to block with her shield.

However, the crushing power of the

magical blow was so great that the

sacred shield was instantly covered with

a web of cracks, and the girl herself

trembled with fear. Realizing that one

blow was enough to teach the arrogant

Bianca a lesson, the Duke decided to

finish what he had started. Following

the terms of the duel, he continued to

methodically attack his opponent with

the enchanted branch until her once

impenetrable shield shattered into tiny

fragments, scattering across the

battlefield. Bianca's obvious defeat

reminded everyone present of the terms

of the duel, and the Duke without

hesitation struck the defeated warrior

three times on the thighs. After

carrying out the deserved punishment, he

strictly forbade her from uttering any

more insulting words on his land,

asserting his authority. The Duke

expected to see bitter tears of

humiliation. But to his amazement, such

treatment seemed to suit the weward

warrior very well. Noticing the unusual

state of her faithful friend, the

embarrassed Cecilia hurried to her,

explaining to the Duke her passionate

fondness for romantic novels. While the

nuns led the embarrassed girl away, the

Duke ordered his men to gather warriors

to clear the dungeon. Assessing the

assembled troops, the Duke realized with

alarm that they were extremely

outnumbered. As the diversion of his

main forces to guard the borders left

him with only a hundred warriors at his

disposal, the perceptive cyenos

explained the situation. According to

the established laws of military

service, every tenth inhabitant of their

population of 5,000 was subject to

conscription. Forming a truly impressive

army required a significant increase in

population. But even natural growth was

hampered by an acute shortage of food.

After carefully considering the

situation, Aaron decided to focus his

efforts on improving living conditions

to attract new settlers and ensure their

well-being. The loyal adviser solemnly

promised to do everything in his power

to remedy the dire situation in the

lands and help bring his lord's grand

plans to fruition. The Duke gratefully

accepted Kanos's promise, but his

thoughts turned involuntarily to the

growing stream of refugees flooding the

estates of the Earls of Gray and Ammon.

Putting aside his troubling thoughts for

the moment, he resolutely called upon

the assembled warriors to march toward

the mysterious underground lair in

search of ancient treasures. Upon

arrival, the knights were met by Kurok,

accompanied by his orcs, who bowed

respectfully before their master,

expressing their deep respect. When

asked about the events in the dungeon,

the confused leader reluctantly admitted

that things had taken a very unfavorable

turn, threatening their safety.

Descending to the second level of the

catacombs, Kurak bitterly pointed to the

bodies of his fallen comrades lying

lifeless on the cold stone floor. The

leader explained that during a routine

inspection of the lower level, his

warriors had suddenly begun to exhibit

signs of inexplicable and strange

behavior. Cheryl, who was part of the

expedition, instantly sensed the

sinister aura of the place, which sent a

supernatural chill through her body.

Later, it became clear that the cause of

the freezing cold was mysterious magical

vibrations that sucked the life force

out of the orcs and turned them into

mindless puppets. In an attempt to

protect the rest of the squad, Kuruk

made the difficult decision to

personally stop his possessed brothers

who had turned against humans. With one

crushing blow, he struck down his kin.

But as soon as they lost consciousness,

an ominous darkness poured out of their

lifeless bodies, forming a giant ghost.

The brave Kuruk immediately rushed to

stop the terrifying entity. But its true

target was Aaron, who barely managed to

fend off the sudden attack. With every

passing moment, the number of shadows

rapidly increased, and soon they

surrounded everyone in the gloomy

dungeon in a tight circle. Cheryl fought

desperately against the other worldly

creatures, fully aware that if she did

not defeat these ghosts now, they would

haunt her in her nightmares. While Aaron

skillfully defended the girl with his

enchanted sword, she concentrated on

summoning the purifying power of fiery

magic to destroy the sinister spirits.

After the first wave of ghosts was

successfully destroyed, Raml and the

leader continued to fight unsuccessfully

against the shadows, which were

invulnerable to ordinary weapons. Hiding

behind a massive boulder, the adviser

shouted to his comrades that only magic

could harm the ghosts, and hand-to-hand

combat was useless. Instantly assessing

the gravity of the situation, Cheryl

began to weave a complex spell once

again, seeking to help her brave allies

in their unequal battle. Her powerful

magic enveloped the warriors weapons in

sacred flames, granting them the ability

to effectively strike their incorporeal

enemies in the brutal fight. Finally,

after a fierce battle, most of the

shadows fell, but the surviving ghosts

suddenly merged together, forming a

giant spirit that attempted to escape.

The quick-witted Duke managed to deliver

a crushing blow to the monster before it

could slip through the ancient walls of

the underground labyrinth. Carefully

emerging from his hiding place, the

perceptive Kinos suggested that the

ghost's appearance was no accident and

that they were probably guarding some

ancient secret. At this tense moment,

the attentive Cheryl discovered a

mysterious ancient tome and urged her

brother to carefully study its contents.

This amazing book which told of the

legacy of the ancients revealed a

secret. In the distant past, a

magnificent temple of a mysterious

monastic order had stood here. The girl

enthusiastically explained to her

brother the essential difference between

magicians who draw their power from

outside sources and monks who are able

to summon energy of a completely

different spiritual nature. The hero

skillfully portrayed extreme amazement,

although in reality he was well aware of

these practices thanks to his knowledge

of the future, marveling only at their

existence a decade ago. After carefully

studying ancient records, Cheryl

explained the fundamental difference.

While magicians use an innate reservoir

of mana, spiritual practices allow one

to develop and transform an internal

source of power. Handing the mysterious

tome to Kanos, the intrigued Duke asked

his adviser to share his knowledge of

this mysterious art of mana control.

After carefully studying several pages

of the ancient manuscript, the wise

dragon confirmed Cheryl's words that

spiritual practices open the way to

magic even for ordinary people. A

promising idea instantly popped into

Aaron's mind. If he taught his soldiers

this art, even their small squad could

become incredibly effective. However,

the perceptive Kanos urged his master to

exercise caution and temporarily refrain

from implementing such a risky plan. The

adviser pointed to the surroundings. The

entire dungeon was stained with blood

and bore traces of countless brutal

battles of the past. The dragon

suggested that either the training of

this force was unbearably cruel, or the

energy itself was so dangerous that it

led the ancient monks to mutual

destruction. Realizing the seriousness

of the warnings, the prudent Aaron

decided to postpone the experiments

until the ancient manuscripts had been

fully studied and the consequences

thoroughly analyzed. After extensive

research, the hero and his companions

finally reached the third level of the

mysterious underground labyrinth. After

defeating the local monsters, they

discovered a massive chest filled with

gold, and Aaron wisely decided to divide

the treasure equally between himself and

future seekers. The enterprising kinos

asked his master to allow him to dispose

of the second half of the treasure,

arguing that the dungeon was too simple.

The experienced adviser understood

perfectly well how difficult it was to

create truly dangerous trials for

seasoned adventurers in the current

conditions. The far-sighted dragon

planned to use the gold to significantly

improve the dungeon. Already having

several promising ideas in mind, after

some time, skillfully disposing of the

accumulated treasures, the cunning Kanos

turned a simple dungeon into a veritable

labyrinth of puzzles and traps. Not

satisfied with the obstacles he had

created, the powerful dragon decided to

summon an entire army of the living dead

to these ancient walls with his dark

magic. Upon completion of the complex

ritual, ghostly skeletons, sinister

spirits, and other creatures of darkness

began to emerge from the frozen ground.

The next stage of his work was to

improve the holy water with a special

spell designed to enhance its miraculous

properties. After carefully examining

the resulting elixir, Kanos was

convinced that the potion could prolong

the life of mortals for a whole year,

which was ideal for their plan. The last

task facing the dragon was to find

enough greedy adventurers willing to

risk everything for untold riches. It

took some time for the rumors to reach

the right ears, and the first groups of

brave adventurers began to arrive in the

reviving city. By the time the first

adventurers showed up, the city had

changed a lot, clearly showing that the

local authorities had been busy getting

ready for the influx of visitors. The

city guards were decked out in brand new

armor, obviously purchased with funds

obtained from the mysterious

underground. The traveler's attention

was particularly drawn to a recently

renovated tavern, which had undoubtedly

been furnished, especially for the

arriving adventurers. A shrewd

adventurist quickly realized that the

local Duke was counting on travelers to

spend generously on food and drink at

the new establishment. Seeing nothing

wrong with such spending, the group of

adventurers enthusiastically headed

inside the hospitable tavern. Upon

crossing the threshold, a seasoned

adventurer was surprised to recognize an

old acquaintance who had not only built

a beautiful tavern, but also set up a

hotel. The owner of the establishment

willingly shared that the construction

had been financed by the local

authorities. But he had no doubt that it

would quickly pay for itself thanks to

the influx of treasure hunters. Wishing

to take advantage of his old friend's

knowledge, the experienced adventurer

decided to ask Gerald about all the

known details of the mysterious dungeon.

