Chapter 409 Death (Part )

Angel still had to sign the “humiliating” treaty, returning the Thousand Needles Jungle and Eagle Mountain Quarry to Raven, and also handing over the Gray Mountain Mine to the Griffith family.

A full 100 years of ownership was handed over.

The nobles who had won the encounter were integrated into two legions under the leadership of Viscount Morgan and Viscount John, and continued to advance deeper into the battlefield.

What follows is one battle after another against the undead army.

The Hand of Death was able to crush the undead with ease in the beginning because the Nords had been at peace for too long and humans had a natural fear of the undead.

But as humans gained more experience and relearned how to fight, the fear slowly disappeared and the battle became less difficult.

The time came to November 1194.

After more than half a year of fierce fighting, the battle against the Cult of the Hand of Death ended with a great victory for the Nordic province.

Raven continued his outstanding performance in the subsequent wars and became one of the biggest winners of the war, gaining a territory equivalent to that of a viscount.

Another person who benefited the most was Guldan, the eldest son of Count Montreal. He did not receive any fiefdom, but did receive a viscount title.

Viscount John exchanged his Snow Maple Territory for Raven’s newly acquired territory, making Raven’s territory connected.

In order to make up for the title that Raven gave up, Montreal, his father-in-law, also gave the Holo Territory south of the Eagle Territory to Raven.

The territory and population suddenly increased nearly 10 times, and the Griffith family entered a period of rapid expansion.

In 1195, the scale of Xiongying Town expanded greatly, and the permanent population increased from more than 800 to 2. The economic level of the territory and the living standards of the people made great progress.

In 1196, a new castle was built and Raven named it Eagle City.

Its scale is no less than that of an earl’s castle.

The size of the Eagle Army gradually expanded to two legions, totaling more than 10000 people.

In the same year, the Keynes Empire brazenly launched a war with another great empire on the continent, Insa, on the northeastern border of the empire.

The time came on June 1197, 4.

An uninvited guest came to Eagle City.

“Baron Raven!” Baron Florence was covered in mud and dust, without any aristocratic demeanor, but he still showed a flattering smile when he met Raven.

His territory is located in Hampshire, southwest of the Nord Province, connected to the Molinier Province. He was saved by Raven during the Death Hand Cult War.

Florence, with a smile on her face, said something shocking:
“A plague of locusts is coming soon… My territory is finished!”

All members of the Griffith family felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.

The same is true for Raven.

House seemingly endless rain.

Last year, there was a severe drought in the Nordic province. We had hoped to make up for last year’s losses with this year’s harvest, but now it seems that everything will be in vain.

During her escape, Florence spread panic all the way, and soon the entire Nord province received news of the impending locust plague.

Panic.

After discussion, Raven immediately issued an announcement, acting as an advocate to unite the nobles of the five northwestern counties of Nord Province to jointly form a military alliance to fight against the locust plague.

At the same time, the principle of sharing food and intelligence was also established within the alliance.

The locust plague soon arrived.

The severity of the disaster was beyond everyone’s expectations.

The surging sea of ​​insects covered the sky and the sun, as if it was going to devour the world clean. No grass grew wherever it passed, and the bark of the trees was eaten clean. Even the poultry that Raven had raised in advance to prepare for the locust plague were eaten to pieces.

Fortunately, Raven believed Baron Florence’s warning, which sounded a bit exaggerated at first, and stored enough food in advance. The houses in the territory were mainly made of earth and stone, so the direct losses were quite limited.

Moreover, after the locust plague, the food stored in advance avoided large-scale famine, and the cooking, drying and airing of the remaining locust carcasses also made up for a considerable amount of food gap.

The nobles in the five northwestern counties also followed suit.

Therefore, in the Nordic province where people were starving to death everywhere, the Northwestern Five Counties Alliance, led by Raven, actually ensured the self-sufficiency of food in its own territory.

This made many nobles jealous.

This includes the Fox family.

As a count family, although it has a deep foundation, it has the largest territory and the greatest losses. After the locust plague, many small and medium-sized secret sects within its territory began to make trouble again, forcing Montreal to mobilize troops to quell rebellions and put out fires everywhere.

However, even so, after the locust plague ended, Montreal contacted Raven as soon as possible and invited him to visit Foxburg.

This was a very formal invitation, and Raven did not refuse.

As a building with a history of more than 300 years, Fox Castle located in the city of Hovey is full of historical charm, and the furnishings and arrangements therein reflect the profound heritage of the Earl’s family.

