After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

The harpies were constantly monitoring the fortress's construction progress. They weren't a significant threat, but their numbers far outnumbered the Eagle Knights—if the harpies launched a night raid, it would be difficult to ensure the Eagle Knights had a safe scouting and firing range over the rhombus fortress...

"If only His Majesty the Regent could send that black dragon to help tidy things up," the elf muttered to herself, before being called out twice by soldiers, "Hey, hey!" She finally came to her senses.

Looking at the weathered face of the Bayrzans soldier before her, and remembering that the soldier was actually not even 20 years old, the elf first sighed, hesitating whether to tell the cruel truth to this child who still held onto hope for the Romans he had once protected. Then she thought that he would eventually learn these things anyway...

She sighed again, then braced the butt of her gun against the ground.

“I said—I’m just guessing. Cannibalism is rampant in many places in Roman now, so His Majesty probably suspects… well, that the granaries in that city… might contain special meat besides wheat and regular meat… you know what I mean?”

"...oh?"

The Bayern soldier looked somewhat bewildered, then stood up, dusted himself off, and subconsciously added:

"You mean...doxxing?"

"Correct."

“I see... If that’s the case, then it makes sense—perhaps His Majesty doesn’t want Isgard’s allies to get into the bad habit of cannibalism.”

"...You really believe that everything His Majesty the Regent has done is meaningful and not simply for personal grudges?" The elf was somewhat bewildered: she had originally thought the soldiers would be greatly shocked upon hearing this possible truth, but it seemed that not only were they not, but they also showed complete trust in His Majesty the Regent. "And...don't you really feel angry that the people your ancestors once protected have been turned upside down like this?"

"Why be angry? Although disappointment is inevitable, why should we lose our composure because of anger? After all, to be frank, I'm just disappointed that those Romans have become so backward after inheriting part of our legacy. Being angry about what they've done is completely meaningless."

“I have a feeling you’re not telling the truth.” The elf raised an eyebrow. “Can’t you just tell me the truth because my dad knew your great-grandfather from who-knows-how-many generations ago?”

The soldier rolled his eyes, his feigned ease turning into a frustrated pout.

"...Alright, I'm definitely angry, but I don't really feel furious—firstly, I don't understand them, and secondly, we still have a lot to do after the empire is rebuilt."

Making the country better, finding ways to make it richer, and fighting to protect it when necessary—so many important tasks await us. Why waste our time on a bunch of worthless trash? Therefore, I don't even have time to be angry with them, so naturally, I won't be angry.

"That's more like it... So, what about His Majesty's opinion?"

The question changed, but the Bayern soldiers were still able to give fluent and heartfelt answers:

“Even if it’s for personal grudges, he can make us better. He is Bartheliza’s husband, our Caesar. He saved us with his actions. Why should we doubt that he has ill intentions towards us?”

Even if there really is such a thing, it's something we owe him. He saved every one of our lives, even gave us a better life, allowed us to see the light of day again, and finally gave our children the chance to grow up in the sunshine...

In this situation, only someone worse than an animal would think he did something wrong because of a personal grudge, right? But I don't think that's human; that's just an uncivilized ape, nothing more.

Yang Hao enjoys a very high personal reputation at Bayer Nuggets.

It wasn't just because of his abilities, but also because everything he had done for Bayer Gems had won over the hearts of the Bayer Gems people.

If Teresa, as the prophesied Baselis, is the spiritual leader, religious leader, and nominal royal leader of all Bayezids...

Therefore, Yang Hao was essentially a veteran of Bayer Zans, the supreme military leader, and also the most important emperor responsible for shaping the direction of the entire empire.

In this situation, it would be virtually impossible to find someone in Constantinople who harbored resentment towards His Majesty the Regent—and even if there were, it would probably only be Arthur, who would likely be given a long leave by Yang Hao for several years. But his resentment was merely that between good brothers and good superiors and subordinates, and could hardly be considered any kind of "hatred." Even Arthur trusted Yang Hao so much, let alone the other ordinary people.