The talkative inkeeper told him about

the rumors surrounding the legendary

elixir of life. Emphasizing that the

first to find it usually got the richest

spoils. Satisfied with the information

he had received, the traveler thanked

Gerald for his valuable information and

asked him to prepare dinner and lodging

for the group. During this time, the

curious Aaron spent his free hours

studying ancient techniques for

developing spiritual power. Despite

persistent training, he had not yet been

able to fully unlock the potential of

the dragon's blessing and was aware of

the risks of ancient practices. But he

was determined to gain his own spiritual

power. After prolonged meditation and

extreme concentration, the Duke began to

feel clear progress, sensing his inner

strength awakening and growing stronger.

The sudden appearance of a caring nun

interrupted his focused exercises,

causing him to startle with surprise.

The kind-hearted girl explained that

having learned of his diligent training,

she had decided to express her gratitude

by preparing a light meal for the Duke.

Noticing an approaching knight with an

obviously urgent message, the tactful

nun hurried to take her leave, not

wanting to interfere with important

matters. As it turned out, the excited

knight had come to deliver the joyful

news of the arrival of the first

adventurers, which delighted the Duke,

who was eagerly awaiting the arrival of

his new subjects. Upon reaching the

entrance to the dungeon, the adventurers

discovered that access was not free. A

sign stated that 10 gold coins were

required. A wealthy adventurous paid the

required amount without hesitation,

receiving in return official permission

to explore the mysterious catacombs. The

companion following her was stopped by

vigilant guards due to the lack of the

initial payment required to enter the

dungeon. The initial assumption that a

single payment of 10 gold coins would

cover the entire group proved to be

incorrect. Each adventurer had to pay

the specified amount, which caused a

wave of indignation. A resourceful guard

quoted the Duke's wise words that 10

gold coins could always be earned, while

the legendary elixir could run out at

any moment. After weighing all the pros

and cons, the leader of the group

decided that 10 gold coins was a small

price to pay for the chance to gain

eternal life, and generously paid the

entrance fee for all his companions. At

the next merchant stall, the travelers

discovered a special holy water, which

the enterprising seller offered for a

gold coin per bottle. The persistent

merchant convinced the travelers that

his merchandise was essential for

fighting the underground creatures. Even

though the group already had a supply of

holy water, the shrewd businessman

instantly recognized that their supplies

came from the church in Paris.

Explaining to the inexperienced

adventurers the superiority of Viven

holy water. Realizing the potential

danger of unjustified savings, the

prudent leader decided to purchase

additional bottles of reinforced holy

water. No sooner had they completed one

transaction than the travelers were

offered the opportunity to examine

magical equipment. And despite their

growing irritation at the endless

expenses, they agreed. Near the

entrance, the travelers noticed a

remarkable sign announcing the cost of

emergency evacuation.

100 gold pieces per person. A local

sorcerer demonstrated a special magical

artifact designed to save the lives of

adventurers for a set fee. A notable

condition was that no advanced payment

was required. The gold was only due if

the artifact was actually used to save

someone's life. A rational adventurer

made the wise decision to take the

artifact, hoping to recoup all his

expenses many times over if he found the

source of eternal life. The first steps

of the brave explorers into the depths

of the dungeon were closely watched by a

shrewd adviser and a young duke. Quickly

assessing the situation, the ruler

realized that the trials were not

difficult enough for experienced

adventurers and instructed the orc

leader to increase the intensity of the

adventure. Upon reaching the second

level of the dungeon, the confident

adventurers successfully dealt with the

ghosts and monsters that inhabited it.

Despite gradually exhausting their

strength, the skillful use of the holy

water they had acquired allowed the

travelers to quickly restore their

fighting ability. Having made it to the

third level, the group encountered a new

threat. Rapidly attacking ghostly

creatures of unknown origin. Relying on

their previous experience, the

adventurers immediately used the holy

water against the rushing ghosts.

Confident in its effectiveness, the

sudden discovery shocked the group.

Behind the ghostly masks were skillfully

disguised orcs immune to the effects of

holy water. The tragic death of one of

their comrades revealed the bitter truth

to the commander. They were facing

hybrid creatures vulnerable only to

conventional weapons. Realizing the

hopelessness of the situation, the

adventurers fled and the orcs,

abandoning their masquerade, discarded

their elaborate costumes. Escaping

pursuit, the group found themselves in a

sinister labyrinth where even more

dangerous creatures of the underground

world could be lurking. Assessing the

serious condition of their wounded

comrade, the commander made the

difficult decision to leave him in a

relatively safe place while he was

unconscious. Moving forward, the

exhausted adventurers were taken by

surprise by treacherous traps, which

they barely managed to avoid. The loud

mechanism of the traps served as a

signal for a group of orcs who

immediately resumed their pursuit of the

hapless treasure hunters. The exhausting

escape drained the strength of some

members of the group. But the selfless

commander did not abandon her

demoralized comrades, helping them to

their feet. Reaching another turn, the

exhausted adventurers resorted to ice

magic to create a temporary barrier

between themselves and their pursuers.

Barely catching their breath, the group

was subjected to a surprise attack by

hidden skeleton archers, who rained a

deadly hail of arrows down upon them.

The resourceful mage of the group

swiftly dispelled the bone archers with

a powerful spell of continuous light.

However, during the spell, she

accidentally activated a clever trap.

The ceiling began to lower and water

gushed from the walls, carrying the

hapless seekers straight to the orcs.

When they came to after the unfortunate

incident, the surviving members of the

group were astonished to find themselves

at the coveted source of eternal life.

The fleeting joy of achieving their goal

was quickly replaced by horror. Before

them stood the fearsome guardian of the

spring, a mighty Minotaur. Realizing the

inevitability of defeat, the desperate

adventurer activated the life-saving

evacuation artifact, sparing no expense

to save his life. Despite the Minotaur's

overwhelming power, the timely

intervention of valiant knights saved

the last survivor, putting the monster

to flight. The noble defenders supported

the shaken adventurer, comforting him

with the news of the successful

discovery of the legendary source. With

renewed spirit, the adventurer filled a

large bottle with water glowing with

blue light, then hurried to leave the

sinister dungeon. In a remote corner of

the dungeon, the loyal Kura comforted

the distraught Minotaur, who had been

forced to take the knight's blows in

order to preserve their heroic image.

Once they reached the surface, the

exhausted travelers noticed three nuns

leisurely strolling near the entrance to

the dungeon. The pious virgins offered

the wounded adventurers healing in

exchange for signing a special contract.

The terms of the contract set the fee at

300 gold pieces for each person's

treatment, guaranteeing survival, but

removing responsibility for any side

effects. A special clause stipulated a

monthly increase of 50% of the debt in

case of delay and failure to pay meant

10 years of slavery to Duke Aaron.

Realizing the impossibility of paying

the required amount, the man hesitated,

but the insistent nuns hurried him,

pointing to the fading lives of his

companions. Seeing no other way out, the

unfortunate adventurer signed the

fateful contract with tears in his eyes,

condemning himself to many years of

servitude. The satisfied Duke accepted

an impressive chest of gold coins from

his adviser, rejoicing not only in his

wealth, but also in the acquisition of

useful slaves. The success of the

venture depended entirely on the

adviser's trust in the Duke's decisions,

for which the ruler felt sincere

gratitude, the wise old man looked with

amazement at the chest overflowing with

gold. Recognizing the unexpected wisdom

of his once frivolous master, having

assessed the profitability of the

enterprise, the far-sighted Duke decided

to monopolize the underground passages

and began exploring new territories.

