Chapter 66
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Chapter 66: Remembering is Not as Good as Meeting
When Midi locked eyes with the two girls, their unspoken understanding required no explanation. He gave a brief nod before striding out of the training ground.
In the hall of Autumn Ancient City villa, generals and commanders had waited long. Bartran, Klasty, Sigmund, Lilian, and other core elites stood at the front. Behind them crowded elders of the Elven Tribe, territorial garrison generals, castle guards, and city lords from across the land. The gathering filled every corner of the hall.
Under the weight of expectant stares, Midi swept his cool gaze across the room, cleared his throat, and spoke.
"First order: Full lockdown. Four thousand border troops enter battle state immediately. Kill all invaders on sight—human or monster, no exceptions. Three thousand main forces patrol the territory. Destroy every monster nest. Execute looters. Eliminate agitators. One thousand troops remain in Autumn Ancient City, ready to mobilize."
Three repetitions of "kill without mercy" chilled the air, driving home how seriously the Asreks family’s true leader regarded the distant blaze.
"Klasty," Midi called.
"Here." The level 32 Elven warrior snapped upright like a javelin.
"Assemble the Nightblade Leopard Cavalry and two thousand elites. We march to Forest of Gran." Midi’s eyes shifted to meet those of the Queen of Magic and Mist Sorceress Alice behind him. "We evacuate our kin from the five Elven tribes first."
Many noble lords acted similarly. Land meant everything—taxes, resources, troops, magic veins. No baron, marquis, or duke worth their salt would idle in castles while their territories burned.
Foreseeing the fire’s threat proved easier than containing it. The inferno’s scale overwhelmed Belmar Duchy’s underprepared armies. Monsters surged from forests, levels doubled, driven by desperation as flames devoured their homes.
Undead clawed from ancient graves, skeletal hands breaching city defenses from within. Even weak creatures like Goblins and Cat Demons now rivaled level 10 soldiers. Numbers became their deadliest weapon.
Peacetime had left noble armies small, ill-equipped, undertrained. Soldiers splintered into ineffective teams against spreading chaos—no match for veteran adventurers. Ordinary humans without magic or holy blessings fell to empowered monsters. Entire squads vanished.
Belmar Duchy unraveled.
Old families revealed centuries-old foundations. The Iron-Blood Duke’s Hamilton family held firm. Even the recently defeated Sais family displayed eerie calm. Marquis territories, bolstered by cleared lands and hired adventurers, stood stable.
Yet among all noble lands, one territory shocked observers most—
The Asreks family’s count’s territory.
Suppressing the monsters’ assault was a skill, but it wasn’t surprising. However, Midi’s choice far exceeded what the nobility had imagined.
He directly marched troops into the Forest of Gran that everyone feared to enter!
"Trying to bait us into attacking for another victory? Keep dreaming!" sneered the Sais family generals, strictly ordering their army to guard the borders. After swallowing the Joseph family, Asreks now shared borders with Sais. Who knew what tricks that black-haired brat might pull during these unstable times?
They needed to stay vigilant to avoid losing more mines!
"Could there be special resources or treasures in that forest?"
Other nobles speculated, but decades of experience suggested otherwise. The edge of Forest of Gran couldn’t hold anything valuable. Even if it did, the Elven Kingdom would’ve stripped it bare centuries ago.
Truthfully, Midi’s goal was simple – to safely evacuate all five Elven tribes bound by pact with him.
Though three months of negotiations had convinced 2,000 Elven warriors through Midi’s bravery and won over shrewd elders with trade benefits, many forest-dwelling Elves still resisted change. Some adventurous Elves had already migrated to Asreks territory seeking new lives, while others happily enjoyed trade benefits without wanting to move.
Midi respected their choices, but couldn’t let them perish when the forest burned. Preparedness made evacuation manageable – the Autumn Ancient City villa’s magic veins connected to the forest, letting Midi monitor changes. Trade route fortifications and 2,000 elite troops ensured safe passage.
Only one question remained:
Should they abandon the forest entirely?
Midi left this decision to the forest’s true master – the Mist Sorceress Alice Otolopas.
The black-haired girl paced slowly before her longtime home, the Witch’s Abode. She’d rarely visited recently. Without noticing, most belongings – cello, mirror, wardrobe filled with black dresses and robes – had migrated to Autumn Ancient City villa.
The villa offered better living conditions: richer magic, stronger defenses, readily available rare materials. Management staff handled elven elders, freeing Alice to study magic and Midi’s mysterious demon god.
Yet gazing at her tree mansion, Alice felt deep attachment. Every plant and creature here held memories. The White Crow Array beneath her feet had been painstakingly crafted during magical studies. Every mechanism in the treehouse bore her handiwork, built with materials she’d risked facing monsters to obtain.
Now… abandon it all?
The usually expressionless girl bit her lip, visibly conflicted.
"Stay!"
Midi nearly blurted out. In their past life, Alice had stubbornly remained here for two years until Delos Empire attacked. Now with better conditions, why repeat that pain?
As he stepped forward, a small hand gripped his shoulder.
"Didn’t we agree to let Alice decide?" Fina’s cold voice stopped him. The red-haired girl glared. "Why interfere now?"
