After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

Dump truck!

Oswald suddenly opened his eyes, breaking out in a cold sweat.

It was as if he had an incredibly long dream, in which he was still helpless and lonely, until he encountered the system's incredibly sharp Mud Cart Iaijutsu.

Putting everything else aside, that thing exerts far more pressure than any immortal python.

When he woke up, excruciating pain spread throughout his body, followed by the sight of Red's stubble-covered face.

As soon as he saw him open his eyes, Reid bit his lip and burst into tears, large tears streaming down Oswald's face.

"Get the hell away from me." Oswald tried to avoid the old man's tears, but he had no strength at all, and any movement aggravated his wounds.

Red paused for a moment, then cried even harder.

"My lord! I'm so sorry! I'm so useless!"

"Wailing!"

Oswald was so angry he wanted to slap him twice, but just as he struggled to raise his hand, he saw Red being thrown out.

Jenny's delicate face came into view. She seemed to have been crying as well, her eyes were red, but her expression was very calm.

"Everyone, get out and be quiet. Give His Majesty the Duke some fresh air."

The doctor spoke, and the soldiers dared not disobey, so they all jumped off the slowly moving carriage.

Slowly lowering Oswald's arm, Jenny knelt on the carriage and sighed with relief.

"Your Grace, is there anything else that's bothering you?"

"I won't die, and injuries are inevitable, but... why does my throat hurt so much?"

Upon hearing this, Jenny turned her head away guiltily. "Well, His Excellency the Duke has been unconscious for a few days. In order to get you to eat, we used a little trick."

"Is that so..."

Oswald didn't care about any of that. He was wrapped up like a dumpling and was just grateful to be alive.

"Where are we now?"

"My lord, we'll be in Ice City soon."

Oswald nodded with difficulty, and Jenny immediately took out a pillow and stuffed it under his neck so that Oswald could better observe the surroundings.

"Go tell Reid not to spread the word that I am seriously wounded. Just tell everyone that the calamity has been resolved. Also, inform Elena to make proper arrangements for the compensation and burial of the fallen soldiers, as well as the rewards for the soldiers."

"The survivors must be settled properly, and funds should be allocated to help them rebuild their homes. Those who really do not want to go back should be allowed to settle in Kuogu City."

"The bones of the Undying Python also need to be transported back to Ice City in batches. That stuff is valuable and can fetch a high price."

"Also, have Elene order the nobles in various regions to patrol their territories, and at the same time, the work of suppressing bandits must not be stopped."

"I'll write a final letter to Luna. Don't let her know I'm injured, but also tell her to curb her playful nature and return to Ice City as soon as possible."

Jenny hurriedly jotted it down; it was her first time doing this kind of secretarial work.

"Who will handle all the remaining tasks?"

"Leave it to Elena, let her make her own arrangements." Oswald closed his eyes, already somewhat tired, and said no more.

The battle against the Undying Python was more difficult than he had imagined.

The main reason was that after his all-out attack failed to shatter the magic crystal and instead broke the blade, the battle spiraled out of control.

"I shouldn't have abandoned the lance..." Oswald couldn't help but think, but in fact, under those circumstances, he could only use a sword.

The most crucial issue is that he currently lacks top-tier combat power.

Eleanor needed to help him stabilize his territory. Federico was still growing, and it was already quite good that he could send Janet; at least she saved her own life...

Oswald and his party did not return to the Ice City until sunset.

As he was carried into the Duke's mansion on a stretcher, Oswald immediately told Elena, who had rushed over, "Keep an eye on things lately, and don't let anyone leak the news that I'm seriously injured."

"Yes……"

Elena lowered her head and followed the others as they escorted Oswald into his room.

After Jenny cast her healing spell again and withdrew, only the two of them remained in the room.

Oswald sat on the bed and found that Elene was still dressed as a maid, standing motionless, showing no intention of leaving.

"I haven't tried your cigars yet, give me one."

"Sir, you are not fully recovered yet. The nun just reminded you of that..." Elena continued to answer with her head down.

Oswald sighed, "Just a couple of puffs, and my body is in terrible pain."

He wasn't lying about that. In fact, even now, he still felt like his body was leaking air, and with each breath, his wounds all over his body ached like they were being cut by knives.

If there were a bottle of painkillers in front of him right now, he would definitely drink them all.

Elena looked up, her eyes moist as a pool of autumn water, and silently went to fetch Oswald a cigar and an ashtray.

With a crack, the firelight illuminated the two uneasy faces before going out.

Oswald, with a cigar in his mouth, looked up at the pitch-black ceiling and exhaled a heavy puff of smoke.

"Aren't you tired of holding it like that?"

Elena stood carefully to the side, holding an ashtray. She was nothing like the domineering woman she was in her previous life; she had truly become a personal maid.

"Sit down, I've been sleeping too much, a chat will do you good." Oswald slowly raised his hand and took off the burning cigar.

