Do you have a problem with necromancers?

Chapter 122 The End of the War

The savages screamed and fled from the wall, while the knights silently cleaned up the battlefield.

Several other nobles, unable to contain themselves, approached the Duke of Marshan and advised him to seize this opportunity to launch a counterattack, which would surely crush the wildlings.

Martha remembered Ryan's instructions before he left and firmly rejected the nobles' request, citing the "unclear situation outside."

The nobles had no choice but to retreat. Several days later, another noble claimed that he had learned from interrogating the wildling prisoners that the Wild Elf King, who had killed the Duke, was not far from here, and he was willing to lead a decapitation operation to bring back the head of the murderer, the Wild Elf King.

Martha was quite tempted by the offer. Although Raine had analyzed various reasons why he couldn't go into battle, perhaps he hadn't expected such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to arise... So he simply remained inactive, but allowed the nobleman to take his private army to carry out the decapitation plan.

In this way, success would be a cause for celebration, while failure would only result in the loss of the power of this noble family, which is acceptable.

However, Martha's thinking was clearly too simplistic.

The enemy went out at dawn and returned at dusk, his armor tattered and his body filthy. He claimed he had almost killed the Wild Elf King, but was ultimately outnumbered and allowed him to escape. If the Duke had been willing to send 200 more knights, the entire Wilderness War would have been over by now.

This immediately put Martha in an extremely unfavorable situation. All the nobles began to strongly demand to go to war and hunt down the fleeing Wild Elf King, and a kind of public opinion trend even formed that "if you don't go to war, you're letting down the Duke."

Martha still wanted to believe in Raine, but the nobles under her command were in an uproar, and she didn't know how to deal with it, so she simply claimed to have suddenly developed typhoid fever and pretended to be ill.

The situation only worsened. Rumors began to circulate in the army that Grand Duke Malorne was seriously ill, and even the nobles who had not previously strongly advocated for war were now becoming restless, rushing to send messengers to deliver messages that if the Duke was indeed unwell, then the battle with the savages should be swift and decisive, and that they should withdraw from the Serpent Mountain Range regardless of victory or defeat; otherwise, if morale collapsed, none of them might be able to escape.

Martha, having exhausted all other options, was forced to lock herself in her bedroom. Aside from the necessary three meals a day, she refused to see even the servants who carried out her messages.

The nobles gathered in the castle courtyard outside, shouting something at the balcony of the lord's study, while Martha could only lie alone under the covers, helplessly praying to the gods.

Ryan Fahl, come back soon! Without you, the entire Reach is doomed...

The noise outside the window stopped abruptly.

Martha quietly went to the window and looked down.

As Renn stepped into the courtyard with his hands behind his back, his face expressionless, the surrounding River Reef nobles almost simultaneously stepped back, subconsciously making way for him.

"My lords," he said in a high-pitched voice, "thank you all for your steadfast defense of the castle and for drawing the main force of the wildling army away. Now we have successfully beheaded the Wild Elf King, and the dawn of this war has arrived!"

He waved his hand casually, and Dia stepped out from behind him, holding an ice block containing the head of the Wild Elf King Karlik.

Under normal circumstances, vengeful spirits cannot be "decapitated." Once they completely lose their immortality, they will dissipate with the wind, leaving only their spiritual essence as "remains." At this moment, Karlik was not actually dead. He was just cut in two while frozen in ice, his head and body separated. He still had the strength to slightly move his eyes in the ice, casting cold and cruel gazes at the human nobles in all directions.

The nobles stared in disbelief at the head, their voices trembling with shock as they exclaimed:

"This……"

"It is really……"

"Is the war over?"

“Yes, gentlemen.” Renn raised his chin slightly. “The war is over. All that remains is a little bit of cleaning up.”

“Well done, Lord Fahr.” Martha appeared at the hall entrance, her face no longer showing the terror and panic of the past few days. Although still pale and bloodless, she had regained her former arrogance and spirit. “You have faithfully fulfilled the oath you swore to me, bringing back the head of my father’s enemy. Now, let us return to Eagle Hold and place the enemy’s head at the foot of my father’s sarcophagus, so that he may find complete peace in heaven…”

“Your Grace,” Renn said, bowing slightly, “we should first display the head to the outside world, so that all the wildlings know that the Wild Elf King is dead, thereby completely crushing their already dwindling morale.”

“Ah, yes, that’s right.” Martha straightened her back and skillfully corrected herself, “These people are also involved in the murder of my father, so we can’t let them get away with it easily.”

The nobles were dumbfounded.

Over the past few days, they had already experienced firsthand the new duchess's temperament. To put it nicely, she was very opinionated; to put it bluntly, she knew nothing and wouldn't listen to advice.

No matter what you say, I won't listen. If you keep bothering me, I'll lose my temper.

