After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

John arrived at the city wall and saw dazzling beams of magic shooting out. Rivers of hair and flesh were stirred by the beams, and the center of the viscous, disgusting vortex expanded to an extreme, sending up sprays of rotten flesh and blood tens of meters high.

Ignoring the people talking nearby, John took out his monocle from his pocket and carefully observed the river for a while.

It was obvious that the magicians were wasting their time; the rat corpses were merely pulverized to a greater degree, and it seemed that their fusion process had accelerated.

"John, come and take a look too."

Medivh's voice rang out, and John turned around, slowly nodded, and walked over to the group.

A drop of eerie green blood, a large rat convulsing wildly in an iron cage floating in the air. John paused in his action of examining the scene closely with his monocle, then looked up and glanced at the crowd staring at him in deep voices.

The great sorcerer, former commander of the Royal Guard, Medivh.

Several renowned alchemists, and high-ranking military commanders, including Lilith's father, Robert.

Sophia from the Mage Guild and Dane from the Adventurers' Guild participated in the Bone Dragon Extermination Campaign.

And Charles, the elite of the royal guard, renowned as a sharpshooter.

The lineup is luxurious; even with only Medivh on the team, John believes he can resolve this calamity.

With that in mind, John began to observe the blood and the mutated rats, but his thoughts had already drifted to his two heirs.

"It's death magic."

After a long pause, he finally uttered a nonsensical statement, then took a few steps back, indicating that this was the only conclusion he had reached.

Everyone knew he was spouting useless nonsense, but no one wanted to offend the archbishop of the Holy See, so they simply smiled and echoed him for a few moments before turning their attention to Medivh.

The Great Magician is one of the three known to be alive in the kingdom, and one of the four top-tier powerhouses among the demon race.

If they appear on the battlefield, there is only one explanation—this is a war that will determine the fate of the race.

Because as soon as they show themselves, they will attract tens of thousands of soldiers who will charge in a frenzied attack regardless of casualties.

Medivh calmly gave the order, "Have the mages stop. Get ready. I'll take the alchemist to contact that strange thing again."

Beyond the city walls and through the anxious city, the palace seemed remarkably calm.

After signing the final agreement, both parties signed their names, officially establishing a new cooperation. Besides confirming their respective leadership roles, Frank was most concerned about their planned military alliance.

Five thousand elite soldiers from the Northern Territory assisted the King in quelling the rebellion in the Southern Territory. As a reward, the calamity-stricken northeastern region of the Western Territory, encompassing 20,000 square kilometers and four cities, will be ceded to the Northern Territory.

Frank initially thought Oswald might have designs on the Eastern Territory, which made him feel uneasy. However, when he heard that Oswald was eyeing the Western Territory, this fickle opportunist, his mood immediately improved.

He preferred to trade land with Oswald rather than population, since the Northern Territory had a low population and even if its territory was expanded, its overall strength would not improve significantly in a short period of time.

Frank smiled happily. "Luna, remind the Duke not to alert the enemy. It's not too late for him to take that land after the Southern Territory campaign is won."

Luna, who was helping the old count organize his documents, nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, I understand, Your Majesty."

As Frank picked up the reports that servants kept bringing him from the table, his good mood was clouded over again.

Neither Medivh nor Archbishop John could figure out what it was; they could only determine, based on the concentration of undying magic in the air, that it was an S-class calamity about to form.

Magic and swords had no effect on the vortex of flesh and blood formed by the massive number of rat corpses. After confirming that there was no immediate danger, Medivh ordered his soldiers to directly retrieve the rat corpses and drag the ominous pile ashore to burn them.

Frank frowned. "The capital is not peaceful right now, so I won't keep you any longer. Pack your things and head back to the Northern Territory today."

Feeling inexplicably guilty, Luna stepped forward and patted her chest. "Your Majesty, I am my brother's first vanguard general. I can also charge into battle for Your Majesty."

Although she wasn't sure whether it was her flashbang that triggered the rat riot, Luna still felt it necessary to prove her innocence.

"Alright, you'll only cause trouble if you stay here. I don't want you fighting again in my capital."

Frank tapped Luna's forehead with his finger. To him, it was good for his subordinates to have conflicts, but Luna's approach of rolling up her sleeves and getting straight to the point...

Let's leave it to the Duke to worry about.

"Oh, then I'll tell His Majesty a secret before I leave."

In order to take Paul away openly and legitimately, Luna chose to break the ice and whispered in Frank's ear about all of Paul's experiences.

Frank understood. Saint Maria wanted to become another version of himself... No, from childhood to adulthood, I've never received a kind word from my father or older brother, let alone any benefits. My methods were a bit cruel, but it wasn't betrayal; it was just a normal power struggle.

"I didn't realize you were such a loyal friend."

After understanding why the two sides had fought, Frank smiled and praised her, and Luna immediately raised her head.