Of course, this doesn't mean that future generations will worship him with the same fanatical devotion as the current Bayer Zans, but the problem is, some craftsmen have already secretly begun the process of creating a statue of Yang Hao and documenting his life...

It is estimated that before long, statues of the Regent and great ancestors will be erected in all the important places in Bayerges. Each statue will record their great deeds and remind the world that without them, there would be no Bayerges as we know it today—not only statues, but all future textbooks and history books will record and praise their great achievements.

In this situation, what extraordinary things will His Majesty the Regent have to do to finally bring down the Bayern people?

Perhaps. But it's definitely not now—besides, even if His Majesty the Regent becomes a tyrant in the future, there will probably be many loyal followers by his side... Even if he betrays the Bayern, there will still be Bayern loyalists who pledge allegiance to him.

It's impossible to expect someone like him to have low prestige.

Therefore, it's perfectly normal for the Bayer Zans soldiers to trust Yang Hao so much—after the elf nodded, showing full understanding of the soldiers' thoughts, she suddenly stopped talking.

After all, Gaparia's trust in the Regent was exceptionally deep... so in a sense, they were actually about equals.

The elves and soldiers sat silently on the earthen wall, gazing at the distant barbarian camp in deep thought.

After a while.

“Now that we’ve won this battle, once the planned [Netway] is completed, I’ll treat you to a drink in Gaparia,” the elf said. “If you can, I’d also like you to come with me to see my father—after all, he hasn’t seen a living Bayrzans in far too long.”

"Of course. But I don't have any decent clothes."

"Elves don't mind if their friends come into their homes looking disheveled. As long as they're friends."

They smiled at each other.

They then left their assigned section of the city wall. After regrouping with the other garrison, they received a message that the black dragon of Issugard would temporarily come to assist them that evening at the request of His Majesty the Regent—but only temporarily.

Regardless of the price His Majesty the Regent paid, the fact that a black dragon took on the responsibility of seizing air superiority for them certainly boosted everyone's morale.

This boost in morale led to the night of April 4th.

After two days of intensive construction, the walls of the rhombus-shaped fortress had been raised to over 3 meters high, and even the weakest section of the wall was now nearly 8 meters thick. It had become a true fortress.

Everything at the prismatic fortress was going well, and just when the soldiers thought it would be another day of peaceful standoff, a meteor appeared in the sky once again.

One, two.

Approximately four enormous meteors appeared out of thin air before everyone's eyes, and among these four meteors, there seemed to be one that was relatively large and was getting closer and closer.

The elven mages instinctively prepared to use magic to deflect the meteor's impact, but then they lowered their staffs: the meteor didn't seem to be hitting the land. It shrank smaller and smaller with friction, until finally it was reduced to a few tiny pebbles that looked almost insignificant from a distance, before crashing into the distant sea, creating several huge waves, and then disappearing from sight.

The tsunami would not affect the ports built as shelters, but it would definitely impact other coastal areas—just as the people of the United Nations were thinking this, they heard a distant howling sound.

Waaah—waaah—!

The heavy sound of horns echoed across the entire grassland and reached the interior of the rhomboid fortress. Everyone was astonished as to why the barbarians had chosen the moment the meteor appeared to launch their attack, and they were even more unsure whether it was a unique barbarian magic or ritual.

"They're about to launch an attack!"

Although they didn't know much about the barbarians, the garrison was well aware that attacking the rhombus fortress at night was a bad idea. The location of the barbed wire was impossible to see at night, and there was a high chance of misjudging the moat in front of the walls. The barbarian attack would only result in needless losses—did they really want to do it?

They really intend to do that.

While the Bayezids returned to their posts and fired piercing arrows into the sky to alert their allies elsewhere, in the camp of the Khutto Khan's army, the commander of the Polan was urging his soldiers to prepare for the siege as soon as possible.

