Knight Lords: Infinite Simulation and the Path of Light

Chapter 100 Storm in the North
Kudeyema Outskirts
"Pay attention to formation! Pay attention to attack range!"

A knight clad in bright silver armor rode back and forth on a horse fully encased in armor. Whenever he saw a breach in the defenses, he would immediately unleash several sword strikes.

With the combined efforts of the White Lion Legion's cavalry and garrison soldiers, the thousands of ghouls on the outskirts were wiped out. As the sun set, the soldiers began to clear the battlefield. Occasionally, a few crows flew across the sky, emitting sharp cries, their slightly reddened eyes watching the soldiers moving back and forth below.

"Gather all the remains of the ghouls and burn them together. Be quick, it will be dark soon."

Sitting on horseback, Baron Zeli issued various post-battle orders to the messengers standing by. The sun was about to set, and with the help of the remaining rays of the setting sun, he looked at his baron's castle, which was faintly visible a few kilometers away.

Just one more day, and he could lead his soldiers to clear all the ghouls from his territory. Thinking of this, Baron Zeli felt a surge of joy. Although the sudden attack on his castle by the ghoul army had resulted in heavy losses, he had unexpectedly ended up joining the White Lion Legion.

As one of the top legions in the entire Northern Territory, or even the entire Empire, its strength is simply beyond words. Although Earl Hylan is only a count on the surface, his actual military strength is greater than that of some imperial dukes.

If it weren't for being dragged into the vortex of years of war by the orcish empire in the north, the White Lion Legion alone could have easily crushed a ducal power in the south.

The Northern Territory was suddenly attacked by the Death Church's army of undead. Several nobles in the North decided to form the Northern Guard. This made Zemo sense that there might be some great opportunities. If he could seize them, he might be able to move up his long-standing title of third baron.

"Messenger, messenger, deliver this battle report to Whiterun."

The sky had completely darkened, but the huge bonfire burning the ghouls illuminated the area within a radius of several hundred meters as if it were daytime. The corpses, after being transformed into ghouls, had a lot of oil on their bodies, which made the flames burn exceptionally fiercely.

Thick smoke billowed from above the bonfire. The air was filled with a nauseating stench of corpses, but judging from the soldiers who kept throwing bodies up, they had clearly gotten used to the smell. Some soldiers were even so hot that they took off their shirts.

White City - Conference Room

"Kevin, so far, everything is proceeding steadily according to plan."

Count Morrie remained completely unrefined, his feet propped on the table and shaking incessantly, causing the chair to sway back and forth from his back.

Count Hylan, standing by the window, held several intelligence reports in his hand. Seeing Mori lounging around in a lazy manner, he couldn't help but shake his head helplessly.

"According to the messenger, the Dawnguard who were chasing the Church of Death stopped fifty kilometers before Ugarama, but then suddenly started moving again. They have now disappeared from sight."

Furthermore, our operations to eliminate some territories in the North have not been entirely successful. At least now that the White Lion Legion has entered the fray, there are still two or three areas we haven't completely eradicated.

Upon hearing his old friend's words, Count Mori did not show any surprise, calmly swirling the mead in his glass.

"That's normal. It would be strange if those guys from the Eternal Flame really left the North so easily. What did your son say back then?"

Oh, I remember now. The Eternal Church's forces are like flies that have seen shit. How could they possibly fly away unmoved? They'll only stop once they've truly tasted it.

Hahahaha, I must say, your son really knows how to use metaphors. Our North is a pile of stinking excrement right now. Anyone who tries to take advantage of us should be prepared to get covered in its stench.

Seeing the old man Mori laughing so hard he was doubled over, the originally worried Earl Hyland also burst into a hearty laugh.

"However, you're right. Aurelion is no pushover. Tell your commanders to keep an eye on him. Who knows where he and his Dawnguard are hiding in the North."

Moreover, the intelligence coming back from multiple locations now seems to confirm that perhaps the Church of Death that was driven away didn't go to the Orc Empire either. I have a vague feeling that they've returned to the North, and might just jump out from somewhere we don't know to deliver another fatal blow.

After listening to Count Mori's analysis, Count Hylan sat down silently. These were the very things he was worried about. It was about to snow, and the extermination of the ghouls, which was supposed to be completed in half a month, had been delayed for various reasons. So far, neither he nor Count Mori had found the spy hiding in the North. The feeling of being in the open while the enemy was in the dark, waiting for things to happen, was really not a good feeling.

"Don't worry too much, Kevin. You're not as good as your son in this respect. Look at that little rascal Havent, he's just living day to day. Your son always says that there's no use in being afraid. Those sneaky guys will come out sooner or later. We'll deal with them according to the situation when they do."

Count Hyland sat on the wooden chair, his head resting on the back, staring blankly at the overhead light.

