Chapter 92 - The Heavy Snow Eases Slightly
Dawn broke faintly, the heavy snow easing its relentless fall.
The smoke and fire of battle finally declared a temporary truce. The residents of Platinum City, still dazed after surviving an unexpected catastrophe, cautiously emerged from their homes. The relief of survival, the heartache over material losses, the sorrow for relatives lost – before these complex emotions could even begin to settle, many noticed a sight that left them utterly dumbfounded.
A giant.
An impossibly large, earthen-yellow giant was slumped against the western city wall. Its hands remained frozen in the posture of striking the wall, and a stark crack marred Platinum City's western defenses. Though the giant was motionless now, its sheer presence exerted an immense pressure.
Clang, clang, clang…
Outside the city walls, a group of slave laborers chipped away at the earthen-yellow giant with hammers and chisels.
Gathered around the giant were numerous esteemed imperial dignitaries.
Brown Lekman reached out and rapped his knuckles against the giant's body. The sound was crisp and clear.
"This... feels like ceramic?" Brown Lekman remarked.
"Indeed," Marco Lehmann nodded. "It looks quite similar to the pottery on our dining tables, but our dinnerware certainly couldn't damage Platinum City's walls."
"The tribesmen possess such advanced rituals?" Brown Lekman tilted his head back, finding it hard to believe as he stared up at the towering ceramic giant.
"This is certainly not the work of tribesmen..." Marco Lehmann gestured, and a squad of city guards brought forward more than a dozen corpses.
These bodies were all clad in similar black robes. Fluid leaked from their orifices, their skin was shriveled, and their limbs were grotesquely twisted. Any moderately experienced mage could tell this was the horrific result of death caused by excessive overdraft of supernatural power.
Marco Lehmann pointed to one of the black-robed corpses. "This man was Bruce Kotick, once the most renowned mentor of the former Golemancer Faction, who also served as a Royal Mage Scholar. These black-robed individuals are all Golemancers expelled from the Oran Empire. I've already invited several Mage Scholars to identify them."
"Yes," confirmed a Mage Scholar standing beside Marco Lehmann. "Ordinary matter, even common earth, can be transformed into extraordinary materials through specific methods. This was the core tenet the Golemancers always insisted upon, and also the reason for their..."
The reason they were deemed blasphemous heretics – the Mage Scholar spoke vaguely, but everyone present understood perfectly. The Golemancers' theories contradicted the teachings of the Holy Texts. It was Archbishop Maitland Kontao himself who had condemned them as "fallacies" and branded all Golemancers as "heretics."
"To think these deviants would stoop so low as to conspire with savage tribesmen! Truly, they are all wicked heretics!" Archbishop Kontao's face flushed with anger, as if merely looking upon the Golemancers' corpses would defile his eyes.
The slave laborers chipped away for the better part of the day, excavating corpse after corpse from within the ceramic giant.
These bodies belonged to knights of the Oran Empire and tribesmen warriors alike, but they all shared the same fate – desiccated like mummies dried by countless years of wind. Clearly, after the ceramic giant devoured them, it had also drained every last drop of supernatural power from their bodies.
However, the assembly of nobles, including Emperor Henry himself, had obviously not gathered here for these nameless fallen soldiers, even if some were knights of the Oran Empire.
Finally, after a commotion, the target these dignitaries awaited was brought out: Duke Fernandez Paste.
"Father!" Empress Anne rushed forward emotionally.
Following her was the Duchess, Edith Paste.
His noble status had not saved Duke Fernandez, nor had the artifact he wore.
The ring on Fernandez's right hand was a considerably powerful artifact named "Spring Bud." It could instantly imbue its wearer with immense vitality and heal almost any external wound – truly a divine tool for a general on the battlefield. Yet now, the artifact ring had completely lost its luster, appearing like common metal.
Fernandez's corpse resembled the others, shriveled like a mummy, perhaps even more tragically so.
It seemed "Spring Bud" had not only failed to save Duke Fernandez's life but had instead made his death even more agonizing.
Watching the weeping Duchess and her daughter, and seeing the ever-increasing number of corpses laid out before them, the nobles and Mage Scholars present felt incredibly conflicted.
Before the southern gate was breached, the fighting between the city guard and the tribesmen, though fierce, had resulted in relatively few casualties. Relying on the tall, sturdy walls and superior weaponry, the battle had mainly consumed the city guard's ammunition and stamina.