"Of course, everyone in the kingdom knows that I, Luna, am loyal, righteous, and filial all at once, Your Majesty."

Frank's smile froze. "Alright, before the Vatican makes a move, you'd better hurry up and set off."

……

Green Canyon City, the southern gateway to the northern territory, saw small boats setting sail downstream, carrying small quantities of goods, their sails billowing, heading swiftly southward towards the central district.

Meanwhile, swift horses gallop across the vast land between the royal city and Green Gorge City, carrying intelligence day and night towards Green Gorge City.

At this moment, in the Green Canyon City Lord's Mansion, Oswald had more than a dozen ancient medical books beside him. After brushing off the dust, Oswald rubbed his fingers together and looked at the white-haired female elf in front of him.

Unlike the noble and elegant elves in the previous story, the elves in this world basically have dead fish eyes. Why do I feel inexplicably annoyed after making eye contact with them?

The sprite, having returned to her natural state, picked at the soles of her feet, letting her mind wander for a long time before finally putting her feet down, taking off the shoes and socks from her other foot, and continuing to pick between her toes.

Oswald dared not ask whether it was a habitual action or the development of some unknown XP. In any case, one should have the understanding of the Taoist master Zhuangzi when dealing with immortal beings: "How can you know the joy of fish if you are not a fish?"

After picking at her feet for another ten minutes or so, the white-haired elf's dead fish eyes finally regained some luster; she probably remembered the purpose of her trip.

Putting everything else aside, her voice is truly ethereal and melodious, like that of an elf.

"We want another book on promiscuity, we want more hybrids and hybrid-to-hybrid sex, we want to see unfamiliar creatures, have sex together, and then have sex in new positions, preferably after they die, and even after they're dug up."

Oswald nodded. "I want all the intelligence on the Mechanicus in exchange."

"The Mechanical Church?" The elf was bewildered, searching through the vast memories in her mind. "There's not much information about the Mechanical Church; it's just a cover for their suicide..."

"This is my request; please consider it."

After saying that, Oswald picked up the dozen or so medical books, went straight out the door and upstairs to Jenny's temporary research room.

Jenny took the book, her body slumped, and she quickly put it on the table, still not understanding what the Duke wanted to do.

The order to prohibit travel, the militia stationed along the main roads leading south, the cavalry poised for action, the scouts gathering intelligence on the capital, the large shipments of supplies and herbs, and the "masks" that have begun production...

Oswald coughed lightly. "You should read more of these books; they're all related to the plague."

She sighed softly, a thought popping into her mind, and asked, "Sir, do you foresee an outbreak of plague?"

Oswald lowered his gaze, his expression solemn. "Hmm, perhaps it has already erupted."

As the two remained silent, a messenger ran up, saluted, and said, "Sir, we have brought the person back."

Oswald immediately perked up.

"good!"

The two followed the messenger out of the city. In a secluded, dense forest, several soldiers, looking weak and pale, stood a dozen meters apart and saluted Oswald in unison.

After reminding Jenny to put on a mask, Oswald also put on a mask, walked up to them, and patted them on the shoulder one by one.

These were the first soldiers to disguise themselves as civilians and go to the royal city. They have now successfully contracted the flu that broke out in the royal city, and they are all showing symptoms such as fever, nausea, and excessive sweating.

The initial symptoms of infection were similar to those he remembered, and in order to develop a cure as soon as possible, Oswald had to put his soldiers at risk.

A sudden heaviness settled in his heart, and he memorized the faces of the soldiers before him.

"Tell me about the situation in the royal city."

The soldier straightened his back and reported to his superior: "The calamity in the river outside the city has not yet occurred, but a water crisis has already emerged inside the city."

"In addition, the number of infected people is rising rapidly and is showing a trend of spreading to the surrounding areas. The Vatican has taken action in the royal city, and many of the infected people who were cured by the saint have recovered their health."

Saintess...

It seems that she has learned from her previous life and at least has some means to deal with the initial infection.

"They're all yours now, Janet." Oswald turned and remained silent for a long time. "Keep a few soldiers for research on their worsening conditions; the rest, you can start experimenting with treatments now."

Janice was shocked. So there really was a plague outbreak. And judging from the current situation, the Duke had been preparing for it for at least several months. He even used his own soldiers as test subjects to buy time.

"Your Grace, may I ask why you are doing this?"

Oswald stopped in the woods, bowed his head and said in a deep voice, "Because we cannot lose, Jane. Many times when we look back, we find that we have stood at the crossroads of history."

"Two destinies, two futures... Indeed, things always rise and develop amidst twists and turns, but whose development is it, and whose progress is it? We cannot ignore this question."

As Jenny listened, her breathing became increasingly rapid. However, Oswald's last words before leaving finally confirmed her absurd guess.

"I'm back because they made their choice, Jennifer. The path beneath our feet is the one they paved."