Knight Lords: Infinite Simulation and the Path of Light

Chapter 210 Snowstorm
"report"

"Andoff, 17th Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd White Lion Cavalry Regiment, reporting to you."

Marquis Hylan, who was checking the intelligence against the map on the table, looked up at Andof, who was covered in blood.

"The Baki clan?"

Kevin pointed to the huge claw mark on Andoff's chest; the standard armor produced by the Bolton Armory had blocked most of the damage from this ferocious attack.

"Yes, Lord Kevin..."

"Our squad was ordered to patrol the upper reaches of the Bari River when we were attacked in the Kerlen region. The attackers were a group of orc scouts."

"However, the ones we initially fought were not the Baki Clan, but the Wolf Clan's scout soldiers. It was during our battle with the Wolf Clan soldiers that the Berserker Warriors suddenly attacked."

After listening to Andof's report, Kevin straightened up from his slumped position on the table and turned to look at the large map behind him.

The map shows the territory of the Orcish Empire. The closer to the Arma Line, the more detailed and clear the map is. The map only marks the general situation in the heart of the Orcish Empire, while the ancestral lands further north are only described in a few words.

"Logically speaking, they shouldn't be the ones showing up this year."

Standing next to Kevin, Senior Advisor Quinn also looked at the Orc Empire's large map with a puzzled expression.

"Quinn, you also think something's a bit off, right..."

Quinn, sporting a small goatee, stroked it with his hand, his mind racing as he pondered and speculated about why the elite forces of the five royal families had suddenly arrived at the front lines.

“Yes, Your Excellency, and according to our understanding of the Orc Empire, the royal family that should be on duty this year should be the half-dragon race, but now the tiger bloodline troops have arrived, which is very strange.”

"Could something have happened within the Orc Empire?"

Kevin remained noncommittal to Quinn's words. Just two days ago, he received a notification of promotion from the Empire, stating that after two hundred years of arduous development, the Hylan family had once again been restored to the rank of Marquis.

This made Kevin's feelings very complicated, and he couldn't help but hesitate about the plan he had made with Morrie and the others.

Was his decision good or bad for the empire and for Frederick? Should he even make this decision...?

The clash of these two thoughts left Kevin feeling anxious and uncertain during this period. On one hand, there was the place he had protected since childhood, and on the other hand, there was the torment of his brother and the life principles he believed in.

"Alright, soldier, I understand the situation completely now. Go bandage your wounds, have a hot pot of meat soup, and finally get a good night's sleep."

"Yes, Lord Kevin."

Andof saluted Marquis Hyland and then left the operations room.

Quinn glanced at the departing scout captain's back, then at Marquis Hylan, who was still deep in thought, and said:
"My lord, since there have been some unclear changes on the orc side, should we activate our hidden agents?"

Faced with Chief of Staff Quinn's suggestion, Kevin stroked his short, needle-like beard and pondered for a moment before saying:

"It's not time yet. Actually, for us, it doesn't matter which of the five royal families comes first. The cold wind and snow came so early this year; this winter will be very long~~~"

Seeing that his superior had made a decision, Quinn said no more. For them, who had been stationed in the northernmost part of the empire for a long time, the orcs' southward invasion was an unchangeable fact. As for obtaining some intelligence in advance through schemes and calculations, it would only make the war a little more controllable. In other words, it was just a difference between whether his soldiers died a little earlier or a little later.

"Yes, my lord."

"There is another matter that I need your attention, sir."

As he spoke, Quinn pulled one of the stacks of documents on the table and handed it over.

"Take a look at this. Only two-thirds of our 28th batch of military supplies has arrived. And only half of the 29th batch has been delivered."

Looking at the list of supplies Quinn handed over, Kevin couldn't help but frown. Although the supplies in the Amma defense line were enough to support the line to operate independently for two years without receiving any support, the fact that not all the supplies could be delivered already indicated a lot of problems.

"Okay, I know where Mori is right now."

"Lord Mori just arrived at the defense line this morning and should be taking a bath in the quartermaster's bathhouse right now~~~"

"That old guy."

"Alright, continue processing the equipment replacement for the troops. The vast majority of troops should have their equipment replaced within a week."

Seeing the Marquis pick up his coat and walk out the door, Quinn nodded and continued with his work. For an army of nearly 300,000 stationed at the Ammar defense line, completing the equipment replacement within a week was no easy task.

Quartermaster Fire Camp

"Hahahaha~ Old Kakarat~~~"

"After all these years, your cooking skills are still as good as ever!"

"Tell me, my bunch of stupid servants have been doing this for so many years, how come they just can't learn this skill no matter what?"

Count Morrie lay face down on a single bed, completely naked, his chin resting on a small cushion, his arms hanging loosely on either side of the bed, his eyes half-closed in comfort.

"Hahahaha, what can this old man like me compare to the maids in your manor? Those maids are specially trained, unlike me, who usually just tidies up the soldiers on their days off to help them relax."

"Speaking of which, lately our young soldiers have been preferring to go to Tengtiao Street. The girls there have such fair and delicate fingers; it feels indescribably comfortable to touch them..."

As a ladle of hot water was poured over him, Count Morley felt the last trace of fatigue wash away. He waved his hand to the side, and another glass of mead with ice was immediately handed over.

After swallowing a large glass of mead, Earl Morrie shivered and felt completely alive again. The eight or nine days of travel had almost killed him. If it weren't for Kevin's constant urging and messages, Morrie would have preferred to stay in Whiterun until the end of the Winter Festival.

To be honest, Whiterun is much better developed than my own territory, Falkreath. Compared to it, my territory is like a large town with no planning whatsoever. Once this cold winter is over, I will go back to Falkreath and give it a proper makeover.