"Havent, there's really no way around it. He clearly just wanted to be a leisurely lord, wandering around his territory every day. Unfortunately, now he has no choice but to go to the capital for the sake of the North. Back then, when his mother said she would take him back to his maternal grandfather's house, he resolutely refused to go. Who would have thought that he would now be embarking on a journey to the capital alone."

Earl Morrie turned his head and looked over. Seeing Earl Hyland's absent-minded look, he knew that Kevin was thinking about his son again. He sighed softly and sat up.

"Don't worry, your son is a good-for-nothing. You know him well, don't you? He'll definitely do whatever makes him comfortable along the way. You gave him so much money, what's there to worry about? He can't possibly suffer a loss. He's the one who's going to make others suffer."

Upon hearing Earl Mori's words, Earl Hyland also sat up. As the heir to Hyland Territory, there were some things he was destined to face, things he couldn't avoid. As his father, all he could do was provide him with a solid support system, ensuring his son wouldn't be hesitant or timid in the capital.

"Speaking of which, shouldn't you be heading to the capital to give a performance review? Why haven't you left yet?"

"Oh, you mean this matter? I've already informed His Majesty. Given the current situation in the North, it's better for me to stay there."

"His Majesty has agreed?"

Clearly, Earl Hyland was somewhat surprised by Earl Morley's answer.

"Yes, I just completed a telepathic communication with His Majesty through the magic crystal the other day. I briefly explained the current situation in the Northern Territory to His Majesty, and His Majesty indicated that he was aware of it."

"And then? That's it?"

Feeling a bit hungry, Count Morrie walked to the fireplace, picked up a sausage, and started eating it, smacking his lips in a very unladylike manner.

"Hmm~ This is really good. I have to say, that brat Haven's talent in food is much better than his talent in other areas."

Seeing Earl Hyland staring intently at him, Mori felt a little embarrassed and quickly took a sip of wine to swallow the food in his mouth.

“Hey Kevin, it’s very impolite to stare at other people eating.”

Seeing that Earl Hyland remained unmoved, Earl Morley chuckled dryly and became serious.

“Kevin, our Emperor is not a fool. As the largest royalist in the North, he pays close attention to every little thing that happens there. The reason I was summoned to the capital to report on my duties was only to deal with the noise from some southern lords in the Senate. Although the amount of subsidies we receive has been decreasing year by year in recent years, His Majesty still needs to consider the overall situation when questions arise again.”

Originally, it was just a perfectly normal, ordinary matter. But now, with so many things happening in the North, our Emperor feels an invisible hand manipulating his chessboard. He now needs to seriously investigate who is behind this, so naturally, things can't proceed as planned.

After listening to Count Mori's words, Count Hyland stroked his short, needle-like beard and began to think.

"Does Your Majesty have any other instructions?"

Count Morley finished the large sausage and let out a very satisfying burp.

"No, that's not the case. Oh, right, not entirely. You should be getting a promotion. The appointment will be issued soon. Marquis Hailan, you'll have to take good care of this old man in the future."

"what?"

Upon hearing the news of his promotion, Earl Hyland did not appear happy; on the contrary, he seemed quite surprised.

"How is this possible? Have the restrictions been lifted?"

However, Count Morley clearly didn't quite understand Frederick IV's reasoning. After all, the restrictions on noble titles in the North had been in place for a long time, spanning two hundred years, with only one marquess and four earls in the vast North. This puzzled Count Hyland, since his own title could be elevated, allowing the White Lion Legion to continue growing, something the southern nobles would certainly not tolerate.

"Have you made contact with Sidgeel? Have you heard any rumors from the Empire lately?" The Sidgeel that Count Hyland was referring to was the fourth count of the North. As the local count stationed in the capital of the North, his main role was to advocate for the interests of the North and to speak up for the North in the court.

"That old bastard Sidgal, I doubt he'll live past next year. The last time he communicated with me was two months ago. I heard that the old guy got a few bastards from somewhere and has already ruined himself."

Hearing Earl Morrie's teasing, Earl Hyland raised an eyebrow with a masculine air and asked in confusion:

“I don’t think Count Sidgeel had this hobby before.”

"Who knows? Perhaps the honeyed pools of the capital have already made that old wolf forget the snow and wind of the North."

Despite the teasing, the two Northern Earls fell silent after the laughter subsided. These jokes were just spice in life; the North was like a wounded soldier waiting to be attacked, unsure whether he would die at the hands of the enemy in front or from the shadows behind.

Just as the two were sitting in their seats drinking quietly, there was a knock on the conference room door.

"Come in."

A guard dressed in white lion and bright silver armor entered, bowed to the two people sitting in the chairs, and said...

"My Lord, urgent military intelligence from Kudeyema."

When Baron Zeli recaptured the castle, he encountered a large number of ghouls, including several powerful ghoul complexes.