Elene sat down as instructed, looking somewhat uneasy, while Oswald continued talking to himself.

"Actually, your judgment is very accurate. To resolve such a dangerous calamity, there is no one else in the entire Northern Territory besides me who can do it."

"That's how unexpected situations are. There's nothing to follow. When you encounter one, you can't worry about plans or being sure of success. There's no such thing as a sure thing in this world. Many people are good at planning but don't dare to make judgments easily, thus missing opportunities."

"So you don't need to blame yourself. We all did very well this time. It was my carelessness during the battle that caused me to end up like this."

The comforting words finally brought tears to Elene's eyes. Her sobs were soft, but they still left Oswald somewhat bewildered.

After a long pause, he took another puff of his cigar and said jokingly, "Before, when I didn't listen to you, you would cry; now that I do, you still cry. Is that all the tears you have for me?"

Upon hearing this, Elena wiped away her tears and forced a smile.

Her every move reminded Oswald of the time she cried the most, for a rather ridiculous reason: he intended to dismiss her from her position as personal maid so she could focus on being the secretary-general and handling political affairs.

She was the one who didn't have to do any work except wear a maid's outfit every day, and she received two salaries every month, yet it was as if we were bullying her.

Reaching out, Elena gently removed the cigar from Oswald's mouth and stubbed it out in the ashtray; after all, they had agreed on just two puffs.

"Unlike Your Grace, I don't keep everything bottled up inside. Your brow has been furrowed ever since you entered the Duke's mansion. Is there anything else you need to do?"

Oswald shook his head. There were many things that even Elene couldn't help him with, but if she wanted to know, he could tell her.

"Two things. One is the gathering of the army in Kuogu City. I am currently unwell, and Kuogu City needs a highly respected person to guard it. The other is about the demon army. The news of our calamity cannot be kept from the demons. They will definitely come south again this year to test us, but I cannot judge how many troops they will send."

Elena remained silent; she truly didn't know how to resolve these two matters. After thinking for a moment, she could only place her hand on Oswald's forehead and rub it, physically helping him alleviate his worries.

Oswald chuckled, feeling a significant weight lifted from his body.

On the other hand, Luna's life has been difficult these past few days; she's even lost her appetite.

Once she moved into the palace, she would wake up every day to face more than a dozen maids who would dress her up in various ways, smearing all sorts of things on her face.

Just how shameful am I?!

Luna was furious, but she couldn't breathe heavily because that damned maid was going to bind her waist.

Having to face these tortures first thing in the morning made Luna miss the good old days in the Northern Territory. She could get up, wash her face, brush her teeth, throw on some casual clothes, tie her hair up, and head out to play.

Rules? There are no rules in the Duke's mansion. Even a certain personal maid eats breakfast on the Duke's desk.

But the palace has many rules: you can't run, you can't jump, you can't shout, you can't make a fuss. In short, Luna's feelings can be summed up in two words: stifled!

She was already annoying enough, but that idle king still liked to visit her, and she had no choice but to greet this hypocritical man with a smile.

Sigh, if it weren't for the mission her brother had assigned her, Luna would have already planned to leave the palace and head straight back to the Northern Territory.

Luna, feeling incredibly depressed, was sitting in the garden lost in thought when the king arrived with a large entourage.

Thinking of her brother and Elene, who were always busy, Luna smiled for the first time when she looked at the king who never did anything serious.

There was no way around it, I just couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Miss Luna, have you heard about the undead in the Northern Territory?" Frank seemed to be in a good mood today, and he picked a flower with great interest, smelling it.

"The Northern Army has marched south?" Luna scratched her head. Wasn't the Southern Territory supposed to be ravaged by the Undead? How did it get involved with our Northern Territory?

The Duke of the Southern Territory wouldn't have really given his brother three thousand gold coins to go south and wipe out the undead, would he?

Frank chuckled. "No, it's that tens of thousands of undead have appeared within your Northern Territory, and I heard that there's even an S-rank Calamity Undead Python among them."

Luna was initially taken aback, but quickly regained her composure, raised an eyebrow at Frank, and said, "I guess everything's taken care of, right?"

How did you know?

Now it was Frank's turn to be surprised. It seemed he had underestimated Luna, or rather, he had underestimated Luna's importance in the Northern Territory.

Ordinary young ladies cannot easily analyze the overall strength of their own territory; at least before they come of age, they are not allowed to go to key places such as military camps.

Luna was speechless. How did you know? You have no idea how powerful my brother is...

Uh, wait a minute. Since Your Majesty knows nothing, then what exactly are you trying to win over every day? What is it about the Northern Territory that you've set your sights on?

After Luna guessed it, Frank lost interest in teasing her.

He abandoned his languid demeanor and formally invited, "Miss Luna, my fiancée, Miss Barbara, is hosting a banquet tonight. May I invite you to accompany me?"

Luna blinked, then tilted her head. "No, Your Majesty, what are you talking about...?"