Chapter 377 - 266: Finally on the Grand Stage

She shot a resentful look at the energetic man.

"Miss Liya, didn’t you sleep last night?" the Lord asked, stretching languidly, brimming with energy.

With his current stamina, staying up all night was basically a warm-up; if anything, it only made him feel more invigorated.

"Who could possibly sleep after hearing that news?" Liya said with a nod, then looked at Levi with envy. "Levi, you have so much energy."

"I was already energetic to begin with, let alone after cultivating the Holy Word Treasure Manual you brought me. From what I hear, those Tier Four and Five Holy Knights can go ten days and nights without sleep and only feel a little drowsy."

His constitution had already been far beyond that of an ordinary person, but now, after cultivating the Holy Word Treasure Manual, it was becoming downright inhuman.

If sleeping weren’t one of his habits and pleasures, he probably would only need to do it once or twice a month.

"My Lords, Duke Fulina has been waiting for quite some time."

Regony jogged over from a distance, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

When they reached Fulina, the Northern Nobles had already gathered.

But unlike Levi’s group, who were still in good spirits, the Northern Nobles all wore sorrowful expressions, and the atmosphere was heavy.

Presumably, Fulina had told them the news of Andao’s heroic sacrifice.

Although the Northern Territory was split into two factions, Count Andao had been an amiable man who got along quite well with most of the nobility.

Just a few days ago, they had been drinking together, talking about women and discussing how they would need to find a few tall Northern women to blow off some steam when they returned.

They never expected the next news of him would be that he had ended up as food in a demon’s belly.

"Old Fu, what did Duke Fulina say?" Levi asked, patting Fujero’s shoulder.

With Andao dead and Tess paralyzed, the only people Levi still knew and was on good terms with in the Northern Territory were Fujero, Si Kai, and Panda.

However, Si Kai was currently at Terror Castle guarding the supply lines, and Panda was likely still in the barracks.

"The Duke has already sent men to investigate the movements of this Demon Corps," Fujero said with a sigh, his mood clearly somber.

The Northern Territory had already lost three Counts. It was a loss heavy enough for anyone to feel.

"To this point, the scouts haven’t seen any sign of these demons. Most people speculate that it’s just a small squad that somehow bypassed White Bone Fortress."

"If it were their main force, it wouldn’t make sense for them to just ignore Kolon."

"Therefore, Duke Fulina has decided to dispatch troops to annihilate them completely."

Fujero stroked the ring on his thumb and looked at the Lord. "And the Duke intends for you and me to serve as the vanguard."

Levi considered it for a moment before giving a slight nod. "That’s no problem, of course, but only if Miss Liya agrees."

Now that Liya was a Duke, times had changed. The forces of High Cliff Castle no longer answered directly to Fulina.

This was, of course, indisputable. Liya was his true Feudal Lord, with the authority to command him militarily.

"Levi, I’ve already discussed it with my aunt, Fulina. You and General Fujero are to serve as the vanguard."

Having finished her discussion with Fulina, Liya had come up behind them at some point. She patted the back of the Lord’s hand and pressed a ring into his palm.

"Magic Equipment?" The Lord held it up to examine it closely. Judging by the intricate patterns engraved on the ring and the exquisite Magic Stone set in it, he knew this was no ordinary item—to say nothing of the faint glow of Magic Power circulating around it.

Heather’s gaze was also fixed upon it. She could sense the dense elemental fluctuations within the ring; it was clearly an extremely powerful Magic Item.

"So, how does it work?" the Lord asked, unashamed to learn, not at all caring that it exposed him as a total country bumpkin.

As a dyed-in-the-wool melee brute, his greatest desire was to be a noble Mage, but alas, fate hadn’t blessed him with the aptitude for it.

So, while he possessed a good deal of knowledge about Magic, this was the first time he’d ever seen such an expensive Magic Item up close.

"There’s a small mechanism on the side of the ring," Liya patiently explained. "Press it, and within a few heartbeats, it will randomly teleport you to a location hundreds of miles away, letting you escape from enemies. It was my coronation gift from Saint Smode."