Furthermore, Baron Gu Zeli's report stated that traces of the heretics of the Church of Death were suspected to have been discovered in Kudeyema.

Upon hearing the guard's words, Earl Hyland reached out and took the intelligence report. After glancing at it a few times, he handed it to Earl Mori, who was sitting to the side, and then stood up and walked to the map hanging on the wall.

"Haddaway, something's not right. If what Zeli said is true, then it seems the worst-case scenario we predicted is about to happen."

Count Morrie put down his wine glass, touched his bald head, smacked his lips in annoyance, muttered a curse under his breath, and walked over.

“These damned lackeys of the gods, I knew it, they won’t give up until they achieve their goal.”

It now appears that Aurelion and his men didn't simply vanish into thin air; rather, they drove those heretics back to the North.

Earl Hylan fumbled on the map for a while, then slammed his fist on the location of the Amar defense line before turning and walking out the door.

"Where are you going, Kevin?"

Count Hyland picked up the sword from the counter, hung it on his waist, and said without turning his head.

“Kudeyema, I’m going to see what’s going on. We can’t keep letting them lead us by the nose.”

Lord Charlton said that there have been more orc scouts outside the lines recently, and our soldiers who went out to scout have suffered heavy casualties.

The orcs to the north are definitely going to make some moves soon. We can't afford to disperse our forces any further, or the pressure on the Amar Line will be too great.

Old man Morrie followed Earl Hyland downstairs and called out to him as he mounted his horse:
"Hey, everything I just said to you was a waste of time. The more we do now, the more mistakes we'll make. We should just wait and see what they're going to do."

"Passive defense isn't my style, and letting them get away with things too easily would be detrimental to us. I'll leave the affairs of Whiterun City to you."

The north wind howled, and dust rose everywhere. Count Mori stood on the city wall watching his old friend lead the White Lion Armored Knights toward the western tower.

"Solis, when did you get back?"

Watching the White Lion Legion disappear into the plains, Earl Morrie, the acting lord of Whiterun, finished the last drop of wine in his bottle and turned to go back to the castle for a bath.

When he turned around, he found that Solis was standing behind him at some point.

"I just arrived. I was going to say hello to Lord Kevin, but he seemed to be in a hurry, so I didn't bother him."

"Want to take a bath? Did your trip go smoothly?"

As Kevin's good friend, Solis and Count Mori have known each other for many years, and their friendship is very deep.

Solis did not refuse Count Mori's invitation, nodded and followed Count Mori back to the castle.

"Well, it went relatively smoothly. The Mage Association is optimistic about settling in the North, after all, the conditions offered by the North are very generous. Compared with the nobles of other territories, our equal cooperation is what they need."

"Ankut, Ankut, get us some food and bring it to the bathroom. I have something to discuss with Solis."

A few minutes later, in the bath on the third floor of the castle, Count Morley suddenly popped out of the water, rubbed his face vigorously a couple of times, and hummed comfortably.

"So what requests did they make? Tell us."

Count Morrie picked up his glass and took a sip of Blackthorn liqueur. The slightly spicy taste made him raise an eyebrow, hesitate for a moment, then put the glass down and reached for the mead placed beside him.

"Besides the more common practice of establishing mage guilds in major cities and stationing mage advisors in various smaller territories, they also hope to gain the support of the Northern Legion, which is the promise they want most."

Count Morrie leaned against the edge of the table, his head resting on a bath towel, his fingers lightly tapping the rim of a glass as he fell into deep thought.

"What does 'support' mean? Isn't it enough that we're willing to give them equal status and preferential treatment in terms of resources?"

Solis wasn't soaking in the bathtub; instead, he was sitting on the steps wearing shorts. The rising steam made his hair wet and limp, sticking to his face.

“Lord Mori, you should know that, in terms of resources alone, mages are not lacking. What is truly important to them is the right to speak and the right to power, since many things depend on the attitude of those in power.”

With a whoosh, Count Morrie stood up, his slightly sagging belly protruding from his stomach. He grabbed a towel and roughly dried himself off, then looked at Solis with a serious expression.

“Solis, have you given them other hope? That they would even have such thoughts? If they really want these rights, they should join the Royal Mage Order, not here.”

Faced with Count Mori's scrutinizing gaze, Solis remained quite composed, looking directly back at him.

"Lord Mori, you should understand why they don't go there. Protection without any voice is not protection; it's slavery."

As for whether I said anything else, well, yes and no. I only said that Havent is the heir to the White Lion Legion of the North, and that he is also a mage, and a very nice guy.”

Count Morrie, seated on the steps, remained silent for a moment, then suddenly grabbed the wine bottle beside him and gulped it down, saying in a deep, rumbling voice:

“Let them come to Whiterun, let’s talk.”

(End of this chapter)