Every piece of decoration, whether it is the candlesticks on the wall, the vases on the wall, or the colorful oil paintings and sculptures, are all made by masters.

Even the carpets on the floor have a history of hundreds of years.

The huge banquet hall can accommodate hundreds of people to have fun.

But now there are only four people in this banquet hall.

Montreal sat in the main seat, with Raven on his left and Gul’dan and Sanchi on his right.

Gul’dan, contrary to his usual attitude, showed great enthusiasm: “Raven, try it. This is a specialty of our Fox family. You will never be able to eat it outside.”

Sanchi said, “Yes, this is the smoked bear belly of the Earth Bear. Most people don’t know how to handle it.”

Raven’s condition has not been very good recently. His hair has turned completely white, and his appetite has been getting weaker and weaker. He can hardly eat greasy food. In addition, the excessive enthusiasm of the two brothers made him a little wary. He only cut twice symbolically and tasted a piece.

“Raven, you handled the locust plague very well.” Montreal put a piece of Earth Bear meat into his mouth and chewed it carefully. “It’s a pity that I didn’t pay enough attention to the locust plague. Even though I killed a few insect kings, the losses were still heavy.”

“I asked you to come this time because I want you to help me mediate among the nobles of the five northwestern counties and allocate some food to help the Fox family survive this crisis.”

Raven had already guessed his father-in-law’s purpose before coming here, so he was not surprised: “How much do you want?”

Montreal said calmly: “…At least 2 million pounds of food will be needed.”

“Of course, no problem!” Raven said with a smile without hesitation, “I’ll start preparing as soon as I get back.”

Montreal smiled with relief.

After the meal, Raven left in a hurry, saying that he needed to return to Eagle City as soon as possible to prepare food for Montreal.

on the way.

Raven in the carriage spat out a mouthful of blood with a wow.

“Baron, what’s wrong with you?” Anderson was horrified.

“It’s just poisoned.” Raven’s face was pale, but a smile appeared on his lips: “Well, I was originally worried about Nancy, but now they have given me a reason to take action!”

That night, Fox Castle.

There was a roar of thunder and lightning of lightning.

“Father, isn’t this too much?” Sangqi’s face looked a little ugly: “After all, he is Nancy’s husband!”

“Do you know why my father didn’t choose you as his successor?” Gul’dan said sarcastically, “It’s because of your cautious nature!”

“My father married Nancy to Raven in order to establish a pawn for our Fox family in the Northwest Five Counties, and to use it as a fulcrum to strengthen the rule of the Northwest Five Counties.”

“But Raven has an independent attitude. Has he ever taken us, Fox, seriously?”

Sanchi frowned and said, “But Raven also promised to give us food!”

“He deserves to die because he agreed so readily.” Gul’dan said coldly, “What is food? In this situation, food is gold coins, or even more valuable than gold coins. Yet he took out 2 million pounds without blinking an eye!”

“This shows that all the nobles in the five northwestern counties are already prostrating themselves at his feet. If he continues to let this go, the five northwestern counties will become Raven’s private kingdom!”

Boom.

Lightning flashed, illuminating Gul’dan’s excited and bloodthirsty face, as well as Sanchi’s increasingly paler face.

Only Montreal stood by the window, his face stiff and gloomy.

“Okay, stop arguing and go get some rest.”

“Nancy is a stubborn child. After Raven’s death, she may not be willing to cooperate with the family. When the time comes, Sanchi, you go to Eagle City and manage the Griffith family’s territory.”

“Ha, you didn’t allow me to inherit the family, and now you want to put me on the fire. Shouldn’t this kind of training be left to my eldest brother?” Sang Qi sneered, stood up, and bowed: “But don’t worry, father, I will follow your will!”

After saying that, he kicked the door open and walked out.

Montreal’s face grew gloomier.

To be honest, he admired Raven’s abilities very much.

But the interests of the family are above all else. If he died, neither of his two sons would be a match for Raven. He could only solve this troublesome Raven while he was still alive and could control the situation.

I’m just a little sorry for Nancy…

With a long sigh, Montreal turned back and asked, “What time is it?”

Gul’dan glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s two o’clock in the night, father.”

Montreal’s expression suddenly changed!
No, Raven ate too little today, and the poison was not enough to kill him, so to be on the safe side, he sent his personal guards to kill Raven. Calculating the time, they should have returned long ago!
Suddenly, noisy and panicked shouts were heard, alarms rang, servants and guards were running around everywhere in the castle, and torches were lit everywhere.