"Four shooting stars, an auspicious sign! This means we can capture that fortress tonight, and then we can have endless wine and delicacies, and plunder countless slaves to fill our coffers! Nomads! Let us rejoice at this auspicious omen!"

This was completely an accident.

The Hutto Khan's army was not prepared to launch an attack at this time. But for the Polan people, who had been itching to attack, the reappearance of the meteor that the Great Khan had once said represented an auspicious omen was a sign that would benefit them.

They believed the appearance of the meteor foreshadowed a smooth battle to come. With its help, they would unleash courage and strength they couldn't normally display. They would take advantage of the enemy's astonishment and anxiety over the meteor's calamity to break through their blockade, capture the fortress with minimal casualties, and then prove their bravery before the Great Khan to receive their due reward.

The Great Khan did not think that way, but the leaders of the Polan people really did think that way, and so did the soldiers under their command.

At their urging and encouragement, the Polans, numbering about 20,000 men—of whom only about 5,000 could truly be considered warriors, the rest being a large army of nomads and civilians temporarily conscripted—left their camp in a mighty procession and began a fierce attack on the brightly lit castle in the distance.

When the Great Khan's messenger arrived, the camp was already deserted. Upon receiving the news, the Great Khan merely sighed lightly.

"That's good. They took it, and we removed the nail. Their deaths set an example for the troops that followed. Let them go."

The Khan allowed the Polan to advance recklessly, risking their lives. These nomads, whose weapons and equipment were not particularly good, either rode on steppe horses or centaurs, shouting as they launched rendezvous with the infantry from a great distance, or followed their commanders in attempts to outflank the potentially vulnerable rear of the rhombus fortress.

But just as they charged into the area about a kilometer away from the prismatic fortress, torches held high and in complete darkness—accompanied by a deafening thunderclap from the fortress and a brief delay followed by an explosion from the ground—the centaurs at the forefront were sent soaring into the air, their bodies torn to pieces in mid-air.

The commander of the Polan thought to himself, "These are the Roman city defenses." At this moment, they couldn't stop, because if they stopped, it would mean they would become targets for those city defenses!

"They can't keep firing for long! Charge!"

He shouted and led his personal guards in a fearless charge. He raised his steppe bow high, intending to seize the initiative as he approached and circled the side of the fortress, but just as he and his cavalry continued their charge, an unexpected event occurred once again.

At first, it seemed as if the horse had run into an invisible wall.

The Polan chief was violently thrown forward amidst the neighing of his horse. But before he could recover from his disorientation and realize what was happening, he saw countless fallen torches ignite the pasture.

This is bad. If the grassland is set on fire, the advance of the soldiers behind will definitely be affected. Before this thought could linger in the mind of the Polan commander for even a minute, he keenly noticed that, under the firelight, something seemed to be reflecting strange light in circles around the cavalry following behind him and around his beloved horse that had inexplicably died.

what is that?

The Polan commander stared at the net before him, seemingly made of incredibly resilient iron wire. He tried to cut through the treacherous trap with his knife, but his own blade became entangled in the wire mesh and he couldn't pull it out.

"What on earth is this thing?!"

The Polan commander roared in exasperation as his personal guards tried to cross the barbed wire fence, but couldn't find a way in.

At that very moment, on the walls of the rhombus fortress, Bayezid's artillery confirmed the results of their first volley of fire...

"Come closer to us! They're all huddled behind the barbed wire and the fire they started. Let the golems and artillery keep firing, use more incendiary shells, hurry up!"

A target that is densely packed with people is not easy to find.

The Bayer Zans rushed to confirm the coordinates of the artillery fire for their respective cannons, while the elves stood on the watchtowers to fire precise shots.

They didn't even need to aim; they could simply fire at the fire and kill one or more barbarian soldiers.

