Charlotte waved his staff casually in the air, conjuring burst after burst of dazzling flames while complaining offhandedly, "Damn it, why hasn't that Earl Jules shown up? Are Northern nobles always this bad at keeping their word?"
"Guild Master, according to intel from our undercover guy, Cyril City was already taken by Wangquan. The earl didn't make it out either."
Charlotte stomped his feet in fury, breaking into a string of curses. "Fuck, what a useless piece of trash!"
"We gave you a chance and you blew it!"
"We told him ages ago to just run! But no, he had to wait until the city was practically falling before he was willing to bolt. Why'd he have to be so stubborn? Now those idiots from Wangquan get the spoils for nothing."
"Guild Master is so right."
"It always comes back to your brilliance, your peerless wisdom..."
Beside him, European Emperor chimed in repeatedly, looking for all the world like Charlotte's personal bootlicker, desperate to pay off his debts as soon as possible.
Lonely as Snow covered his face, unwilling to watch European Emperor's shameful display, and silently grumbled in his heart, *Even if he did manage to flee here, would the outcome really be any different?*
*He'd just be killed in a different spot.*
Charlotte's face darkened as he ground his teeth. "Let's go! On to the next fishing spot to pull up the net. This time we have to beat Wangquan to it!"
He produced a parchment scroll tipped on both ends with the Cinder Crest and inlaid with costly gems—this was the Kingdom's official collector's edition of the Anzeta map.
Among the Kingdom's internal technical staff, it was also known as the "Sucker Special."
When Charlotte unrolled it, an image composed of magical particles appeared above the map, displaying every mountain, river, and city in vivid detail, glittering with fine motes of spiritual light.
"Let me see..."
"The next target is the City of Dena, located in the west of the Principality of Carter."
"Nothing will go wrong this time. I've already duped Earl Dalton Rena into a panic. I heard he packed his bags ages ago and was ready to run."
"Guild Master, bad news!"
Suddenly, the crisp voice of Feitian Nüwu came through the communicator. Charlotte frowned, an ominous feeling rising in his chest.
"The City of Dena was taken by Fireseed!"
Charlotte fell silent for a long time before finally squeezing a few words through gritted teeth.
"What the actual..."
***
Inside the City of Dena, Principality of Carter.
Tattered banners fluttered above the gatehouse. Ragged serfs hoisted their steel rifles high, cheering at the top of their lungs.
"Fireseed! Fireseed!"
"We actually did it!"
"From now on, we're free! Those nobles aren't so tough after all!"
"Can we finally have our own land and eat our fill?"
All around them lay hundreds of soldiers dead in pools of blood; even the earl had been beheaded.
Having uncovered the earl's scheme to escape, the members of Fireseed had infiltrated the city and launched a surprise assault that caught the garrison completely off guard.
Armed with the firearm aid provided by the Kingdom of Cinders, they gunned down the guards and soldiers of Dena, and put Earl Dalton Rena, who had cruelly oppressed them for years, on trial.
"We actually pulled it off..."
Spark stood with his hands on his hips, gazing at the ecstatic serfs whose eyes burned with rekindled hope, a faint smile gracing his face.
Before long, however, his brow furrowed slightly as he pulled his gaze away from the victory before him and looked toward the distant future.
"What... comes next?"
"What do we do now?"
Spark sank into contemplation.
The Northern United Kingdom had completely collapsed, and that Lord of Cinders would never tolerate anything threatening the unification of Anzeta.
Moreover, Fireseed had no capacity to produce their own armaments. Every firearm in their hands came from the Kingdom's backing, and their army was nothing more than a ragtag force of over two thousand serfs.
Spark quickly recognized a brutal reality—Fireseed lacked the capability to govern the City of Dena.
Whether in terms of administrative capacity or military power, they could not even sustain a fragile regime.
*The Kingdom of Cinders only used us as a tool to sow chaos behind the Northlands' lines.*
*So... once the Northlands fall completely, what will become of us?*
At the thought, Spark's expression grew grim.
Nick noticed something amiss and walked over. "Spark, is something wrong? Didn't we win?"
Spark answered in a heavy tone, "And what comes next?"
"Nick, you understand the current situation in the Northlands, don't you?"
"Yeah."
Nick lowered his head in thought, then said, "After the Battle of Okagral, the Northern United Kingdom exists in name only. Across this land of the Great Anzetta Waste, no one is left to stop the march of the Kingdom of Cinders' unification."
His voice hitched, and his face turned serious. "Are you saying... the Kingdom of Cinders might turn on us?"
Spark let out a bitter laugh. "It's not 'might'—it's certain. As long as we occupy the City of Dena, or simply remain in Anzeta, we can't avoid dealing with the Kingdom of Cinders."
"Besides, our foundation is shallow. Even our weapons and ammunition came from them."
"Then what should we do?"
Nick was silent for a long moment before asking again.
Spark shook his head helplessly. "We'll take it one step at a time. I don't know what the future holds either."
Suddenly, Kindling's shout came from the gatehouse.
"Comrade Commander—a group of people has arrived outside the city! They claim to be envoys sent by the Kingdom of Cinders!"
"How many of them are there?"
"Uh... maybe... a lot."
Spark didn't know whether to laugh or cry. These serfs were so uneducated that most couldn't even count to a hundred.
"Envoys from the Kingdom of Cinders... here this fast?" he muttered to himself.
"I'll go up and see for myself. I need to confirm who they are."
Spark climbed to the top of the gatehouse. Down below the walls stood a disciplined, orderly formation of hobgoblin infantry, roughly three hundred strong. The bayoneted rifles in their hands gleamed with chilling cold light.
He instantly recognized them—that was an army of the Kingdom of Cinders.
Furthermore, against a company of hobgoblin infantry like this, even the most elite forces of the Northern realms would need to deploy over five thousand men in a tight encirclement just for a chance at wiping them out.
It was certainly not something his ragtag mob of two thousand serfs could defeat.
Thinking this, Spark ordered in a low voice, "Let them in."
"Heave, ho!"
The serfs strained against the wooden capstan, and the heavy city gates slowly swung open.
Yet the hobgoblin infantry remained motionless, making no reckless move. Instead, they split to either flank, clearing a wide path down the center.
From the carriage behind them, a woman in an elegant purple gown stepped down and walked toward the city under the escort of soldiers.
Her graceful silhouette left the provincial serfs on the wall completely entranced.
"Greetings, members of Fireseed."
"On behalf of the Kingdom, I salute your valor."
"Also... for our first meeting, I am Delenna, Marchioness of the Kingdom of Cinders."
The corners of Delenna's lips curved slightly into a radiant, inviting smile.
Up on the gatehouse, Spark couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath, his breathing turning shallow.
*A marchioness?*
*You've got to be kidding me.*
Chapter 357