“Protect the Earl, there is an assassin——”

Montreal grabbed the sword at his waist, and Gul’dan also raised it alertly at the first moment.

bang——

The door suddenly opened and hit the wall with a loud bang, and then a black object flew in and headed straight for Montreal.

Seeing this, Gul’dan drew his sword, stabbed it hard, and intercepted the thing.

There was a rumble of thunder, and lightning illuminated the scene inside the house. Gul’dan’s face was twisted in fear and anger.

Because what was hung on his rapier was the head of his brother Sanchi!
“Who!? Come out!?” Gul’dan screamed.

“It’s me.” With the sound of footsteps, the white-haired Raven walked into the room: “I thought about it carefully.”

“We still need to raise 2 million pounds of food, but I’m still short of a few things and need the Fox family’s help.”

Gul’dan’s throat moved, and he asked subconsciously: “…What is it?”

“Two heads!”

……

The news of the massacre of Fox Castle and the destruction of the Fox Family spread throughout the entire Nord Province before Raven returned to Eagle City.

Some speculated that it was revenge by the Death Hand Cult, some speculated that it was an assassination by a local secret cult, and some speculated that it was a premeditated rebellion, but no one thought that it would be Raven who did it.

But when Raven returned to Eagle City, he was still questioned by Nancy.

“Did you kill my father and my brothers?”

Raven said, “No.”

“No?” Nancy sneered, “Just as you left Foxburg, the Fox family was massacred. You say it wasn’t you who did it?”

“Looking at the entire Nord Province, besides you and our Baron Raven, who else has this ability?”

Raven asked back: “That’s funny, you said I did it, then why should I do that?”

“You know better than me what’s going on!” Nancy’s eyes were filled with tears. “I thought I had found a good husband. I have tried every possible means and endured so much hardship in the past few years in order to give birth to a child for you, but in the end, this is what I get!”

“Power, title, status, aren’t these what you want!?”

“Raven, I will never forgive you. Just die holding on to your power!”

After saying that, Nancy flicked her sleeves and turned to leave.

At this moment, the wrinkles on Raven’s face seemed to deepen.

From that day on, Nancy never slept with Raven again for the next three years.

Raven also took advantage of the power vacuum left by the fall of the Fox family to expand his influence and gradually govern the five northwestern counties like an iron bucket.

It wasn’t until 1199 that the arrival of a letter broke the peace.

This is a letter for help sent by Gatugen, the Prime Minister of the Principality of Eivor in the northern Nord Province.

Two years ago, Grand Duke Eivor VII died without an heir, and the duchy fell into a situation of confrontation between the two sides.

On one side are the royalists led by Gatugen, who hope to find the remaining bloodline of Eivor among the people and maintain the orthodox inheritance of the principality.

On one side were the reformists, led by the Marquis of Aragon, who hoped that the duchy would no longer enthronize a grand duke, but instead be governed jointly by a parliament of nobles.

The peace talks between the two sides failed, and the civil war broke out as expected as the successor that Gatugen found among the people was assassinated.

Although the royalists were deeply rooted in the principality, their performance on the battlefield was not satisfactory, so they had no choice but to send people to the Nordic province for help.

After the fall of the Fox family, Raven became the most powerful noble in the Nord Province.

And Raven has been waiting for this opportunity.

At this time, the Keynes Empire was fighting fiercely with the Insa Empire in the northeast. If the Empire could help the Principality of Eivor quell the civil strife and make the Principality of Eivor stand on the side of the Empire, then the Empire would have an opportunity to insert into Insa from the side.

Therefore, while Raven wrote a letter to apply to the Supreme Council of the Empire, he mobilized the army and marched north into the Principality of Eivor.

The place where the Principality of Aivor borders the Keynes Empire is called the “Wall of Sighs” and is an extremely solid military fortress.

When Raven arrived outside the city wall, he encountered an army from the Principality of Eivor, which was the Iron Birch Legion led by “Count Wanda”, the former defender of the Sighing Wall.

Count Wanda was a staunch royalist, but was defeated in the internal strife and had to abandon the Wall of Sighs and come to the Nordic province to seek asylum.

Wanda was somewhat dismissive when she heard that the person coming to help Eivor was just a baron. But now that she saw that Raven had brought two legions of soldiers, her attitude suddenly changed, and she asked with great anticipation:

“Baron Raven, we have seen your country’s sincerity. How many follow-up reinforcements do you have?” “Follow-up reinforcements? Not much.” Raven said: “You also know that the Empire is at war with Insa and can’t spare more troops.”