Thanks to the impressive income from

this risky business, the Duke

significantly improved the standard of

living of the people in his lands. The

remaining funds were used to build a

city of adventurers, which after winter

construction work was proudly named

Atun. Looking down from a hill at his

new creation, the Duke acknowledged the

success of the construction, but keenly

felt the lack of population. His

agonizing thoughts about attracting new

residents came to no avail, for even

settling orcs in the city would cause

panic among the people. An unexpected

message delivered by a carrier pigeon

brought joyful news of the discovery of

a rich gold vein on the border between

the estates of the Counts of Gray and

Aman. Further exploration of the find

threatened to provoke a serious

territorial conflict between the

neighboring lands. However, this

prospect did not frighten the

enterprising ruler. He saw the situation

as an excellent opportunity to attract

new subjects. Upon hearing of these

plans, the alarmed Raml considered his

master a madman, ready to unleash a

territorial war. The unperturbed Aaron

explained his position. The goldbearing

lands had always belonged to him, and he

had no intention of accepting anyone

else's claims. The experienced Raml

tried to reason with his master,

reminding him of the long-standing

division of these territories between

the two counties. The determined Duke

was firmly resolved to restore

historical justice. Seeing the current

situation as an ideal opportunity, the

alarmed adviser pointed to the five-fold

numerical superiority of the combined

armies of the counties, predicting

inevitable defeat. For Aaron, this was a

matter of honor. Once loyal vassels of

the Duke had gradually broken away, ignoring his legitimate authority. The

ignoring his legitimate authority. The perceptive Cheryl shared the desire to

perceptive Cheryl shared the desire to defend honor, but feared attracting

defend honor, but feared attracting unwanted attention from the imperial

unwanted attention from the imperial court. The confident Duke reassured his

court. The confident Duke reassured his comrades, emphasizing the legitimacy of

comrades, emphasizing the legitimacy of his claims and the emperor's likely

his claims and the emperor's likely satisfaction with his possible defeat.

satisfaction with his possible defeat. Unexpectedly, the resolute old man Cain

Unexpectedly, the resolute old man Cain intervened in the discussion,

intervened in the discussion, imperiously ordering the troops to be

imperiously ordering the troops to be prepared to punish the insulent

prepared to punish the insulent usurpers. Surprised, Aaron quickly

usurpers. Surprised, Aaron quickly understood the true reason for Cain's

understood the true reason for Cain's fervor. The old adviser was eager to get

fervor. The old adviser was eager to get his hands on the rich gold mines to

his hands on the rich gold mines to replenish the treasury. In the midst of

replenish the treasury. In the midst of the discussion, the agitated knight

the discussion, the agitated knight Arthur arrived with an alarming report

Arthur arrived with an alarming report from intelligence about the

from intelligence about the concentration of troops of Counts Gray

concentration of troops of Counts Gray and Aean near the gold vein. Realizing

and Aean near the gold vein. Realizing the inevitability of a clash, the

the inevitability of a clash, the Resolute Duke ordered Raml to

Resolute Duke ordered Raml to immediately gather the nightly order for

immediately gather the nightly order for the upcoming battle. At the same time, a

the upcoming battle. At the same time, a fierce dispute broke out near the

fierce dispute broke out near the goldbearing lands between the counts,

goldbearing lands between the counts, who were unable to divide the rich find

who were unable to divide the rich find in the disputed territory. The tense

in the disputed territory. The tense atmosphere was heightened by the

atmosphere was heightened by the appearance of Duke Bran, who was

appearance of Duke Bran, who was approaching their camp, accompanied by

approaching their camp, accompanied by an impressive retinue. The powerful Duke

an impressive retinue. The powerful Duke immediately demanded that his lawful

immediately demanded that his lawful possessions be returned, citing imperial

possessions be returned, citing imperial laws on the rights to unexplored lands.

laws on the rights to unexplored lands. The indignant counts protested

The indignant counts protested vehemently, reminding him of their long

vehemently, reminding him of their long ownership of these lands and the

ownership of these lands and the unprecedented nature of such

unprecedented nature of such interference. Confident in his right,

interference. Confident in his right, the Duke reminded his rebellious vassels

the Duke reminded his rebellious vassels of their duty to obey the emperor's laws

of their duty to obey the emperor's laws and ordered his troops to prepare for

and ordered his troops to prepare for battle. The timely appearance of the

battle. The timely appearance of the wise kinos brought a constructive

wise kinos brought a constructive proposal to resolve the dispute in the

proposal to resolve the dispute in the traditional way through a fair war. The

traditional way through a fair war. The diplomatic adviser reminded them that

diplomatic adviser reminded them that the counts themselves had been preparing

the counts themselves had been preparing for military confrontation and therefore

for military confrontation and therefore should not object to such a solution.

should not object to such a solution. Aaron proposed that they join forces and

Aaron proposed that they join forces and in return the Duke would mobilize a

in return the Duke would mobilize a thousand men to fight against their

thousand men to fight against their 2,000 troops and if Aaron won they would

2,000 troops and if Aaron won they would give him their counties. The counts

give him their counties. The counts realizing that this was a tempting offer

realizing that this was a tempting offer and obviously an unfavorable battle

and obviously an unfavorable battle asked the Duke to give them a few

asked the Duke to give them a few minutes to consider the situation. After

minutes to consider the situation. After intense deliberation, the counts came to

intense deliberation, the counts came to a disappointing conclusion. According to

a disappointing conclusion. According to imperial law, the land did indeed belong

imperial law, the land did indeed belong to the Duke, and appealing to the

to the Duke, and appealing to the emperor would only confirm their

emperor would only confirm their wrongdoing. One of the counts proposed a

wrongdoing. One of the counts proposed a radical solution to eliminate the

radical solution to eliminate the troublesome Duke and divide all the

troublesome Duke and divide all the proceeds from the military campaign and

proceeds from the military campaign and the gold mines between themselves. The

the gold mines between themselves. The tempting prospect of seizing not only

tempting prospect of seizing not only the gold mines but also the silver

the gold mines but also the silver deposits seemed to both rulers to be an

deposits seemed to both rulers to be an excellent opportunity to enrich

excellent opportunity to enrich themselves. An adviser who had been

themselves. An adviser who had been closely observing the secret

closely observing the secret negotiations doubted that the counts

negotiations doubted that the counts would agree given their long hesitation

would agree given their long hesitation before the military conflict. However,

before the military conflict. However, the shrewd duke was absolutely certain

the shrewd duke was absolutely certain of their agreement. Knowing the

of their agreement. Knowing the insatiable greed of these rulers and

insatiable greed of these rulers and spreading rumors about the incredible

spreading rumors about the incredible size of the gold deposit, it later

size of the gold deposit, it later transpired that this tempting rumor had

transpired that this tempting rumor had been deliberately spread by the cunning

been deliberately spread by the cunning Aaron to provoke the counts into

Aaron to provoke the counts into military action. The Duke confessed to

military action. The Duke confessed to his stunned adviser that the real goal

his stunned adviser that the real goal was the territory of the counties and

was the territory of the counties and the mythical gold mine was merely a

the mythical gold mine was merely a legal pretext for declaring war. A month

legal pretext for declaring war. A month before this plan was devised,

before this plan was devised, intelligence reports indicated that

intelligence reports indicated that there were no disagreements between the

there were no disagreements between the counties, which meant that an artificial

counties, which meant that an artificial pretext had to be created. The hero

pretext had to be created. The hero recalled that in his previous life, the

recalled that in his previous life, the Earls had shown similar caution,

Earls had shown similar caution, avoiding military action, which prompted

avoiding military action, which prompted him to create a convincing pretext for

him to create a convincing pretext for conflict. A carefully thoughtout decree

conflict. A carefully thoughtout decree ordered the spread of rumors about the

ordered the spread of rumors about the discovery of a huge gold vein in the

discovery of a huge gold vein in the border territories of the counties of

border territories of the counties of Gray and Ammon. After lengthy

Gray and Ammon. After lengthy discussions, the counts accepted the

discussions, the counts accepted the Duke's terms while putting forward two

Duke's terms while putting forward two demands of their own for the upcoming

demands of their own for the upcoming battle. They insisted on choosing the

battle. They insisted on choosing the battlefield, leaving the date to the

battlefield, leaving the date to the Duke and demanded complete independence

Duke and demanded complete independence for the territories from the duche in

for the territories from the duche in the event of their victory. An important

the event of their victory. An important condition was that the signed agreement

condition was that the signed agreement had to be sent to the emperor for

had to be sent to the emperor for approval to give the future changes

approval to give the future changes legal force. Noticing Aaron's momentary

legal force. Noticing Aaron's momentary confusion at the mention of the emperor,

confusion at the mention of the emperor, the smug counts thought they had put the

the smug counts thought they had put the Duke in a bad spot. After a moment's

Duke in a bad spot. After a moment's thought, the Duke unexpectedly agreed to

thought, the Duke unexpectedly agreed to the terms, setting the date for battle

the terms, setting the date for battle in a month's time and sealing the

in a month's time and sealing the agreement with his signature. The

agreement with his signature. The triumphant counts were confident of

triumphant counts were confident of their victory over the short-sighted

their victory over the short-sighted Duke. Considering his signature on the

Duke. Considering his signature on the treaty equivalent to a voluntary

treaty equivalent to a voluntary transfer of land after the signing

transfer of land after the signing ceremony, the adviser expressed concern

ceremony, the adviser expressed concern that despite the events going according

that despite the events going according to the Duke's plans, the soldiers lack

to the Duke's plans, the soldiers lack of preparation could cause serious

of preparation could cause serious problems. The situation was complicated

problems. The situation was complicated by the limited size of the army, which

by the limited size of the army, which numbered only 500 men, and the need to

numbered only 500 men, and the need to act with extreme caution so as not to

act with extreme caution so as not to attract the emperor's attention.