Now, seeing this stubborn and ill-tempered duchess so obedient to the Marquis of Fahre without hesitation... how exactly was she turned into this?
Several nobles even turned their gazes directly to old Earl Tanfield, their eyes revealing no undisguised schadenfreude.

The old count remained calm, knowing that the Duchess could not divorce her son, and as long as she held the title, the Tanfield family's position in the River Bend province would be unshakeable.

Marquis Fahel is a very capable man, and it's not a bad thing that the Duchess blindly listens to him. Don't forget, Kyle Malone is currently in the East and could learn of his father's death at any time, returning to compete with his sister for the dukedom! With the overall situation still uncertain, internal problems are absolutely unacceptable; otherwise, it would be tantamount to handing over the spoils to the other side.

Martha approved it without objection, and Ryan's instructions were quickly disseminated and implemented.

Knights marched out in droves, radiating outwards from the castle as their base, shouting the resounding slogan, "The Wild Elf King is dead!" Other groups carried the Wild Elf King's frozen head high, running back and forth on the front lines of various battlefields, deliberately showing the head to the opposing side.

Wherever they went, the savages' morale was thrown into chaos. Many of the lower-ranking savages, though they had never seen the Wild Elf King, knew of the existence of the Wraith Legion. Now, seeing "a Wraith's head frozen in ice yet still able to glare," they could no longer maintain their composure and could only hastily retreat from the battlefield to find their superiors and inquire about the situation.

For thousands of years, the various tribes of the Serpent Mountain Range have been largely independent and resistant to each other. The reason they are now able to form a large army is entirely because the Wild Elf King, relying on his Legion of Wraiths, forcibly suppressed all the opponents and integrated the various tribes.

Once the Wild Elf King dies, the army will inevitably split. Smaller tribes, now unrestrained, will scatter and flee, while larger tribes will attempt to seize the power vacuum left by the Wild Elf King. Given that raiding the fertile lands is no longer possible, powerful tribes might even actively annex weaker ones, leading to widespread internal strife—a highly probable outcome.

The two surviving leaders, Serpent King Rien and Shadow Child Ferrora, also received news that the "Wild Elf King" had apparently perished.

“We can’t take the Fertile Lands,” Rien said decisively. “If we retreat back into the mountains, we’ll be devoured by those monsters from the south sooner or later. We have no choice but to take our men eastward out to sea.”

"Go to sea?" Ferrora scoffed. "Almost all the inhabitable islands in the open sea are the territory of the high elves. They wouldn't be so kind as to allow our people to live and take refuge there."

“Being a servant or a slave to the high elves at least offers a chance to survive,” Rien said, having made up his mind. “But if we fall into the hands of humans, there’s a high probability we won’t survive. We have different opinions, so there’s no need to force each other to agree. Goodbye.”

The two parted ways. The following morning, the snake-man Rien led his snake trainers eastward, while the shadow son Ferrora led his army in a desperate attack on the Reach coalition.

Without the support of the vengeful spirit legion, no matter how swift and agile the shadow assassins were, they were no match for the knights who were armed to the teeth with armor.

The battle lasted a day and a night, ending in a complete rout of the savage army. The corpses slain by the knights piled up like mountains, impossible to carry away, and digging pits to bury them would be too labor-intensive, so in the end, they could only be gathered together and burned.

The task of handling the aftermath was left to the knights of the Fahl family. The Reach nobles returned to Eagle Castle in high spirits and held an extremely grand banquet in the simple castle hall.

Martha went to the cellar to speak with her father's body, while Raine was in the hall, being toasted by the Reach nobles in turn.

Even a fool would know that Marquis Fahl is about to become the most powerful nobleman in the entire Reach, so this is the perfect opportunity to curry favor with him.

Raine was in high spirits. This trip had not only wiped out the savage army and eliminated the threat to the Fahl family's territory, but also conveniently placed Martha Malorne on the throne of Grand Duke, and even gained Charlotte, an ancient heroine... A victory! A huge victory, so he generously drank with the nobles in turn.

When Daiya helped him back to the bedroom, he was so drunk that his tongue was practically tied in knots.

“Raine?” Ellina pushed the door open and came in. “What are you planning to do next… oh.”

At this moment, Raine was fast asleep in bed, and Dia was standing by the bed washing a towel, intending to wipe his face and neck—but because she used too much force, she twisted the towel and broke it.

"I'll take care of it." Seeing Dia's pitiful, tearful face, Ellina's heart softened, and she went over to get her a new towel.

"No need." Renn sat up abruptly, his face no longer showing any signs of drunkenness. "What do you need me for?"

Just kidding. If you let this elf princess wipe your face, be careful she doesn't suddenly get malicious and try to cover her nose and mouth with a wet towel – that would be hilarious.