"And here I was hoping for a powerful Magic Item that summons a meteorite or something," the Lord grumbled, smacking his lips, his greed insatiable.

"As if!" Liya rolled her eyes. "Even if any such powerful Magic Items still exist, they would have been used up long ago, or they’re being kept safe as part of the Church’s hidden reserves. The only ones left to be given to outsiders are these rarely used types."

Although the concentration of Magic Power in the world is starting to recover, it’s still nothing compared to the past. As a result, powerful Magic Equipment like this is all relics from a bygone era.

After turning it over in his hands a few times, Levi offered it back to Liya. "You should keep it. I don’t need it."

"If I’m ever in a situation where I need to flee, the enemy will be so unimaginably powerful that I doubt a ring is going to be enough to get me out."

’This wasn’t just Levi being boastful. A few heartbeats to teleport? For a true expert, that’s more than enough time to land a killing blow. And that went double for him.’

"Fine." Her kindness had been rebuffed, but Liya didn’t seem to mind too much. She just slipped the ring back onto her own finger like a little miser.

’In her eyes, this Magic Equipment was incredibly practical. If she’d had it back then, her mother would never have been trapped in Kolon.’

’Besides, it was priceless. She wouldn’t have even considered giving the ring to anyone else.’

Since the decision was made, the Lord wasted no more time. He threw back his head and bellowed, "Gus! Hog! Prepare for battle! The rest of you stay in Kolon and protect Miss Liya!"

This mission was just to act as a vanguard and scout the enemy’s strength. If they could win, they would wipe them out. If not, they’d call for the main army.

Therefore, there was no need to bring the two-legged Beastman Warriors and Feder Archers. He would just take the Jackal Wolf Scouts and the Centaurs.

"Be careful," Liya reminded him, not for the first time.

"Don’t worry. We haven’t seen so much as the shadow of a Six-armed Snake Demon. They’re probably just a bunch of amateurs," Levi said, trying to soothe her. "While I’m gone, Leiden is in charge of the High Cliff Castle forces. You know him; if you need anything, just go to him. You could also have Orak take responsibility."

Levi felt completely at ease leaving High Cliff Castle in Leiden’s hands. The Giant Goblin was incredibly intelligent and handled things meticulously. If it were Zat, on the other hand, he’d have to worry that the guy would start solving disagreements with his sandbag-sized fists the moment he was gone.

"Alright," Liya agreed with a nod.

This was part of their tacit understanding. High Cliff Castle was still just a small-time player in the Wilderness. With a Duke like Liya acting as their patron, many things became much more convenient.

Thus, in Levi’s mind, Liya’s safety was far more important than Onaya’s.

They were in a mutually beneficial relationship, a community of shared interests. Of course, there’s no need to elaborate on their emotional entanglements.

Orak, the Shaman Beastman, saw that battle was imminent and his name hadn’t been called. He sighed inwardly, feeling the dejection of a concubine in the Far East Palace whose plaque was never chosen by the King.

’Looks like this bodyguard duty,’ he thought, ’won’t be over until we leave Kolon.’

Ever since the Centaurs had appeared on the public stage, this unit of born Heavy Cavalry had drawn a great deal of attention.

Anyone who wasn’t blind could see it. This group of behemoths, averaging three Tri-Blades in height and weighing several thousand pounds, would be an utterly devastating and unstoppable force once they donned armor and charged.

But up until now, the fighting had all been siege warfare, giving the Centaurs no chance to shine. Instead, the Beastman Warriors had stolen the spotlight, proving to everyone that High Cliff Castle had more than one elite unit in its arsenal.

Now, this unit, whose reputation had yet to be made, finally had its chance to take the stage.

Levi walked toward his waiting men, his hand resting on his sword.

The Centaurs stood like ancient warriors cloaked in shadow, their thick fore-hooves stamping the ground in a steady rhythm. This wasn’t anxiety at the thought of facing demons—it was excitement. They had long since been thirsting for battle.

It was an unquenchable will, etched into their very bloodline.

Lionel never needed a tombstone; they will run across the plains until they rot!

A familiar banner was raised, its sigil—a red sun shining down on a mountain ringed by fire—fluttering in the wind.