"So, aren't they just throwing their lives away?" The elf blankly loaded new bullets into his rifle. "I thought those shooting stars were some kind of magical phenomenon... Turns out, they mistakenly believe they're auspicious omens? Just like on Roman's side, when the Church of Light waged war, they saw the rising sun as a symbol of victory?"

"The result is the same: defeat. It makes no difference to our enemies—and have you seen their commander? I can't find him."

"No need to look anymore. Gorem has already opened fire—he charged ahead, and now he's either bound to death by barbed wire or already trampled by his own troops. We can just fire away as we please."

As the howitzer Golem and the hastily produced fixed artillery roared as they fired, the United Nations enjoyed their hard-won live-fire practice with great satisfaction, while the Polan, after a brief period of fervor, fell into endless chaos and tried to escape this hell.

The Great Khan, observing the battle from the rear, solemnly ordered the harpies to take advantage of the night and the cover of the Polan people to quickly dismantle the defensive structures in the enemy's fortress.

"This city is our natural barrier. The Polan people have taught us a lesson with their recklessness; we must always remain calm in the future."

He gave this assessment to the Kheshig. And after the harpies received the order to advance, the drowsy Black Dragon in the fortress finally managed to rouse herself and prepare for her work.

Chapter Four: The Black Dragon's Asking Price, The Blasphemy of the God of Light (8K)

Under the Great Khan's orders, the harpies prepared to dismantle all the defensive structures of the prismatic fortress. Even if they couldn't dismantle them all, they at least wanted to ensure that some of the most threatening structures were removed.

Under the cover of night, they moved silently, like crows in the pitch-black night. All harpies knew how to move without making too much noise when flapping their wings, and in addition to their own sharp claws, they were equipped with a variety of tools for aerial combat or dismantling enemy defensive equipment.

For example, a solvent made from corrosive acid produced deep in the Northern Sorrow Mountains could be used to directly corrode metal instruments; a bomb could be made from explosive black powder made by priests using charcoal, saltpeter, and sulfur collected from the volcanoes of the Sorrow Mountains; or it could simply be a large, heavy stone.

For the Khuttod Khanate's hypothetical enemy—the Roman Empire's defensive siege equipment—the aforementioned three items were all practical tools capable of inflicting significant damage or even directly destroying the equipment. However, for the enemy they were facing this time, these were far less effective...

"Those things are all made of iron?!" A harpy stared at the golems firing from afar, her face turning deathly pale. "They're like trolls made of iron?! What we have can't do any effective damage to them at all?!"

"If we can't directly destroy the equipment itself, then let's destroy their armory! They'll definitely need to find a place to replenish their ammunition, right?! And those things can explode, so they're probably just as prone to secondary explosions as the bombs on our waists. So all we need to do is find the location of the ammunition depot!"

"And it's not just the ammunition depot; we just need to target and eliminate those personnel who appear to be specifically in charge of controlling another type of defensive siege weaponry. Hurry! We're running out of time..."

The harpies, through their own experience, realized that their equipment posed no threat whatsoever to the towering metal figures. So they turned their attention to preparing to attack the possible ammunition depots and operators—but before the harpies could fully reach the rhombus fortress and launch their swoop-down attack, the silhouettes of eagle riders using magic to illuminate the sky appeared above the fortress.

What's going on?! Why are elven hawk riders here?! And shouldn't griffin riders be appearing in human-controlled territory? Why are you elves going to such lengths for humans?!

The harpies exchanged bewildered glances, while the elf eagle riders, once high in the sky, realized they seemed to be outnumbered... but fortunately, it was a minor disadvantage they could handle themselves, not a major problem that required the help of the black dragon lady.

"Inform Miss Nia that this is a rare opportunity for aerial target practice that we've managed to find! And since it's a nighttime test, please ask Miss Nia not to come up for the time being!"

The Eagle Knights jeering, after fixing their illumination spells directly in the sky to reduce magical consumption in the area for future use, pointed their small-caliber rifles at the heads of the harpies flapping their wings in the distance: