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Kenyaza City, inside the Duke's Mansion.

Duke Oliver Nort’s entire body of fat trembled, and his voice stuttered nervously.

As a descendant of the Val barbarian tribe, the Nort family was said to possess giant blood. Grand Duke Oliver was indeed extraordinary, standing over two meters tall, with a pale white beard.

Yet, at this moment, his corpulent body wrapped in luxurious robes showed no trace of barbarian bravery.

"Wha... what should we do? The Ember Kingdom has broken in!"

"It's over, completely over!"

He had never imagined the Ember Kingdom would attack here so swiftly, like a bolt of lightning.

The Nort Duchy had been under the protection of the Bosk Duchy for a long time, often hosting garrisons from the Lionheart Knights. Few dared to recklessly attack this place—after all, even beating a dog requires considering its master. No one would dare provoke Bosk, the northern giant, which was why Oliver had dared to provoke others repeatedly.

However, now that the Lionheart Knights had been redeployed, most of the Nort Duchy’s local forces had been dispatched to the Trier Campaign.

When the city’s defenses were at their weakest, the Ember King’s vassal, Dolo, led an assault that caught them completely off guard and directly took Kenyaza City.

Duke Oliver turned to his adjutant beside him, grabbing his shoulders like a drowning man clutching at straws, shaking him violently.

"Hurry, Gadel, go find Grand Duke Leo!"

"The Bosk Duchy will surely have a solution!"

"Go, quickly!"

But Gadel wore a face of despair and didn’t move.

Seeing this, Duke Oliver flew into a rage and shoved him to the ground, cursing loudly, "Damn it, do you not understand human speech? Go contact Grand Duke Leo for me!"

"Now! Immediately!"

Gadel collapsed on the ground, speaking heavily:

"Lord Oliver, it’s already too late. They’ve breached the city. Bosk's reinforcements can’t sprout wings and fly over to save us."

As a steward-like figure of the Nort Duchy, Gadel had held a pessimistic view of their future after the Trier Campaign’s failure. He had repeatedly urged Duke Oliver not to get involved in this mess, but Oliver, relying on the Bosk Duchy’s support, had still sent over a hundred elite warriors.

Oliver became even more furious, grabbing Gadel by the collar and lifting him forcefully, spitting as he yelled.

"Then what do we do?"

"Do we just wait here to die?"

Gadel tentatively suggested, "Maybe, maybe we can surrender."

Oliver threw him to the ground, laughing angrily in his rage: "Maybe you can surrender, but do I even have that option?"

"Don’t forget, the Lackman Family was annihilated, and most of the nobles of the Lackman Duchy were slaughtered. Do you think I, the Duke of Nort and ruler of the duchy, would have the chance to surrender?"

He drew the axe at his waist and held it in his hand, approaching step by step. His towering body almost overshadowed Gadel entirely, and his tone grew increasingly chilling.

Lying on the ground, Gadel seemed to sense the danger.

Yet he did not panic; instead, he appeared somewhat relieved. Then, a sardonic smile suddenly appeared on his face. "Perhaps you do have a chance. After all, a dog for the Bosk Duchy is still a dog, just as a dog for the Ember Kingdom is also—"

"Swish—"

Duke Oliver decapitated Gadel, splattering blood all over his face.

"Hmph, shameful traitor."

He snorted coldly, his expression growing even more ferocious.

Duke Oliver knew well that he had provoked that red dragon multiple times. With the dragon’s vindictive nature, there was no way it would allow him to live.

He might even be dragged to the guillotine to face a so-called “trial,” becoming a laughingstock. This was something Oliver absolutely could not accept.

Duke Oliver looked at his personal guards and coldly declared, "This is the fate of those who dare to entertain thoughts of surrender. Do you understand?"

It seemed the frost giant blood in him stirred to life. Holding Gadel’s severed head, panting heavily, his bloodied face took on a faint bluish hue. Coupled with his towering two-meter frame, he truly resembled a ferocious and violent frost giant.

The personal guards, either out of fear or reverence, nodded in agreement, not daring to speak.

"..."

"What will you do next, my lord?"

After a long silence, the squad captain finally summoned the courage to ask.

The commotion outside grew increasingly chaotic. Wails and cries could be heard continuously, accompanied by the sound of gunfire echoing through the city. Clearly, the Ember Kingdom’s forces had entered the city and were killing the last pockets of resistance. It wouldn’t be long before they were overrun.

"Damn it..."

"How could they breach us so quickly? What a bunch of useless fools."

Duke Oliver threw aside Gadel’s lifeless head, his expression dark as he pondered, his rugged face shrouded in a heavy gloom.

Suddenly, he thought of a story about the Nort family, a tale that had existed since the family’s time as leaders of the Val barbarians. Passed down for generations over the past four centuries, it had become regarded as mere legend. Even his father had thought so.

But with the vassals of the red dragon approaching, perhaps this was the last straw of hope.

Thinking of this, Oliver gave his command:

"Let’s go. We’re heading to the family crypt."

"Yes, my lord."

Oliver and his personal guards used a secret passage from the Duke’s mansion to reach the Nort family crypt.

This cemetery was ornately decorated, with flowers symbolizing the deceased’s rest planted throughout.

The gravestones were engraved with intricate inscriptions—the names of the Nort family ancestors and their epitaphs. There were also numerous sizable underground tombs for each Duke to rest.

After centuries of assimilation, the Nort family’s burial customs had become almost indistinguishable from those of northern nobles.

"This is the place."

"You may withdraw now. Wait for me at the entrance."

"Yes, my lord."

The personal guards followed the order and stood guard at the entrance to the tomb.

Grand Duke Oliver proceeded alone to the largest tomb and entered directly.

The name inscribed above was that of the Nort family’s ancestor, the first to bear the surname “Nort”—Kavaha Nort.

"According to the descriptions in the secret tome, this should be it."

Following the steps outlined in the family’s secret tome, he used a dagger to cut his finger and let the blood drip into a groove in front of the stone coffin.

The peculiar blood, tinged with white within its redness, seeped in immediately, creating a subtle, icy ripple.

"Boom—"

With a deep, muffled noise, a concealed stone door slowly opened. Behind the stone coffin, a deep passage appeared.

"It’s real. It’s all real."

"Everything written in the records is true!"

Duke Oliver’s eyes lit up with excitement as he swiftly entered the secret passage.

The passage seemed designed specifically for him. Despite his towering height of over two meters, he navigated it with ease.

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