This nonchalant attitude made Wanda twitch her brows: “…Then, Baron Raven, have you found a piece of land that can accommodate 1 people?”

Raven looked puzzled: “What do you want this for?”

“Of course it’s because I plan to surrender to your empire! Is it because I’m afraid that my troops will starve to death?” Wanda said angrily, “You only brought 1 people with you, and I only have more than 1 people under my command!”

“An army of 2 men is going to attack the Wall of Sighs? You wouldn’t even dream of doing that!”

“Oh, don’t get excited.” Raven shrugged. “Look, you said the wrong thing again.”

“It wasn’t 2 people who attacked the Wall of Sighs.”

Wanda’s eyes lit up: “I knew you were kidding me. Tell me, how many reinforcements are there?”

“I told you, there are no reinforcements.” Raven smiled and said, “To attack the Wall of Sighs, we only need 1 of my Eagle Army!”

Wanda was stunned and thought Raven was crazy.

The Wall of Sighs has stood for 600 years. The Keynesian Empire once sent an army of more than 20 people, but they were defeated under the Wall of Sighs.

Raven only brought 1 people and dared to say that he was going to attack the Wall of Sighs?
Wanda even wanted to leave Raven behind and find a place to rest and stay inside the Nord province.

But in the end, out of his duty as a noble, he decided to stay and see what happened – at least if Raven died, he could help collect the body.

But the development of things was completely beyond Wanda’s expectations.

The Sigh Wall actually fell in just one day under Raven’s attack.

It was not until she returned to the Wall of Sighs and saw the familiar buildings in the city that Wanda woke up from her dream.

Simply incredible!

While feeling happy, Wanda also felt a sense of humiliation and shame.

This is the solid wall that has stood for 600 years. It is the pride of the principality and an important support for the principality’s independence.

Now, Raven was able to defeat them with only 1 men.

Doesn’t this mean that even if there is no civil unrest in the Principality, Raven can still knock on the tightly closed door of the Principality! ?

Fortunately, fortunately Raven was on their side!

After stationing and preparing at the Wall of Sighs for a month, Raven led his army out again and entered the heart of the Principality of Eivor.

Then they encountered strong resistance from the reformist nobles.

Earl Palmer and Marquis Faraday led an army of 7 to block Raven’s way forward.

The two sides were deadlocked on the battlefield.

During the stalemate, a person no one expected came to the battlefield.

Count Tudor of the Duchy of Eivor.

During the civil war, Earl Tudor maintained a neutral stance and never participated in the fighting on either side.

His appearance changed the course of the entire battle.

According to those present, when Earl Tudor arrived, he was also hesitating about which side to join.

But after seeing Raven personally leading his army to break through Earl Palmer’s center, Earl Tudor threw the ivory dice that he always kept in his hand. When he saw the pattern of 1 drawn by a demon on it, Earl Tudor laughed and joined Raven’s army.

With the joint efforts of Raven and Tudor, the coalition forces of Palmer and Faraday suffered a great defeat, their army was almost wiped out, and both of them were captured.

Two consecutive resounding victories made Raven in high spirits.

But then, he encountered unexpected trouble.

On the way to the depths of Eivor, a fortress called Thorn Ridge tripped Raven up.

Viscount Fowler of the Principality of Eivor, with 2000 remnants of his army, held out here firmly, ignoring Raven’s call for surrender and even rejecting the conditions offered by Earl Dudor.

“But there are always some things that are more important than life.”

Viscount Fowler said this to Tudor.

He also put his beliefs into practice and delayed Raven for 2 months.

With his ammunition and food supplies exhausted and even his war horses and monsters eaten up, he led 2000 remaining soldiers in a charge against the Eagle Army, shouting and fighting until the last moment of his death.

This was the Battle of Thorn Ridge.

It was not the most brutal battle Raven had ever experienced, but it was the one that left the deepest impression on him.

After building tombstones for these warriors, Raven continued his journey north.

At this time, the main force of the reformists, a total of 22 troops, surrounded the capital of the Principality of Eivor, Blue Castle.

Raven was already prepared for a brutal battle, and even prepared more than 5000 horses and cowhides for wrapping the corpses.

However, the war went surprisingly smoothly.

Perhaps it was the Battle of Thorn Ridge that exhausted the last bit of blood of the Eivor people, or perhaps it was this battle that made the Eivor people understand what they really wanted.

When Raven led a charge of 1000 heavy cavalry and broke down the carefully constructed defense line of the Marquis of Aragon, the defeat of the reformist army became almost unstoppable.

This battle was a sea of ​​blood and corpses, and even the Hailan River next to the Blue Castle turned red.