attract the emperor's attention. Realizing that the orcs could not be

Realizing that the orcs could not be used in the upcoming battle, the

used in the upcoming battle, the far-sighted Duke instructed Kanos to

far-sighted Duke instructed Kanos to hire professional warriors. An

hire professional warriors. An additional complication was the need to

additional complication was the need to hide the absence of the gold mine from

hide the absence of the gold mine from the vigilant treasurer to prevent him

the vigilant treasurer to prevent him from interfering with the military

from interfering with the military plans. Remembering the despair of the

plans. Remembering the despair of the ruined Cain, the Duke believed in Kano's

ruined Cain, the Duke believed in Kano's sincerity and was confident in his

sincerity and was confident in his ability to deal with any problems that

ability to deal with any problems that might arise if Cheryl successfully

might arise if Cheryl successfully completed her task. As they approached

completed her task. As they approached the castle, the detachment witnessed an

the castle, the detachment witnessed an unpleasant scene. Guards were roughly

unpleasant scene. Guards were roughly chasing away a wounded elf girl who was

chasing away a wounded elf girl who was desperately begging for an audience with

desperately begging for an audience with the Duke. The exhausted girl begged to

the Duke. The exhausted girl begged to be allowed to meet with the ruler of

be allowed to meet with the ruler of these lands to discuss an extremely

these lands to discuss an extremely important matter. When Aaron appeared

important matter. When Aaron appeared with his knights, the elf immediately

with his knights, the elf immediately fell to her knees, introducing herself

fell to her knees, introducing herself as Kayla, heir to the leader of the

as Kayla, heir to the leader of the forest people and begged for help. The

forest people and begged for help. The Duke expressed his bewilderment at the

Duke expressed his bewilderment at the audacity of her request. Remembering the

audacity of her request. Remembering the brutal attacks of her tribe on the

brutal attacks of her tribe on the peaceful inhabitants of his lands. He

peaceful inhabitants of his lands. He remembered well the northern lands of

remembered well the northern lands of Bran, where proud forest elves lived

Bran, where proud forest elves lived near the dragon's nest, always seeking

near the dragon's nest, always seeking isolation from other races. Their

isolation from other races. Their settlement was a separate world with a

settlement was a separate world with a unique ecosystem. But their overly

unique ecosystem. But their overly aggressive methods of self-defense

aggressive methods of self-defense prevented peaceful coexistence with

prevented peaceful coexistence with humans. Through her tears, Kaisha told

humans. Through her tears, Kaisha told of the siege of their village by an

of the siege of their village by an invincible horde of undead. Offering a

invincible horde of undead. Offering a vow of eternal friendship between elves

vow of eternal friendship between elves and humans in exchange for help. The

and humans in exchange for help. The strategically minded Aaron instantly

strategically minded Aaron instantly recognized the opportunity to form a

recognized the opportunity to form a profitable alliance that would allow him

profitable alliance that would allow him to establish control over the elves and

to establish control over the elves and destroy the undead. The calculating elf

destroy the undead. The calculating elf further offered to hand over the

further offered to hand over the accumulated reserves of human gold as

accumulated reserves of human gold as payment for their help. The Duke made a

payment for their help. The Duke made a counter demand that the elven lands be

counter demand that the elven lands be incorporated into the duche of Bran,

incorporated into the duche of Bran, forcing the indecisive Kaisha to make a

forcing the indecisive Kaisha to make a fateful choice. The weight of

fateful choice. The weight of responsibility for the future of her

responsibility for the future of her entire people clearly weighed heavily on

entire people clearly weighed heavily on the young elf, causing her agonizing

the young elf, causing her agonizing doubts. When the Duke demonstratively

doubts. When the Duke demonstratively turned to leave, the desperate Quesa

turned to leave, the desperate Quesa hastily agreed to all the terms, which

hastily agreed to all the terms, which was entirely in line with Aaron's plans.

was entirely in line with Aaron's plans. At the general assembly, the elf

At the general assembly, the elf revealed the horrific details of the

revealed the horrific details of the death knight's attack, which struck

death knight's attack, which struck terror even into the hearts of seasoned

terror even into the hearts of seasoned warriors. According to her, in addition

warriors. According to her, in addition to the usual undead, the army was

to the usual undead, the army was commanded by a powerful death knight,

commanded by a powerful death knight, leading thousands of skeletons and

leading thousands of skeletons and bloodthirsty ghouls. Analyzing the

bloodthirsty ghouls. Analyzing the situation, Aaron concluded that such an

situation, Aaron concluded that such an attack could have been organized either

attack could have been organized either by a demon or a powerful necromancer,

by a demon or a powerful necromancer, requiring immediate action. The Duke

requiring immediate action. The Duke immediately ordered the full

immediately ordered the full mobilization of the army within 3 hours.

mobilization of the army within 3 hours. Instructing Raml to raise the nightly

Instructing Raml to raise the nightly order and summon the priestesses led by

order and summon the priestesses led by Bianca. He himself, accompanied by

Bianca. He himself, accompanied by Kanos, set off for the Orc outpost.

Kanos, set off for the Orc outpost. Realizing the critical importance of

Realizing the critical importance of time in rescuing potential subjects, in

time in rescuing potential subjects, in the northern part of the dark forest, an

the northern part of the dark forest, an elf druid was using her last ounce of

elf druid was using her last ounce of strength to maintain a protective spell,

strength to maintain a protective spell, holding back hordes of skeletons with

holding back hordes of skeletons with the power of the earth and plants. The

the power of the earth and plants. The remaining defenders of the village

remaining defenders of the village fought desperately, using bows and

fought desperately, using bows and arrows and ice magic against the endless

arrows and ice magic against the endless waves of undead. Although such tactics

waves of undead. Although such tactics might have been effective against

might have been effective against ordinary skeletons, the powerful death

ordinary skeletons, the powerful death knight easily dispelled the elven

knight easily dispelled the elven spells. Despite the efforts of the elf,

spells. Despite the efforts of the elf, who used natural magic, the endless

who used natural magic, the endless stream of skeletons did not diminish,

stream of skeletons did not diminish, constantly replenished by new warriors.

constantly replenished by new warriors. Realizing the necessity of using fire

Realizing the necessity of using fire magic, which was forbidden to elves, the

magic, which was forbidden to elves, the leader of the settlement bitterly begged

leader of the settlement bitterly begged nature for forgiveness for the forced

nature for forgiveness for the forced violation of ancient laws. Even as the

violation of ancient laws. Even as the flames destroyed the skeletons, the

flames destroyed the skeletons, the death knight sent new waves of ghouls

death knight sent new waves of ghouls capable of passing through walls and

capable of passing through walls and continuing the attack. At the critical

continuing the attack. At the critical moment when defeat seemed inevitable, a

moment when defeat seemed inevitable, a sudden magical rain fell on the undead

sudden magical rain fell on the undead army, destroying their bodies. Stunned,

army, destroying their bodies. Stunned, the death knights saw a majestic dragon

the death knights saw a majestic dragon in the sky, which became the source of

in the sky, which became the source of unexpected salvation. It turned out that

unexpected salvation. It turned out that the dragons were equipped with a special