After Alphonse opened the southern gate, the tribesmen surged in, and the Black Fire Army broke through forcefully. The combat pressure on the city guard and palace guard increased sharply, but protected by heavy armor, large shields, and the "Iron Wall" formation, they only suffered several hundred fatalities and about a thousand wounded. This minimal cost yielded the destruction of at least thirteen to fourteen thousand tribesmen.
Baxia had meticulously planned infiltrations, ambushes, and assaults, employing various tactics to catch Platinum City off guard. Nevertheless, the Oran knights still achieved an astonishingly favorable kill ratio against the tribesmen.
Therefore, the Oran nobility had never felt overly anxious about the tribesmen's invasion.
Until the appearance of this ceramic giant...
The two thousand knights who had charged out with Duke Fernandez Paste were almost completely wiped out.
Even including these two thousand knights, the Oran Empire's casualties were still just a fraction of the tribesmen's losses. But this was already an unimaginable defeat for the Empire.
Moreover, Duke Fernandez himself had fallen here.
Undoubtedly, these Golemancers had proven their theories were no mere "fallacies." They had imbued ordinary earth with unimaginable supernatural power, demonstrating that common matter and extraordinary materials could indeed be interconverted, without any need for divine intervention.
Both the walls of Platinum City and the life of Duke Fernandez Paste served as extraordinary footnotes to this demonstration, a proof destined to spread throughout the land and be recorded in the annals of history.
When that time came, who would play the fool in the historical narrative? The Church, which had scorned the Golemancers' theories? The Royal Mage Scholars, who remained silent when their colleagues were expelled? Or the Royal Family, which had cooperated with the Church in banishing the Golemancers?
Whoosh...
A massive beast, resembling a cross between an eagle and a lion, descended from the sky. It wore specialized armor predominantly in red and yellow hues – a gryphon belonging to the Royal Gryphon Knight Regiment.
The gryphon landed, kicking up a cloud of dust. Several elite knights either slid down ropes or jumped directly from the gryphon's back. The leader wore a helmet adorned with a plume dyed golden-red – the symbol of the Royal Gryphon Knight Regiment's commander. Only one person in the entire Oran Empire was qualified to wear such a helmet: the Minister of Military Affairs, Dawid Boyan.
Upon receiving the order from Dowager Mary, Dawid Boyan had immediately withdrawn ten gryphons from the border defenses and personally led them to reinforce Platinum City.
Dawid Boyan was not one to misjudge a situation. He knew that tribesmen capable of silently crossing the Duchy of Paste to assault Platinum City were definitely extraordinary. But the scene before him – the ground littered with corpses, the cracked city wall, and the massive pit outside the west wall – far exceeded his darkest predictions.
"Your Majesty."
Dawid Boyan knelt on one knee before Emperor Henry, his heart heavy. He too had seen the deceased Duke Fernandez.
"Count Dawid, how many men did you bring back?" Henry demanded immediately.
"Ten gryphons, two hundred gryphon knights," Dawid Boyan reported.
Henry pointed towards the Kanpei Mountains to the west, his voice laced with gritted teeth, "I want you to pursue them! Slaughter every last one of those tribesmen who dared to violate the sanctity of Platinum City! Can you do it?"
Blood splashed on his face during the coronation ceremony. Not two days after being crowned, Platinum City was breached by a band of tribesmen, and then a Duke was killed by a group of heretics…
The baseline for the Oran Emperor's dignity being trampled upon was being redefined again and again.
Henry felt as though his face was being ground into the mud.
Had it been any other general facing the enraged and humiliated emperor, they likely would have already thumped their chest, guaranteeing mission completion. But Dawid Boyan pondered for a moment before replying, "Breaking the enemy remnants is not a problem, but we will need to requisition some knights from the Duchy of Paste to coordinate with our forces and block the enemy's escape routes. Only then can we ensure total annihilation."
"Granted. Proceed as you see fit," Henry said without hesitation. "Remember, you absolutely must bring me back the head of that... Baxia!"
"Your will shall be done!"
Dawid Boyan accepted the command and departed. Despite having just endured a grueling two-day journey, he took no rest and immediately threw himself into the pursuit.
Alongside the Golemancer Bruce Kotick, another name was now deeply etched into the minds of the Oran nobility: the King of the Tribesmen, Baxia.