According to Kevin, Whiterun's current city planning was entirely done by that brat Haven. Having a good son is nothing special; as long as he marries his daughter to that brat, and as the saying goes, a son-in-law is half a son, then he'll be his son too.

Just as Count Mori was about to lie down again and have old Kakarat give him a massage, the wooden bathroom door creaked open.

"Hey~~~ you old codger, don't tell me you've been here for hours and soaking in the bathroom the whole time." Count Mori looked up and saw Marquis Hylan, dressed in military uniform, walk in.

"Hey Kevin~~~~ You're here~~ Want to go for a dip together~~"

Seeing Earl Morrie's lazy and slovenly appearance, Kevin couldn't help but shake his head. This old fellow really doesn't miss any opportunity to relax and enjoy himself.

"Let's go, we still have things to talk about."

Urged on by Kevin, Earl Morrie reluctantly got off his single bed and, with the help of his personal guards, dressed himself.

"Really, really, I'm so old, you should let me rest a bit."

along the way.

Count Morrie, who kept grumbling, followed Marquis Hyland to the garrison building. Seemingly old, Count Morrie, with his hunched back, looked even shorter next to the tall Marquis Hyland.

"Honestly, if you hadn't insisted on calling me over, I was planning to have a comfortable winter festival in Whiterun."

"You old codger, you've been staying in my house for too long. Why don't you go back to your territory?"

"Hahahaha~~~ Didn't you ask me to keep an eye on things for you? Of course I have to keep a close eye on them. Speaking of which, why don't you just talk to Charlton about it?"

Faced with Count Maurice's question, Kevin couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
“The Marquis of Charlton is dying, that’s why I called you here.”

"Huh? What?"

Clearly, Kevin's words were a bit beyond Morrie's expectations. After all, Charlton, as a Grand Knight of the Frostmoon, was more than ten years older than him, but he was so healthy that he didn't look like a man in his seventies. Sometimes Morrie even felt that if he died one day, this stubborn old man would still be alive and well.

Now Kevin is saying that the old man is sick, and very sick, which is simply unbelievable to Mori.

Of course, putting aside this minor issue, the more crucial problem is that with the fall of Lord Charlton, there will be a shortage of high-end combat power in the Arma defenses, which is extremely bad news for the upcoming orc invasion to the south.

"Is he about to pass away?"

"Yes, you can see the details for yourself when you go in."

Kevin shook his head slightly and opened the door. Immediately, a strong smell of herbs wafted out of the room.

Count Morrie, standing at the door, frowned at the pungent smell of herbs and went inside.

Upon entering, one sees the once stern and imposing old man, who was like an ice blade facing the cold wind, lying on the bed with a pale face. Several tubes are inserted into his bare upper arm, and herbs emitting a faint glow are flowing into his body through the tubes.

"Hehehe, you old fox, here you come."

Despite looking incredibly weak, the Marquess of Charlton still managed a wide, cracked grin as he smiled at Morrie.

Seeing Charlton, who no longer appeared as a strongman, Earl Morley's eyes reddened.

"What's wrong with you? We were fine when we last met, how did you suddenly become like this?"

Charlton looked at Morrie, who had a long face, raised his hand and waved to the latter, indicating that he should sit down.

"Hehehe, if you want to reap results, you have to pay the price first. It's just a matter of whether the price you pay is worthwhile."

As he spoke, he lifted the blanket covering him, revealing a huge wound that stretched from his chest down to the right side of his abdomen, where bones and internal organs were visible. Upon closer inspection, Morrie could even see Charlton's writhing internal organs inside his abdominal cavity.

“I’ve lived enough. Now I need to do what I should do while I’m still useful. For me, living a few more decades wouldn’t make any difference.”

Then, under the watchful eyes of the two men, Charlton raised his less muscular arm. As Charlton clenched his outstretched fingers into a fist, a strange power emanated from him, and the space around his fist distorted under the influence of the energy.

"I am now ready. As for whether you want to continue what you have decided to do, or when you want to start, you can do so. I will keep things in line for you."

Kevin and Morrie exchanged a glance, both their eyes revealing shock and sadness.

"The power of legend???"

"Why???"

"So you only have a few years left???"

The Marquis of Charlton watched silently as the two men, who were beginning to lose control of their emotions, waited until they had vented their frustrations, and then said calmly:

"As I said, every decision and choice comes with a price, and no one here is more suited to pay that price than me."

“Kevin, you are still young, and you still have to protect the North. As for Mori, some of the things you said back then were right, but there’s no point in regretting them now. So let this old man make one last contribution to the North, so that the Charlton family won’t be too disgraced.”

Listening to the Marquis of Charlton's self-absorbed words, the two felt uneasy. Sometimes, it is very difficult for people to let go of their inner obsessions. Just like the Marquis of Charlton, who could not let go of his decision back then. If he had not insisted on doing so, the North would not be in such a difficult situation now.

"Although I don't know if our decision is right or wrong, it's better than being slowly worn down. Let's do what we want, and the situation can't get any worse than it is now."

"Alright, I'm a little tired. I need to rest for a while. Don't worry, I've already survived the most dangerous time. This old guy won't die anytime soon."

Seeing that the Marquess of Charlton had already pulled the blanket over himself and was no longer speaking to them, the two silently withdrew. This turn of events made both of them feel extremely heavy-hearted.

The two returned to the conference room in silence, neither knowing what to say.

Finally, it was Count Mori, swirling his wine glass, who broke the silence first.

"Then shall we proceed according to plan?"

Kevin, lost in thought while gazing at the large map of the entire empire, finally spoke in a deep voice after a long while:
"Let's wait a little longer. We still need to give them some room to maneuver, otherwise there will be no turning back once we start."

(End of this chapter)