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Outside Northwind Fortress.

The chaotic and incessant noise filled the surroundings.

"For Ember Nest!"

"Conquer Northwind Fortress!"

Dark wyverns swarmed the skies like rolling storm clouds, while kobolds and goblins surged across the ground like a murky tide, covering the earth.

The skies and lands outside Northwind Fortress were occupied by the Scions, and to those within the city, the sight was like the arrival of the apocalypse.

"Oh my god..."

A city guard standing on the wall looked up at the sky, muttering to himself.

Ember Nest’s wyvern riders swept over the city, scattering leaflets like snowflakes.

The leaflets promised generous terms for surrender and included a replica of the contract with Duke Brad Lackman, along with images of the blood thralls of Northwind Fortress.

At the end was a line that struck at the heart:

【Are you truly willing to pledge your loyalty to a mere vampire until death?】

Previously unseen bards from the Anecdote Academy appeared within the city. These bards, using their natural charisma, mesmerized their audiences. When the applause died down, the listeners often found themselves questioning everything they once believed in—from their faith in the clergy of the local temples to their loyalty to the ruling monarch.

The tales these bards recounted were all dark histories of the Lackman family.

Before the bards could finish their performances, they were arrested by guards or hacked to death on the spot, serving as a brutal warning to the public.

Yet the bards were fearless, shouting in their final moments:

"A life for a thousand contribution points—worth it!"

"For Ember Nest!"

For example, at this moment, a bard player with the ID “Lonely Like Snow” was being dragged away by guards, yet he shouted: "I laugh at the heavens with blade in hand, life and death a trivial matter!"

Though the people didn’t understand the meaning, they could feel the fierce passion in his tone.

He was dragged into the street and beheaded on the spot.

With a swish, his head fell, blood spraying everywhere, causing the faint-hearted to tremble in terror.

Soon, whether deliberately incited or naturally arising, whispers began circulating within the city.

People quickly formed a chilling theory—that the “traitors” being arrested might truly have become the so-called blood thralls, sacrifices for Duke Brad Lackman’s ritual. Coupled with the previous demon contract incident, everything started to make unsettling sense.

Yet no one dared voice such thoughts, for it would surely bring death.

They could only bury these fears deep within, though at the right moment, these anxieties would undoubtedly erupt.

At the entrance of the council hall in Northwind Fortress, on Eagle Square, frightened citizens were being gathered.

Perhaps learning from the lesson of Count Dawson’s death by artillery, the gathering was not held near the city walls.

Northwind Fortress’s chief military commander and de facto leader, Count Brandon, surveyed the surroundings.

On the plaza below the platform, there were elaborately dressed nobles, armored soldiers, ragged beggars, and patched-up farmers. All were gathered there, their eyes filled with fear and unease.

"The Duke has said, we must delay at all costs."

"Once the Duke completes the great ritual, everything will fall into place."

"We must extract every last ounce of value from these people."

With this in mind, Brandon began to speak.

"Citizens, I understand your fear."

"After all, the enemy you face is the infamous ‘Hellish Calamity,’ the dragon that annihilated thirty thousand allied troops. Perhaps the most terrifying, powerful, and evil creature Anzeta has seen in a century. Even with all our forces combined, we may not stand as much as a single chance against it."

The crowd erupted into murmurs.

Despite the siege by Ember Nest’s forces and rampant rumors in the city, many were still unsure of the truth, with some dismissing the “Infernal Scourge” as an excuse by allied generals to shirk responsibility.

Now, all was revealed.

"Indeed, I have no intention of hiding it. The red dragon and its vile Scions have descended upon Northwind Fortress, surrounding our city. But should we simply surrender? Give up? Become slaves to monsters and accept the dragon’s brutal rule?"

The crowd fell silent.

Brandon scanned the assembly and locked eyes with a middle-aged soldier.

"Soldier, yes, I’m speaking to you."

"Answer me truthfully, do you have children?"

The soldier, startled by being addressed directly, stammered, "Y-yes, a daughter."

Brandon nodded slightly. "A daughter, very well."

"But as I understand it, that red dragon is the Dragon of Lust and Wrath. He once transformed into a terrifying, four-meter-tall humanoid, ravaged a beautiful maiden, and then cruelly devoured her. This was witnessed firsthand by a hidden justice-seeker, a true account."

He paused dramatically, then stared intently at the soldier, continuing:

"Imagine, when this dragon rules Northwind Fortress, what will he do to your daughter? Could you bear to see her subjected to inhuman torment and ultimately lose her life in misery? Could you endure returning home to find your house ransacked, your daughter’s dismembered, bloody remains scattered about?"

"No! Never!"

The soldier, picturing the horrifying scene, turned red-eyed with bulging veins.

Brandon nodded in satisfaction, shifting his gaze to a merchant.

"Do you have a wife?"

"Yes."

Using the same strategy, with the same outcome, Brandon’s skillful rhetoric heightened the emotional intensity of his speech.

"It’s time."

Brandon thought to himself.

Seeing the crowd sufficiently roused, Brandon finally scanned the entire assembly, raising his sword high.

"Ladies and gentlemen, regardless of your status—noble, soldier, farmer, or merchant—at this moment, there are no esteemed dukes, only ordinary people. Like you, I am a father to a child, a husband to a wife, a son to parents. We are all simply people wanting to protect our loved ones. So, I ask you all, can you allow your dearest ones to fall into the clutches of the dragon, subjected to inhuman suffering?"

"No!"

"No! Never!"

The crowd was silent for a moment, then erupted into waves of defiance.

Among the thirty thousand citizens of Northwind Fortress, many were genuinely moved by Brandon’s speech, while others scoffed inwardly but were swept along by the crowd’s fervor.

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