“The threat to the Reach has been dealt with.” Irrina ignored his wariness and suspicion, and simply asked, “What’s next?”

"You've been very proactive in serving me lately," Ryan said with surprise. "Is it because Charlotte's arrival has sparked your competitive spirit?"

“I think Charlotte is right,” Ellina said expressionlessly. “Since there’s no way to resist, we might as well make our resurrection more meaningful. Besides, I’ve said it before, I don’t want the world a thousand years from now to be destroyed by the White Walkers again. If that happens, wouldn’t all the efforts we made a thousand years ago have been completely useless and futile?” “Now Martha Malorne has succeeded to the title of Grand Duchess and has gained the support of the Reach nobles and the Imperial court, but there is still one major obstacle on her path to the throne.”

"Who do you think it is?" Ryan asked with interest. "Kyle Malone?"

“No, it’s Tortak Malorne,” Elrina whispered. “This uncle of Marthano’s served as the former Grand Duke’s right-hand man for many years and enjoys immense prestige within the Malorne family. If he openly sides with Kyle and refuses to recognize Marthano’s dukedom…”

“Then River Bend Province will once again be plunged into a civil war,” Renn said slowly.

“Judging from the incident involving Duke Darkros, the current human emperor is not the type of ruler who dares to take responsibility and risks,” Ellina continued to analyze. “Once he causes a fierce political upheaval among the nobles, his first reaction is to try to protect himself.”

"In other words, if Gaoyan City vehemently opposes this matter, the capital will most likely choose to turn a deaf ear and wait until the civil war in River Bend Province is decided before taking a risk-free stance on the side of the victor. That is to say, the greatest legal authority we currently possess may simply cease to exist during the civil war."

"Having such an emperor in the empire is truly a headache," Renn sighed.

“Raine, do you know that the current emperor has a nephew and a daughter?” Ellina suddenly asked.

Of course, Raine knew. Emperor Nilocas and Empress Margarina had a daughter named Kagarina—Princess Cana of the capital. In addition, Nilocas's deceased brother, "Mad Dekmus," had left behind a son and a daughter; only the son, Teto, survived to adulthood and is now the commander of the Grand Palace Guard.

Of course, everyone in the aristocratic circles knew very well that Teto was Emperor Nilocas's illegitimate son, but he had to pretend to be his brother's son because of the influence of the Dann family behind the Empress.

“You mean…” Looking at Ellina’s expression, Renn suddenly guessed what she wanted to say.

The struggle for the crown prince position is extremely brutal, both in China and abroad. Emperor Nilocas appointed Teto as commander of the royal guard as compensation for not being able to give him a formal title, but this also meant that Teto could see his father at any time, and no one could guarantee that the emperor wouldn't suddenly change his mind one day.

Furthermore, there has never been a female emperor in the history of the empire. Although according to the legal rules of imperial succession, legitimate sons are superior to legitimate daughters, who are superior to illegitimate children, the line between legitimate and illegitimate children is not clear-cut. Especially for the emperor, there are far too many ways to manipulate an illegitimate child into a legitimate one.

Although everyone knows the Emperor's current preference is for his daughter, Princess Cana undoubtedly feels a great threat from her half-brother. Coincidentally, Martha is also vying with Kyle for the Grand Duke position, so…

“For Princess Cana, if Marsan can defeat Kyle, it will provide her with strong legitimacy based on precedent for inheriting the throne in the future.” Raine quickly concluded, “Although the emperor is probably unreliable, this princess is Marsan’s natural ally.”

“Marsan is our ally,” Ellina nodded. “In order for the River Reach to stand on our side when fighting the White Walkers in the future, we must help Marsan secure her position.”

“Very good, Eileen.” Ryan’s expression was very gratified. “You’ve finally learned to share my burdens.”

"Don't talk to me like that, like a father!" Ellina snapped. "Even if you only consider our ages in life, I'm much older than you!"

“I almost forgot you’re an old woman,” Ryan said apologetically. “It was my lack of respect for elders.”

“Indeed,” Dia chimed in. “However, if we divide that by the average lifespan of the ancestral elves, Ellina is only about twenty years old, which is roughly equivalent to us.”

Ellina was completely speechless. To admit it would be to embolden Rein; to deny it would make her uncomfortable being called an old woman.

However, she was quite experienced in dealing with this situation, so she simply shut up and remained silent, giving him a disdainful look as if he were a bedbug.

Ryan, unfazed, continued, just as an owner wouldn't care about the gaze of their pet dog:
"Have you confirmed Charlotte's specific situation with your side?"

“Yes,” Ellina replied. “After the White Walkers War ended, she and Shire returned to the Fjords and formed the High Tower Wizarding Union, just as it had been in history.”

