Chapter 570: Chapter 363: Times Change and Stars Shift

This was a sensitive time for Debei.

The sudden appearance of the Demon, combined with the struggle for the dukedom, had crippled the Southern Territory’s military. Post-war calculations estimated at least sixty to seventy thousand casualties, with economic losses that were nearly impossible to count.

To make matters worse, the death of Talisi’s next Pope in Gonda cast a pall over Debei, making the relationship between the two nations—already tense from frequent border conflicts—even more rigid.

Thus, it was hardly surprising when news broke that a Slave Master noble from the Persian Gulf Empire had invaded the northern territory belonging to the Duke of High Cliff Castle.

Court officials were only concerned with one urgent question: had that butcher of High Cliff Castle slaughtered the Persian Gulf Empire’s noble like a dog?

When they learned the noble had merely been imprisoned, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

In the officials’ eyes, any single one of his titles—Dragon Knight, the world’s foremost Holy Hall Knight, or the Uncrowned King of the Wilderness—was enough to mark him as a fearsome figure one could not afford to provoke. And yet, the Lord of High Cliff Castle held all of them.

And now, this fearsome figure had been provoked by some ill-fated scumbag from the Persian Gulf Empire. The fact that the Lord of High Cliff Castle hadn’t chopped the man up on the spot to feed the dogs was considered an act of immense mercy.

This alone had prevented the situation from becoming irreversible.

Debei’s diplomats immediately took the Persian Gulf Empire to task over the incident. Their goal, one way or another, was to force these Slave Masters to compensate Debei.

For the unprovoked invasion of Debei’s territory, the heavy casualties among the soldiers of the Duke of High Cliff Castle, the deaths of his subjects, the collapse of innumerable buildings, and the incalculable economic losses, anything less than a payment of several hundred thousand Gold Coins would be completely unacceptable.

As for the captured noble, his family would have to pay a separate ransom to get him back.

The diplomats figured that since none of those scumbags from the Persian Gulf Empire had escaped, the extent of the damages was whatever they said it was. As long as they could extort something, it wouldn’t be a loss. After all, they had heard that the only "damage" High Cliff Castle suffered was a group of Barbarians who had gorged themselves on the meat of the slain warhorses and were reportedly too bloated to move for quite some time.

However, what the diplomats hadn’t expected was that the King of the Persian Gulf Empire—who, despite his reputation for cruelty, was normally of sound mind—seemed to have gone completely mad. He flatly denied that his Vassal had invaded Debei’s territory. Instead, he claimed that a poor, helpless Slave Master from the Persian Gulf Empire had merely wanted to travel to Debei to sell slaves and conduct business, only to be mercilessly murdered by the greedy Debei Nobles, who then seized all his "goods."

Fen IX declared with great anguish that Debei must hand over the Lord of High Cliff Castle who had murdered his Vassal, so that he could pay his debt in blood! If Debei chose to shelter him, then the only option was to go to war to seek justice. He even cut a gash across his chest in front of countless Ministers to show his determination.

The speech was so impassioned that for a moment, the Debei diplomats almost wondered if things had really happened that way. But they quickly realized the Lord of High Cliff Castle was one of their own, and that they were dealing with a King from the Persian Gulf Empire who was hell-bent on making false accusations.

The diplomats hurried back to their country with this news.

It was said that word came from the cabinet that His Majesty Harland had shattered his favorite wine glass. Immediately following this, the Garrison Army in Gonda City, whose military preparations had been neglected for a long time, began emergency drills.

A tense atmosphere hung over all of Debei. Even the barefoot farmers in the countryside knew a war was likely on its way.

And High Cliff Castle, at the center of this storm, was inevitably touched by the tense atmosphere.

With the Lord away, only Lady Baisitina could manage High Cliff Castle’s proud and formidable warriors. Per Levi’s instructions before he left, she was to seal off the Wilderness, close the castle gates, and focus on internal development. Whatever decisions needed to be made, she was to delay as long as possible and wait for his return.

...

It was a morning like any other. The entire Wilderness lay like a crouching Giant Beast, not yet roused from its slumber.

In the boundless, snow-white world, a thinly clad Knight suddenly appeared, braving the blizzard. Following him was a caravan of several dozen Beastmen.

As the caravan streamed into High Cliff Castle, the Wilderness welcomed back its sun.

"Darling, you’re finally back." Tina rubbed her cheeks. She had clearly just been woken up in a hurry. After confirming that this wasn’t a dream, she visibly relaxed. "I thought you’d be gone for at least half a year! I didn’t expect you back in just over three months."

Factoring out the two months of travel time, that meant Levi’s trial had only taken a single month—far less time than she had imagined.

"It was supposed to take that long," Levi said, ruffling her silver hair. ’If Fatir hadn’t come in with me, who knows how much longer it might have taken.’

"Did everything go smoothly, Darling?" Heather asked, raising her hand. ’For some reason, ever since Levi walked into the hall, I’ve been smelling this faint, delightful fragrance. It’s so refreshing... it makes me want to get closer.’

"I just killed a Demigod," Levi said with a proud smile, tossing the battered Digen’s Howl toward the center of the hall to provide some warmth—a move that earned him unanimous approval from the girls.

A collective gasp filled the room.

As a Legendary Weapon, indestructibility was supposed to be its most basic characteristic. Yet at this moment, the Flame Sword looked like a wooden stake that had been gnawed on by a beaver. Nicks and chips littered the entire blade. It was hard to imagine what kind of desperate battle it had been through; the sight was more stunning than any words.

"Are you hurt, Darling?" Relieved as she was that he had returned safely, Tina bit her lip and gave her Lord a worried, head-to-toe inspection. She only let him go with a satisfied smile after confirming that his own "little lord" was also unharmed.

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