the dragons were equipped with a special holy water spraying system developed by

holy water spraying system developed by the nuns to instantly destroy any

the nuns to instantly destroy any undead. The Duke, commanding the

undead. The Duke, commanding the knights, advanced along the cleared path

knights, advanced along the cleared path toward the village walls to ensure the

toward the village walls to ensure the protection of the elves. Enraged by his

protection of the elves. Enraged by his defeat, the Knight of Death began a new

defeat, the Knight of Death began a new ritual, summoning the fallen undead to

ritual, summoning the fallen undead to rise and continue the battle. The risen

rise and continue the battle. The risen ghouls rushed toward Bianca's holy

ghouls rushed toward Bianca's holy knights, threatening to break through

knights, threatening to break through their defenses. The defenders managed to

their defenses. The defenders managed to reach the walls of the elven village and

reach the walls of the elven village and form a shield wall, offering prayers to

form a shield wall, offering prayers to the goddess for strength. A golden glow

the goddess for strength. A golden glow and a holy aura strengthened by their

and a holy aura strengthened by their prayers created an impenetrable barrier

prayers created an impenetrable barrier that repelled any attempt by the undead

that repelled any attempt by the undead to approach. Raml, armed with a

to approach. Raml, armed with a consecrated blade in holy water. In a

consecrated blade in holy water. In a decisive battle, first cut off the death

decisive battle, first cut off the death knight's arm and then beheaded his

knight's arm and then beheaded his powerful opponent. Demoralized by the

powerful opponent. Demoralized by the death of their leader, the undead

death of their leader, the undead retreated in fear. But Raml, seizing the

retreated in fear. But Raml, seizing the moment, ordered the knights to launch a

moment, ordered the knights to launch a decisive attack. The observant Duke,

decisive attack. The observant Duke, noting the successful halt of the undead

noting the successful halt of the undead advance, sensed that the real battle was

advance, sensed that the real battle was yet to come. The adviser revealed the

yet to come. The adviser revealed the truth. The defeated knight of death was

truth. The defeated knight of death was only upon, and for final victory, it was

only upon, and for final victory, it was necessary to find and destroy the true

necessary to find and destroy the true enemy, a necromancer or a demon. Soon,

enemy, a necromancer or a demon. Soon, Cecilia, who had been searching for the

Cecilia, who had been searching for the main enemy, reported that she had

main enemy, reported that she had discovered his location in the far

discovered his location in the far reaches of the dark forest. Among the

reaches of the dark forest. Among the mountain peaks, a bright purple glow of

mountain peaks, a bright purple glow of demonic energy was clearly visible,

demonic energy was clearly visible, indicating the presence of a powerful

indicating the presence of a powerful creature. At the top of the mountain sat

creature. At the top of the mountain sat a sheevil. Annoyed by the quick defeat

a sheevil. Annoyed by the quick defeat of her knight and the need to personally

of her knight and the need to personally command the army of the undead. Finding

command the army of the undead. Finding herself in a hopeless situation, she

herself in a hopeless situation, she began to recite an ancient death spell,

began to recite an ancient death spell, seeking to gain its destructive power.

seeking to gain its destructive power. At the critical moment when the deadly

At the critical moment when the deadly spell was almost complete, the swift

spell was almost complete, the swift Aaron managed to deliver a precise blow,

Aaron managed to deliver a precise blow, knocking the devilis unconscious. When

knocking the devilis unconscious. When she came too, the demonist felt the cold

she came too, the demonist felt the cold blade of the Duke's sword at her throat,

blade of the Duke's sword at her throat, ready to punish her for her audacious

ready to punish her for her audacious attack on his subjects. Underestimating

attack on his subjects. Underestimating her opponent, the demonist launched a

her opponent, the demonist launched a desperate attack. Unaware that the Duke,

desperate attack. Unaware that the Duke, endowed with divine and dragon power,

endowed with divine and dragon power, would easily neutralize her blow. Moving

would easily neutralize her blow. Moving in close, Aaron inflicted a serious

in close, Aaron inflicted a serious wound on her, but spared her life.

wound on her, but spared her life. Offering her a choice between death and

Offering her a choice between death and loyal service. Stunned, the devilis

loyal service. Stunned, the devilis pressed her hand to her wounded heart

pressed her hand to her wounded heart and watched in amazement as her magical

and watched in amazement as her magical energy rapidly drained away from a

energy rapidly drained away from a single sword blow. Realizing the power

single sword blow. Realizing the power of her enemy, she placed a magical seal

of her enemy, she placed a magical seal of allegiance on his blade, solemnly

of allegiance on his blade, solemnly swearing to serve him faithfully. After

swearing to serve him faithfully. After completing the oath ritual, Elena

completing the oath ritual, Elena immediately recalled her army of undead,

immediately recalled her army of undead, granting long-awaited salvation to the

granting long-awaited salvation to the tormented elves. At the end of the

tormented elves. At the end of the battle, the Duke approached his knights

battle, the Duke approached his knights on horseback, accompanied by a

on horseback, accompanied by a mysterious stranger. Explaining the

mysterious stranger. Explaining the situation to his adviser, he skillfully

situation to his adviser, he skillfully lied about the devil's escape,

lied about the devil's escape, confidently declaring her future

confidently declaring her future harmlessness. The perceptive Cecilia

harmlessness. The perceptive Cecilia immediately noticed her master's strange

immediately noticed her master's strange companion. And although there was no

companion. And although there was no demonic aura, waves of dark power

demonic aura, waves of dark power emanated from the girl. The pious nun

emanated from the girl. The pious nun was determined to cleanse the unknown

was determined to cleanse the unknown woman's defiled soul of vice and evil.

woman's defiled soul of vice and evil. However, the Duke resolutely stood up

However, the Duke resolutely stood up for Elena, promising to provide Cecilia

for Elena, promising to provide Cecilia with a full explanation later and asking

with a full explanation later and asking her to trust his decision. Half an hour

her to trust his decision. Half an hour earlier, after concluding a magical

earlier, after concluding a magical contract, Aaron had pulled his sword

contract, Aaron had pulled his sword from the demoness's chest, allowing her

from the demoness's chest, allowing her wounds to heal. His unexpected order to

wounds to heal. His unexpected order to take the undead away rather than destroy

take the undead away rather than destroy her confused Elena. But the Duke had a

her confused Elena. But the Duke had a logical explanation. He shared his plans

logical explanation. He shared his plans to use the undead army as a labor force

to use the undead army as a labor force for his future endeavors. The freed

for his future endeavors. The freed elves came out to greet their savior,

elves came out to greet their savior, expressing their sincere gratitude for

expressing their sincere gratitude for his timely help in the unequal battle.

his timely help in the unequal battle. The Duke discreetly reminded them of

The Duke discreetly reminded them of their contractual obligations, and the

their contractual obligations, and the elven leader confirmed her willingness

elven leader confirmed her willingness to fulfill her part of the agreement.

to fulfill her part of the agreement. Presenting an official document

Presenting an official document declaring the elves as his subjects. The

declaring the elves as his subjects. The Duke caused obvious shock among the

Duke caused obvious shock among the elven rulers. Kaisha hastened to explain

elven rulers. Kaisha hastened to explain to her mother the necessity of signing

to her mother the necessity of signing the treaty, which had become the only

the treaty, which had become the only way to obtain the help of the humans.

way to obtain the help of the humans. Recognizing that there was no other

Recognizing that there was no other option, the elven leader knelt before

option, the elven leader knelt before Aaron and swore allegiance on behalf of

Aaron and swore allegiance on behalf of her entire people. Thanks to this

her entire people. Thanks to this victory, the Duke gained 1,500 new

victory, the Duke gained 1,500 new subjects from among the surviving elves

subjects from among the surviving elves for his developing city. Upon arriving

for his developing city. Upon arriving at their destination, the elves were

at their destination, the elves were struck by the unfamiliar emptiness of

struck by the unfamiliar emptiness of their surroundings. Aaron explained that

their surroundings. Aaron explained that the city of adventurers was just

the city of adventurers was just beginning its existence and needed

beginning its existence and needed workers while guaranteeing the elves

workers while guaranteeing the elves autonomy and the opportunity to manage

autonomy and the opportunity to manage their own affairs. The elves were

their own affairs. The elves were concerned about the meager food supplies

concerned about the meager food supplies which were likely to run out in a few

which were likely to run out in a few days, especially considering the

days, especially considering the presence of children. The Duke offered

presence of children. The Duke offered an ambiguous deal, agreeing to provide a

an ambiguous deal, agreeing to provide a thousand elves with a month's worth of

thousand elves with a month's worth of food. The elven leader was concerned

food. The elven leader was concerned about the fate of the remaining 500 of

about the fate of the remaining 500 of her people who were left without food

her people who were left without food supplies. The Duke revealed his plan for

supplies. The Duke revealed his plan for these warriors, demanding that they be

these warriors, demanding that they be sent to his castle for special

sent to his castle for special assignments. The puzzled elf tried to

assignments. The puzzled elf tried to figure out the true motives of the

figure out the true motives of the ruler, whose offer seemed strangely

ruler, whose offer seemed strangely advantageous for both sides. With a

advantageous for both sides. With a mysterious smile, the Duke simply asked

mysterious smile, the Duke simply asked her to fulfill the terms of the

her to fulfill the terms of the agreement without further explanation.

agreement without further explanation. Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace, the

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace, the carefree ruler was enjoying a game of

carefree ruler was enjoying a game of chess with the invited champion of the

chess with the invited champion of the lands. The emperor suspected that his

lands. The emperor suspected that his opponent was deliberately holding back

opponent was deliberately holding back his skills, allowing him to win. The

his skills, allowing him to win. The unexpected appearance of an adviser with

unexpected appearance of an adviser with a reminder of an important meeting of

a reminder of an important meeting of vassals interrupted the exciting game.

vassals interrupted the exciting game. The monarch was clearly displeased at

The monarch was clearly displeased at having to interrupt his pleasant pastime

having to interrupt his pleasant pastime for official duties. It turned out that

for official duties. It turned out that the urgent matter concerned a request

the urgent matter concerned a request from the counties of Gray and Ammon for

from the counties of Gray and Ammon for approval of a territorial war. At first,

approval of a territorial war. At first, the emperor reacted to the situation

the emperor reacted to the situation with his usual calm, knowing about the

with his usual calm, knowing about the frequent disputes between the Earls.

frequent disputes between the Earls. However, the situation took an

However, the situation took an unexpected turn. The counts were

unexpected turn. The counts were planning to unite against Duke Aaron.

planning to unite against Duke Aaron. The news of the planned uprising against

The news of the planned uprising against his nephew caused the emperor sincere

his nephew caused the emperor sincere surprise and required immediate

surprise and required immediate investigation. The ruler was puzzled as

investigation. The ruler was puzzled as to how Aaron had managed to anger the

to how Aaron had managed to anger the local counts so much, as if deliberately

local counts so much, as if deliberately bringing trouble upon himself. At an

bringing trouble upon himself. At an emergency meeting, the emperor and his

emergency meeting, the emperor and his vassals began discussing the alarming

vassals began discussing the alarming rumors of a brewing conflict. After

rumors of a brewing conflict. After exchanging meaningful glances with Duke

exchanging meaningful glances with Duke Gran, the emperor received the expected

Gran, the emperor received the expected confirmation of the legitimacy of

confirmation of the legitimacy of Aaron's claim to the gold vein. However,

Aaron's claim to the gold vein. However, Duke Ryan, Aaron's loyal friend, opposed

Duke Ryan, Aaron's loyal friend, opposed this, predicting catastrophic

this, predicting catastrophic consequences for his comrades lands.

consequences for his comrades lands. Gran reminded everyone of the

Gran reminded everyone of the immutability of Imperial law and the

immutability of Imperial law and the right of the strongest. hinting at the

right of the strongest. hinting at the contradiction between Ryan's position

contradiction between Ryan's position and the established order. Ryan, torn by

and the established order. Ryan, torn by inner conflict, recalled the oath he had

inner conflict, recalled the oath he had given to the former emperor to protect

given to the former emperor to protect his heirs. The emperor, understanding

his heirs. The emperor, understanding Ryan's feelings, nevertheless decided in

Ryan's feelings, nevertheless decided in favor of upholding imperial law. Having

favor of upholding imperial law. Having approved the territorial war, he ordered

approved the territorial war, he ordered the necessary documents to be prepared

the necessary documents to be prepared for official registration. After the

for official registration. After the meeting, the emperor privately summoned

meeting, the emperor privately summoned Gran and ironically inquired about his

Gran and ironically inquired about his ability to read minds. The reason for

ability to read minds. The reason for this interest was the surprising

this interest was the surprising coincidence between the Duke's thoughts

coincidence between the Duke's thoughts and the emperor's own thoughts during

and the emperor's own thoughts during the discussion of the conflict. The

the discussion of the conflict. The monarch noted the impressive insight of

monarch noted the impressive insight of his newly appointed adviser whose

his newly appointed adviser whose judgments perfectly matched his own. The

judgments perfectly matched his own. The ruler expressed sincere satisfaction at

ruler expressed sincere satisfaction at having such a perceptive, like-minded

having such a perceptive, like-minded person in his entourage. The flattered

person in his entourage. The flattered duke modestly remarked that he was

duke modestly remarked that he was simply following the logic of the law,

simply following the logic of the law, anticipating the emperor's actions. The

anticipating the emperor's actions. The emperor asked Gran for his opinion on

emperor asked Gran for his opinion on the likely outcome of the upcoming

the likely outcome of the upcoming military conflict. The Duke confidently

military conflict. The Duke confidently predicted Aaron's defeat based on the

predicted Aaron's defeat based on the obvious numerical superiority of the

obvious numerical superiority of the combined forces of the counties.

combined forces of the counties. However, the emperor was troubled by a

However, the emperor was troubled by a vague uneasiness over his nephew's

vague uneasiness over his nephew's inexplicable confidence in a clearly

inexplicable confidence in a clearly losing situation. Gran hastened to

losing situation. Gran hastened to reassure the monarch, informing him of

reassure the monarch, informing him of his order to his vassel to immediately

his order to his vassel to immediately demand payment of an old debt from Count

demand payment of an old debt from Count Gray. The confident adviser guaranteed

Gray. The confident adviser guaranteed the support of 30 experienced mercenary

the support of 30 experienced mercenary mages, promising to uphold the law and

mages, promising to uphold the law and maintain complete secrecy throughout the

maintain complete secrecy throughout the operation. The emperor's thoughts were

operation. The emperor's thoughts were so accurately read that he was finally

so accurately read that he was finally convinced of Gran's psychic abilities.

convinced of Gran's psychic abilities. The emperor's sinister laughter

The emperor's sinister laughter accompanied his thoughts about using

accompanied his thoughts about using magicians against his own nephew.

magicians against his own nephew. Meanwhile, Cheryl, in the Imperial

Meanwhile, Cheryl, in the Imperial capital, indulged in shopping, buying

capital, indulged in shopping, buying exquisite jewelry and dresses. After

exquisite jewelry and dresses. After finishing her main purchases, the girl

finishing her main purchases, the girl decided to prolong the pleasure of

decided to prolong the pleasure of spending money, which helped her cope

spending money, which helped her cope with the accumulated tension.

with the accumulated tension. Intuitively sensing that she was being

Intuitively sensing that she was being followed, Cheryl decided to carry out

followed, Cheryl decided to carry out her brother's instructions and put an

her brother's instructions and put an end to her entertainment. Heading into

end to her entertainment. Heading into the dark alleys, she deliberately

the dark alleys, she deliberately created the illusion of easy prey for

created the illusion of easy prey for her pursuers. The cunning gangsters had

her pursuers. The cunning gangsters had no idea that they had fallen into a

no idea that they had fallen into a cleverly set trap where the girl could

cleverly set trap where the girl could use her magic unhindered. An excessively

use her magic unhindered. An excessively powerful spell attracted the attention

powerful spell attracted the attention not only of her targets, but also of

not only of her targets, but also of random passers by on the main street.

random passers by on the main street. Unperturbed, Cheryl grabbed the wounded

Unperturbed, Cheryl grabbed the wounded leader and demanded information about

leader and demanded information about the location of the underground casino.

the location of the underground casino. Shocked by the display of power, the

Shocked by the display of power, the criminals hurriedly led the powerful

criminals hurriedly led the powerful sorceress to an inconspicuous old

sorceress to an inconspicuous old castle. Behind the unassuming facade lay

castle. Behind the unassuming facade lay a lavishly decorated underground casino

a lavishly decorated underground casino hall. A quick look around the room

hall. A quick look around the room showed that the local crowd was placing

showed that the local crowd was placing exceptionally large bets, even by

exceptionally large bets, even by capital city standards. Of particular

capital city standards. Of particular interest was an information board

interest was an information board covering the main event, the war in the

covering the main event, the war in the lands of Bran, which was taking bets on

lands of Bran, which was taking bets on the victory of the Duke or the Alliance

the victory of the Duke or the Alliance of Counts. The appearance of the casino

of Counts. The appearance of the casino owner, a representative of an elite

owner, a representative of an elite group involved in monetizing Imperial

group involved in monetizing Imperial events, was accompanied by general

events, was accompanied by general excitement. The owner's solemn speech

excitement. The owner's solemn speech was interrupted by an ill-mannered

was interrupted by an ill-mannered visitor, demanding that Betts be taken

visitor, demanding that Betts be taken faster and insulting the dwarf. The

faster and insulting the dwarf. The manager immediately ordered the guards

manager immediately ordered the guards to remove the rude man and forbid him

to remove the rude man and forbid him further access to the establishment.

further access to the establishment. After restoring order, the host

After restoring order, the host gallantly explained his actions as

gallantly explained his actions as concern for the precious time of the

concern for the precious time of the noble audience. The casino regulars

noble audience. The casino regulars enthusiastically welcomed Lumpy,

enthusiastically welcomed Lumpy, expressing their sincere approval of his

expressing their sincere approval of his actions. The announcement of the start

actions. The announcement of the start of betting on the outcome of the war

of betting on the outcome of the war sparked a flurry of offers ranging from

sparked a flurry of offers ranging from 100 to 100,000 gold coins. All eyes were

100 to 100,000 gold coins. All eyes were drawn to a mysterious girl who bet 3

drawn to a mysterious girl who bet 3 million on the victory of Duke Aaron.

million on the victory of Duke Aaron. Concerned, Lumpy reminded everyone of

Concerned, Lumpy reminded everyone of the rules of immediate payment, doubting

the rules of immediate payment, doubting the stranger's ability to pay.

the stranger's ability to pay. Unperturbed, Cheryl elegantly parried,

Unperturbed, Cheryl elegantly parried, hinting at the obvious wealth of a

hinting at the obvious wealth of a visitor to such an elite establishment.

visitor to such an elite establishment. The contract presented by one of the

The contract presented by one of the three largest trading groups in the

three largest trading groups in the empire instantly dispelled all doubts on

empire instantly dispelled all doubts on the owner's part. Having concluded the

the owner's part. Having concluded the deal, the girl teleported home where her

deal, the girl teleported home where her worried older brother was waiting for

worried older brother was waiting for her. Concerned about the importance of

her. Concerned about the importance of the mission, Aaron eagerly asked about

the mission, Aaron eagerly asked about the results of the bet. Satisfied,

the results of the bet. Satisfied, Cheryl confirmed the successful

Cheryl confirmed the successful completion of the plan and asked about

completion of the plan and asked about the conversation with Cain regarding the

the conversation with Cain regarding the pledge of land to the trading group. The

pledge of land to the trading group. The Duke admitted that he had not yet

Duke admitted that he had not yet discussed this delicate matter. being

discussed this delicate matter. being busy settling his new subjects. A sly

busy settling his new subjects. A sly smile accompanied his remark that it

smile accompanied his remark that it would be easier to ask Cain for

would be easier to ask Cain for forgiveness than for his prior

forgiveness than for his prior permission. The news of the absence of a

permission. The news of the absence of a gold vein and the pledge of land plunged

gold vein and the pledge of land plunged Cain into a state of horror. Upon

Cain into a state of horror. Upon learning of the 3 million gold coin

learning of the 3 million gold coin pledge, the gay-haired adviser burst

pledge, the gay-haired adviser burst into tears, remembering the promise he

into tears, remembering the promise he had made to the former emperor, which

had made to the former emperor, which had proved impossible to fulfill due to

had proved impossible to fulfill due to the actions of his young lord. The young

the actions of his young lord. The young Duke's attempts to explain the existence

Duke's attempts to explain the existence of a carefully thoughtout plan were met

of a carefully thoughtout plan were met with Cain's categorical refusal to even

with Cain's categorical refusal to even listen to his reckless master. The

listen to his reckless master. The gay-haired adviser was absolutely

gay-haired adviser was absolutely certain that the only plan of his

certain that the only plan of his reckless ward was to die in gloriously

reckless ward was to die in gloriously in debt on a tiny piece of land.

in debt on a tiny piece of land. Realizing the impossibility of

Realizing the impossibility of constructive dialogue under the current

constructive dialogue under the current circumstances, Aaron insisted that Cain

circumstances, Aaron insisted that Cain accompany him personally to demonstrate

accompany him personally to demonstrate all aspects of the strategy in detail.

all aspects of the strategy in detail. Through a magical portal created by

Through a magical portal created by Cheryl, the Duke impressively

Cheryl, the Duke impressively demonstrated his incredible power,

demonstrated his incredible power, destroying a massive mountain with a

destroying a massive mountain with a single blow to convince the old adviser

single blow to convince the old adviser of the inevitability of victory. The

of the inevitability of victory. The only condition Aaron put forward in

only condition Aaron put forward in exchange for demonstrating his

exchange for demonstrating his supernatural abilities was unconditional

supernatural abilities was unconditional trust in his future strategic decisions.

trust in his future strategic decisions. Shocked by the display of power, the old

Shocked by the display of power, the old man immediately offered to turn to the

man immediately offered to turn to the Moria group for the necessary financing

Moria group for the necessary financing through the banking system. A few days

through the banking system. A few days later, the ambitious head of the Moria

later, the ambitious head of the Moria group arrived in the duche and surveying

group arrived in the duche and surveying the estates already imagined these lands

the estates already imagined these lands as his future property. Despite his

as his future property. Despite his aristocratic origins, the current owner

aristocratic origins, the current owner of the Moria trade association has been

of the Moria trade association has been guided by the infamous principle of

guided by the infamous principle of blood money in all his business

blood money in all his business dealings. The impressive fortune of the

dealings. The impressive fortune of the Moria family was built up over many

Moria family was built up over many generations through skillful management

generations through skillful management of land projects and strategic trade

of land projects and strategic trade exchanges. 30 years ago, Aaron's fateful

exchanges. 30 years ago, Aaron's fateful decree prohibiting the free sale of land

decree prohibiting the free sale of land led to the collapse of the once powerful

led to the collapse of the once powerful duche of Moria. Demonstrating incredible

duche of Moria. Demonstrating incredible resilience, the head of the family

resilience, the head of the family established a thriving illegal lending

established a thriving illegal lending business in the capital, catering

business in the capital, catering primarily to small entrepreneurs.

primarily to small entrepreneurs. Sinister rumors circulated among the

Sinister rumors circulated among the people that the appearance of Mariah

people that the appearance of Mariah money was invariably accompanied by

money was invariably accompanied by bloodshed, as the head of the family did

bloodshed, as the head of the family did not shy away from radical methods of

not shy away from radical methods of increasing his capital. Thanks to its

increasing his capital. Thanks to its ruthless business strategy, the Moria

ruthless business strategy, the Moria Trading Group managed to become one of

Trading Group managed to become one of the three largest financial

the three largest financial organizations on the continent,

organizations on the continent, demonstrating impressive growth in

demonstrating impressive growth in influence. Moria's assistant astutely

influence. Moria's assistant astutely noted that the inability to directly

noted that the inability to directly acquire land was offset by the Duke's

acquire land was offset by the Duke's inevitable insolveny, which would allow

inevitable insolveny, which would allow them to obtain territory in exchange for

them to obtain territory in exchange for debts. Moria, anticipating sweet

debts. Moria, anticipating sweet revenge, intended to teach the foolish

revenge, intended to teach the foolish son of his sworn enemy a harsh lesson in

son of his sworn enemy a harsh lesson in financial literacy, vividly

financial literacy, vividly demonstrating the sinister reputation of

demonstrating the sinister reputation of the bloody coin. The creditors were

the bloody coin. The creditors were surprised by Aaron's sincere joy, who

surprised by Aaron's sincere joy, who greeted the guests with exaggerated

greeted the guests with exaggerated cordiality and inquired about the

cordiality and inquired about the details of their journey. The

details of their journey. The experienced businessman kept the

experienced businessman kept the conversation light, eloquently

conversation light, eloquently discussing his willingness to go to the

discussing his willingness to go to the ends of the earth to provide financial

ends of the earth to provide financial assistance to clients in need. The

assistance to clients in need. The perceptive hero instantly recognized in

perceptive hero instantly recognized in his interlocutor a man who passionately

his interlocutor a man who passionately desired the fall of the duche. But the

desired the fall of the duche. But the current circumstances left no choice but

current circumstances left no choice but to cooperate. The anxious Cain was

to cooperate. The anxious Cain was present at the important meeting and

present at the important meeting and took it upon himself to briefly outline

took it upon himself to briefly outline to those gathered the reasons that had

to those gathered the reasons that had prompted his master to organize this

prompted his master to organize this meeting. The self- assured Moria

meeting. The self- assured Moria initially believed that the meeting had

initially believed that the meeting had been called to review the terms of a 3

been called to review the terms of a 3 million gold coin loan intended for

million gold coin loan intended for risky bets in an underground casino. An

risky bets in an underground casino. An unexpected turn of events came when the

unexpected turn of events came when the Duke announced that the purpose of his

Duke announced that the purpose of his visit was entirely different. He

visit was entirely different. He intended to obtain an additional loan of

intended to obtain an additional loan of 2 million gold coins. The experienced

2 million gold coins. The experienced financier categorically opposed such a

financier categorically opposed such a deal, fearing the loss of influential

deal, fearing the loss of influential clients due to the direct involvement of

clients due to the direct involvement of the merchant guild in military conflicts

the merchant guild in military conflicts between the nobility. The far-sighted

between the nobility. The far-sighted Duke hastened to allay his fears,

Duke hastened to allay his fears, emphasizing that the funds were not

emphasizing that the funds were not intended for hiring additional troops

intended for hiring additional troops and that only his army would take part

and that only his army would take part in the battle. Aaron explained the need

in the battle. Aaron explained the need for the loan by his desire to invest in

for the loan by his desire to invest in the development of the territories in

the development of the territories in advance, counting on a manifold increase

advance, counting on a manifold increase in profits after the inevitable victory.

in profits after the inevitable victory. Carefully analyzing the situation, Moria

Carefully analyzing the situation, Moria understood that he was in a win-win

understood that he was in a win-win situation. If the Duke was defeated, all

situation. If the Duke was defeated, all the lands would inevitably fall under

the lands would inevitably fall under the control of the merchant guild. The

the control of the merchant guild. The financeier was particularly intrigued by

financeier was particularly intrigued by the young duke's inexplicable confidence

the young duke's inexplicable confidence in a favorable outcome, as if all

in a favorable outcome, as if all circumstances were under his complete

circumstances were under his complete control. After much deliberation, Moria

control. After much deliberation, Moria agreed to provide an additional 2

agreed to provide an additional 2 million on condition that the funds were

million on condition that the funds were used for the development of the

used for the development of the territories as documented. Outraged,

territories as documented. Outraged, Cain strongly opposed taking out a new

Cain strongly opposed taking out a new loan, rightly fearing that defeat in the

loan, rightly fearing that defeat in the war would leave the treasury completely

war would leave the treasury completely empty without a single coin. Observing

empty without a single coin. Observing the emotional discussion between the

the emotional discussion between the Duke and his adviser, the shrewd Moria

Duke and his adviser, the shrewd Moria realized that there might not be a

realized that there might not be a better opportunity to finally plunge his

better opportunity to finally plunge his enemy into debt, the cunning financier

enemy into debt, the cunning financier proposed an interest-free loan,

proposed an interest-free loan, ostentatiously expressing his confidence

ostentatiously expressing his confidence in victory to the Duke in order to make

in victory to the Duke in order to make the fateful decision as easy as

the fateful decision as easy as possible. The obvious lie had a single

possible. The obvious lie had a single purpose, to remove any remaining doubts

purpose, to remove any remaining doubts about the advisability of the loan, and

about the advisability of the loan, and both sides, understanding the true

both sides, understanding the true motives, accepted the proposed terms.

motives, accepted the proposed terms. Later, Moria confessed to his assistant

Later, Moria confessed to his assistant that only a madman would bet on the

that only a madman would bet on the Duke's victory, and that his generous

Duke's victory, and that his generous offer was merely intended to strengthen

offer was merely intended to strengthen their relationship of trust. The

their relationship of trust. The assistant sincerely admired Moria's

assistant sincerely admired Moria's lightning fast reaction, considering it

lightning fast reaction, considering it a brilliant confirmation of his

a brilliant confirmation of his outstanding intellectual abilities and

outstanding intellectual abilities and business acumen. Casting a last glance

business acumen. Casting a last glance at the majestic castle, Moria smiled

at the majestic castle, Moria smiled maliciously, imagining how the Duke

maliciously, imagining how the Duke naively counted him among his trusted

naively counted him among his trusted allies. Watching unnoticed from the

allies. Watching unnoticed from the window, the Duke and Cain were impressed

window, the Duke and Cain were impressed by each other's acting skills. Having

by each other's acting skills. Having managed to flawlessly play out their

managed to flawlessly play out their planned performance in front of an

planned performance in front of an experienced financeier. Moria's

experienced financeier. Moria's exceptional generosity in offering an

exceptional generosity in offering an interest-free loan made a strong

interest-free loan made a strong impression on the Duke, who considered

impression on the Duke, who considered it the best possible outcome of the

it the best possible outcome of the difficult negotiations. The highly

difficult negotiations. The highly experienced Cain explained that his

experienced Cain explained that his behavior was not a game. Years of

behavior was not a game. Years of observation had taught him to accurately

observation had taught him to accurately predict the actions of people like

predict the actions of people like Moria, who were ready to resort to any

Moria, who were ready to resort to any trick for their own gain. With the

trick for their own gain. With the decisive battle only 20 days away, the

decisive battle only 20 days away, the tireless Raml devoted all his time to

tireless Raml devoted all his time to intensively preparing the elven warriors

intensively preparing the elven warriors for the upcoming battle. Arriving at the

for the upcoming battle. Arriving at the training ground, Aaron was alarmed to

training ground, Aaron was alarmed to discover that the real situation was

discover that the real situation was much worse than expected. Even their

much worse than expected. Even their natural gifts were not helping the elves

natural gifts were not helping the elves master the necessary skills. The

master the necessary skills. The prospect of the elf troops being swiftly

prospect of the elf troops being swiftly destroyed by the enemy cavalry before

destroyed by the enemy cavalry before the archers could even fire their first

the archers could even fire their first shot was caused for grave concern in

shot was caused for grave concern in search of reasons for the unsatisfactory

search of reasons for the unsatisfactory training. The Duke even began to doubt

training. The Duke even began to doubt Cain's integrity regarding the timely

Cain's integrity regarding the timely provision of the promised food supplies

provision of the promised food supplies to the elves. Insulted by the

to the elves. Insulted by the suspicions, the old treasurer

suspicions, the old treasurer immediately entered into a fierce

immediately entered into a fierce argument, indignantly proving his

argument, indignantly proving his innocence in the combat training

innocence in the combat training problems. The timely intervention of the

problems. The timely intervention of the level-headed Kanos prevented further

level-headed Kanos prevented further escalation of the conflict, pointing out

escalation of the conflict, pointing out the real problem, the insufficient range

the real problem, the insufficient range of the elven weapons. Careful

of the elven weapons. Careful measurements showed that the maximum

measurements showed that the maximum range of the available bows did not

range of the available bows did not exceed 100 m, while the actual combat

exceed 100 m, while the actual combat distance was at least 200. Realizing the

distance was at least 200. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Aaron was

gravity of the situation, Aaron was deeply troubled. The upcoming battle in

deeply troubled. The upcoming battle in open terrain required urgent changes to

open terrain required urgent changes to the army's weaponry in the remaining 20

the army's weaponry in the remaining 20 days. Additional complications were

days. Additional complications were created by the close attention of the

created by the close attention of the entire empire to the upcoming battle,

entire empire to the upcoming battle, which ruled out the possibility of the

which ruled out the possibility of the Duke using his supernatural abilities. A

Duke using his supernatural abilities. A perceptive adviser recommended that the

perceptive adviser recommended that the Duke refrain from personal participation

Duke refrain from personal participation in the battle, emphasizing the need to

in the battle, emphasizing the need to prepare Lady Cheryl to control the

prepare Lady Cheryl to control the numerous variables of battle. Competent

numerous variables of battle. Competent management of combat factors would allow

management of combat factors would allow for a fair clash between armies of equal

for a fair clash between armies of equal strength, numbering a thousand warriors

strength, numbering a thousand warriors on each side. Kanos emphasized the

on each side. Kanos emphasized the critical importance of eliminating

critical importance of eliminating uncertainty regarding the range of fire.

uncertainty regarding the range of fire. Considering this f

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