Morning sunlight streamed into the simple thatched hut.
"Haaah..."
Charlotte yawned, rubbing her eyes.
Suddenly, a bone-chilling gust of wind swept through, raising goosebumps on the girl's slender arms and shoulders.
Charlotte shivered violently from the cold and quickly burrowed back under the quilt.
"Awake now?"
Laina, sharing the bed, turned on her side, looking at Charlotte with a smile.
"It's so cold."
Charlotte hugged Laina tightly. In the depths of winter, only the girl's smooth, soft, fragrant body offered her any warmth.
"Oh, so now you feel the cold?"
Laina rolled her eyes.
Last night, Charlotte had whispered secrets in Laina's ear. Laina had initially wanted to refuse – it was truly freezing. The biting wind howled outside, and this countryside hut was drafty everywhere; covering the gaps with cotton cloth did little good. But she hadn't been able to resist Charlotte's persistent coaxing.
..............
"It just so happens I'm feeling passionate too..." Charlotte murmured, rubbing her cheek gently against Laina's.
Charlotte's claim of "feeling passionate" wasn't entirely false, except it was a state artificially induced by her "Bewitchment" ability. How could she stop thinking about her own powers, her grand ambitions, her devotion to Lord Yg...? Charlotte figured occupying her mind with something else would do the trick. And what could possibly compete with her ambition and pique her interest? Beautiful girls, naturally.
Although it was her first time trying it on herself, the result was successful; "Bewitchment" worked on Charlotte too.
Last night, Charlotte had also briefly spoken with Alphonse. Now that the effect of "Bewitchment" had faded, Charlotte recalled that when facing Alphonse, she truly hadn't had any ulterior thoughts. Her mind had been entirely focused on quickly dealing with the old man so she could get back to talking with Laina.
It was a bit rude, perhaps, but Alphonse certainly wouldn't suspect anything.
However, there was one minor drawback: Charlotte's original intention with "Bewitchment" was simply to make herself think more about lovely girls. But perhaps due to her personality, thinking too much about delicious, delightful girls naturally led to the desire to have a taste.
"Don't... stop moving..." Laina's breathing grew heavy from Charlotte's nuzzling. She quickly pressed down on Charlotte's head. "If you keep moving, I won't be able to hold back again."
"If you can't hold back, let's just have another round. I hear morning is a good time for exercise," Charlotte said nonchalantly.
"Exercise in bed?" Laina giggled. "I quite like that kind of morning workout too. But the caravan is about to depart. Renee came in earlier wanting to wake you, but I stopped her and said to let you sleep a bit longer. Since you're awake now, let's not waste any more time, alright?"
"Fine..." Charlotte finally released Laina.
Laina sat up and called for a maid to help her dress. Among their travel companions, Renee was the only maid Laina permitted to touch her body.
Charlotte lay sideways on the bed, watching Laina get ready. Suddenly remembering something, she asked, "Laina, does your estate have Female Scholars skilled in the Candy Faction?"
"Hm?" Laina nodded, then asked curiously, "Why do you ask? Does Charlotte want to study the Candy Faction too?"
"Not me. I want someone from my side to study the Candy Faction," Charlotte explained.
The Candy Faction – it sounded like a frivolous pastime for noble ladies and young misses. Getting stronger just by eating candy, with the main benefit being improved appearance – a perfect example of something flashy but useless. But in reality, its path of study was far from simple. The candy consumed by practitioners wasn't mere cane or malt sugar; it required dozens, even hundreds, of medicinal ingredients prepared according to specific methods. The candy formulas also needed adjustments based on the season, time of day, and the practitioner's individual constitution.
In short, it wasn't just a faction that was all show and no substance; it was a faction that was expensive, time-consuming, and all show and no substance.
Because of this characteristic, a special profession had emerged within noblewomen's circles: the Female Scholar. Though called scholars, they were more like personal attendants, distinguished only by their mastery of the Candy Faction. Their daily duties involved not only taking care of the noblewoman's daily needs but also guiding her Candy Faction studies and preparing the specialized candies for her.
Hearing Charlotte's explanation, an ambiguous, knowing smile spread across Laina's face. "I understand," she said. "Later, I'll pick out the best-looking one for you."
Charlotte blinked, having no idea what Laina had just understood.