"The two began to organize the spellbooks of the Corpse Worship Cult, removing all the spells related to the Old Gods and leaving only the parts that purely modify the soul and body, thus laying the foundation for the necromancy that has been passed down to this day."

"In the realm of necromancy, 'immortality' is an ultimate concept that cannot be bypassed. Charlotte was seriously injured in an experiment and had to use magic to seal her dying body, hoping that Charles would find out something was wrong and come to save her."

“But Charles Hegenfein didn’t go to save him,” Renn pondered.

“She’s gone,” Ellina said, shaking her head. “But instead of saving her, they hid her body in some inaccessible ancient ruins, then falsely claimed that Charlotte had been in seclusion researching magic for a long time, and naturally took over all her influence within the association.”

“So at that time, the two of them didn’t have much of a sibling bond left.” Renn had already guessed the answer. “The reason Charles didn’t kill her was because he didn’t want to commit the grave crime of patricide.”

“Power is such a terrifying thing; it can turn fathers and sons against each other and husbands and wives into enemies,” Ellina said calmly. “When Charles and Charlotte stood at the pinnacle of power, their existence began to become an eyesore to each other.”

“The historical Charles Hegenfin ruled the Tower Wizards for over seventy years, grooming three successors before fighting them down and banishing them when they threatened his position—almost like the thinking of the Imperial Emperor.”

"Hmph." Renn had completely lost interest in Charles and asked again, "So, what about Charlotte? What was her reaction after learning about her brother's historical reputation?"

“She wants to take you to dig up Charles’s grave, exhume him, and then kill him with her own hands,” Ellina sighed. “There’s still some emotion involved.”

“Boring,” Renn commented bluntly. “They’ve already died of old age and enjoyed everything they were meant to enjoy in life. What’s the point of resurrecting them and killing them again? They might even get humiliated in return. Those with nothing to lose are fearless; every insult they receive is a bonus.”

“This should be a good thing for you,” Ellina said, looking at him. “You feel more at ease using a pawn with strong convictions, don’t you?”

“Without the mark of the caged bird, it is indeed a bit unsafe,” Renn said, stroking his chin. “So, my condition is that we find her frozen body.”

"What are you going to do?" Ellina asked, puzzled. "Turning her soul into a ghost shouldn't be that complicated for you, right?"

“I’m still very interested in her spell of separating spirit and body,” Raine explained, making a piecing-together gesture. “It’s like two pieces of a puzzle, the soul is one half, and the body is the other half. Only when both are in place can I see some of the technical details that I can use. For example, how is the magic power needed to drive the soul provided by the body thousands of miles away?”

Ellina knew nothing about necromancy, so she didn't ask too many questions, only saying:

"The hidden ruins were chosen by Charles. At that time, Charlotte's soul was still in a state of maladjustment to being out of her body and could not even remember the specific route. She only vaguely felt that Charles had carried her body and flown a very, very far away."

“Fly?” Renn frowned.

“Flying golems,” Ellina replied. “Of course, they’re completely lost now. But in our time, most tower wizards would buy a flying golem for travel…”

“No, what I mean is,” Ryan interrupted her, “that for convenience and secrecy, they would usually choose to hide it in a carriage and transport it secretly.”

"Perhaps it's to pursue speed," Ellina guessed. "After all, flying in a straight line is the fastest."

“Or perhaps it’s a ruin that can only be reached by flying,” Renn said. “People who can’t fly absolutely cannot reach it, which would minimize the possibility of it being discovered.”

Ellina looked at him with a puzzled expression.

The elven princess suddenly had a strange intuition: she realized that Renn had not deduced the answer based on Charlotte's description, but rather already had an answer in his mind, and was then verifying whether it corresponded one-to-one with Charlotte's description...

But where did he get the answer from?
"Let's not talk about that anymore." Ryan was already fairly certain of his decision, but then suddenly asked again, "Let's continue with our previous topic."

"After I resurrected them, they all had a strong desire to do something. What about you? What are your thoughts on this?"

"Are you some kind of wish-granting machine?" Ellina smiled slightly.

“Perhaps it’s the genie,” Renn said slowly. “After granting your wish, he will take your soul as the price.”

“I don’t have any wishes,” Ellina said bluntly. “If I had to make one, I would hope that you would be a good person.”

"Good guy?"

"After you defeat the White Walkers again, you won't need to pursue power anymore, right?" Elrina said calmly. "I remember you once told me that you would retire after saving the world."

"If you're not lying to me... can you stop using necromancy?"

“Interesting.” Renn smiled and reminded her, “In that case, you, who have finally been able to see the light of day again, will have to return to eternal slumber.”

“For me, eternal sleep is nothing more than a better release.” Ellina lowered her eyelids.

(End of this chapter)