Chapter 41

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Chapter 41: Winter Fortress

"Are you used to your new body yet?"

"Thank you for your concern, Master. I have already adjusted," Skuld said seriously, taking on the appearance of Luna Schiller.

"That’s good to hear." Leo rode alongside her, giving a wry smile at the heads hanging from the saddle.

He didn’t know how to ride, but fortunately, the heavenly horse had a spirit, and anyone who supported order could ride it.

Leo clenched his fist, and a stream of golden light flowed from his palm to his whole body.

The "Order Prayer" he learned from Ashley ended up being useful at this moment.

With this power, he could disguise himself as Luna’s servant without being discovered.

From Luna’s memories, Leo learned about the Order Sect and the political system of the Castella continent.

The general part is similar to what the avatar Tina told him, but with a few more details.

The government of this continent is very similar to medieval Europe in his original world; in simple terms, it is like the feudal system of the Eastern Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States, but with the addition of churches that believe in deities.

About a thousand years ago, Riley, the Fire Knight who believed in the God of Fire, unified the human race under Xine and established the Dawn Empire in the center of the continent. He made the Church of Fire the state religion and became the first emperor and Pontiff.

Of course, the God of Fire here is not the deity of flames as Leo understands it, but rather a mysterious power that is equal to the origin of life.

The Church of Fire calls their deity the God of Initial Fire.

But the Castella continent is vast, and the Dawn Empire just happens to be built in the center of the continent, surrounded by enemies on all sides.

To defend against outside enemies, known as the dark races such as succubi, trolls, and dragons, Riley Insigne granted the eight corners of the empire to his eight knights. They became the original hereditary dukes of the Dawn Empire.

Eight dukes believed in the eight good gods under the Initial Fire. They returned to their own lands with their power, guarding the eight directions and expanding their territories.

Time flew by, and a thousand years passed.

Originally, there were eight dukes, but now only five remain. One of them has abandoned his faith and chosen to join the mechanical cult of the Dawn Empire in the east, saying that flesh and blood are weak, and that machines are the way to ascend…

The northern border of the empire where Leo is now belongs to the Duke of Tersk, one of the five dukes who worship the God of Order.

In the territory of Tersk and throughout the entire Dawn Empire, there is a strict system of noble rule by divine right, where power is granted by the cult, starting from the duke and gradually decreasing down to the knight.

Knights hold the lowest rank in the noble hierarchy of the empire and do not have hereditary rights.

Most of the members of the White Cavalry Army are nobles of this rank.

The knights’ attendants are not considered nobles; they are just the knights’ personal servants and are not recorded, which gives Leo the freedom to act without worrying about being exposed.

Thinking of this, Leo stretched and said, "Hmm, I should have missed nothing, and this time Miss Skuld eating Luna Schiller has given me an unexpected surprise…"

The female knight held the reins and tilted her head slightly, "Master, shall we head back now?"

……

"Hmm, it’s almost time to go back." Saintess Fleur covered her mouth and nose and waved her hand with a hint of disgust, "The smell of blood here is too strong."

"Yes, Lady Saintess." Viscount Vela Schiller knelt on one knee, "I will summon the knights back immediately."

"What a pity, that Kakaris got away again…" The saintess’s face was calm, and her tone showed no regret at all, "I never expected that this guy would be so careful, even in a certain win situation, he still used a puppet to take his place."

When the real Kakaris escaped, Saintess Fleur immediately interrogated the "Kakaris" they had captured.

It was then that they discovered that the target they had caught was just a puppet.

"The saintess, you don’t need to blame yourself. We have defeated more than half of the Joyful Church’s forces; only one Kakaris escaped, and it won’t cause any big trouble." Vela comforted.

"…" The saintess did not speak, just gazed into the distance, lost in thought.

"Awooo~~ Mmm~~"

The sound of a horn echoed as the gathering order spread through the Forbidden Forest.

In less than five minutes, the White Knights scattered in the Forbidden Forest gathered at the altar, ready for action.

Leo and Miss Skuld stood out among them.

Vela Schiller pulled the reins, stepped forward, and cracked her whip, "Check the numbers by teams!"

"The first team on the west side is all present."

"The second team on the west side is all present!"

"The fifth team on the north side is present!"

"The fourth team on the east side is present!"

With each shout full of strength, Miss Skuld raised her hand, "Reporting, the second team on the east side, everyone is absent except for me!"

Her voice was not loud, but it instantly cooled the previously excited atmosphere of the White Cavalry.

Vela pulled the reins and walked up to her, looking at her sister.

"What is happening? Can we contact them?"

"No, there is no response…" Skuld shook her head.

Behind them, Leo bowed his head, hiding his face.

They definitely could not respond; those White Knights were now gathered inside Miss Skuld… if Miss Skuld had that organ.

"I see…" Vela waved her hand towards a few knights, "You go to the east and see if something has happened."

"Yes!"

The White Cavalry moved again, but this little incident did not affect everyone’s mood.

Or rather, everyone’s attention was completely drawn to something else.

——

"Next, you must travel north to Winter Fortress and meet with Marquis Logan."

Saintess Fleur stood in the center of the altar and said calmly.

Just a short sentence, but it caused a stir among the White Cavalry Army.

Even Vela’s eyes showed doubt. She remembered that the goal of this mission was just to clear out the Joyful Church, and there was no mention of heading to Winter Fortress.

The white knights whispered to each other.

"Marquis Logan?"

"Marquis Logan, Logan Tersk, the eldest son of the Duke of Tersk, the first in line to inherit the title…"

"Nonsense! Of course, I know that Marquis Logan is the heir of the Duke of Tersk, but what does that have to do with us? We belong to Lord Pontiff’s White Cavalry Army, so why should we meet with him?"

"Also, why do we need to go to Winter Fortress?"

"Where is Winter Fortress?"

"From here, go north along Winter River for about a hundred kilometers. It is the supply point on the inner side of Mary Ann’s Great Wall, at the northernmost end. It is a strong city that I visited long ago, and below Winter Fortress is a beautiful wide plain…"

"Isn’t that very close to the front lines?"

"Damn it, we didn’t say we were going to the front lines before we set off, did we? That many heads on horseback will start to smell soon…"

"Haven’t you thought about why we are going to Winter Fortress?"

"Why?"

"How should I know?"

"…fool."

The noisy White Cavalry chatted, and Vela and the saintess showed no intention of stopping them.

It was clear that these soldiers, although unhappy and confused, had no intention of disobeying under the guidance of order.

Better to let things flow than to block them; the saintess calmly listened to their arguments and, when the knights had vented most of their anger, slowly spoke:

"I just received a secret letter from the grand bishop; the situation has changed. The war between Tersk and the outsiders has begun earlier than expected."

"This holy war, which has lasted for thousands of years, has started once again."

What on earth?

"？？？"

Three huge question marks appeared on Leo’s forehead.