The defenders who were hiding in the city, led by Count Frank, pursued the enemy northward, and finally ensured that the Eivor people did not miss the final decisive battle.

Raven was regarded as a hero of the Eivor people and was welcomed into the Blue Castle.

But soon, Gatugen felt regretful.

Because Raven behaved like a greedy wolf.

Not only did he demand that the Duchy of Eivor fully turn to the Keynes Empire in diplomacy, he even believed that the Empire should have the right to station troops in the Duchy of Eivor, and even the Wall of Sighs should be managed by the Keynes Empire.

Gato argued based on reason, but the situation was stronger than the person. Raven’s reputation in the Principality of Eivor, the degree of support he enjoyed, and even the ferocity of his army were all beyond Gatogen’s ability to contend with.

Therefore, they could only endure it with humiliation.

And Raven returned to Eagle City as a war hero, warmly welcomed by the nobles of Eivor and the Nord province.

Out of courtesy, Nancy greeted Raven’s return at the door, but avoided him at the subsequent cocktail party.

“Young man, you should learn to bow your head when you need to.” Donald, who was becoming more and more prosperous, laughed and said, “You and Nancy are husband and wife after all. You should support each other for the rest of your lives.”

“If you bow your head and admit your mistakes, you can still make peace with each other.”

Raven sighed and shook his head. “That’s impossible. Not everything can be apologized for.”

“I’m not making this up.” Donald said, “In fact, half a year ago, when you were on the expedition, a coalition of more than 5 horse thieves and pirates attacked Eagle City.”

“On the one hand, it was thanks to the fellow named ‘Snow Chicken Bent’ that you had planted on the Bloody Highlands that came to report the news, which gave us a warning.”

“On the other hand, it was also due to Nancy’s decisive decision that she, together with Viscount John, annihilated the enemy leader.”

“Otherwise, Eagle City would have been a wasteland by now!”

Raven nodded. For some reason, he felt no wavering in his heart, as if all this was natural.

It seems natural, but at the same time, it feels extremely strange.

He still didn’t go find Nancy.

Two years passed, and Eagle City welcomed an unprecedented happy event!
The decision was made by the Supreme Noble Council of the Empire. Due to Raven’s outstanding performance in the Principality of Eivor, he gained the initiative in the war between the Empire and Insa, and thus Raven was conferred the title of Earl!
The entire Griffith family’s territory was in turmoil.

Everyone had a smile on their face, and everyone was happy for Raven.

This is truly a miracle.

Because the empire has been around for nearly 400 years, and there has not been a new earl with real power!

The happiest person was old Gordon.

He was busy preparing for Raven’s enthronement reception. His face was flushed and he smiled at everyone he met.

“Earl Raven…Earl!”

This became the phrase he said most often.

Even Donald was annoyed by her constant nagging, but Raven didn’t care.

For some reason, seeing old Gordon so happy was even more gratifying to him than the fact that he had become an earl.

On the day of the enthronement reception, everyone drank a lot.

Only Raven, because he was getting weaker and hadn’t drunk much, left the party early and returned to his room.

This year, Raven is 30 years old.

But the man in the mirror had white hair and wrinkles all over his face. Apart from a pair of bright eyes, he looked like an old man.

Squeak.

The door opened and Nancy walked in, her figure gradually becoming clear in the mirror.

“Raven, you have become a count.” She placed the wine glass in front of Raven: “Congratulations.”

Picking up the wine glass, Raven took a sip and his brows jumped.

Nancy leaned over, put her arms around Raven’s neck, and said softly, “This is what you wanted, right?”

“You married me, killed my father, and killed my two brothers, all for this day.”

“You’ve never trusted me, and you refused to drink more of this glass of wine!”

A flash of silver light reflected on the mirror, and Nancy suddenly took out a dagger in her hand, cut open Raven’s clothes, and put it on his neck:
“I’ve been waiting for this moment.”

“When you become a count and you are at your most proud, I will personally destroy everything you have!”

In the mirror, Nancy’s eyes revealed a resolute viciousness, like a poisonous snake that finally showed its fangs: “Even if it’s because I’m your wife.”

“You won’t live long anyway, so just come with me and die!”

The blade pressed down, slitting Raven’s throat.

Intense emotions were brewing in my chest.

At this moment, Raven did not feel fear, but instead felt a complex emotion mixed with anger, sadness and grief.

Snapped.

Grasping Nancy’s wrist tightly, Raven looked up, looked directly into those strange eyes, twisted it hard, and grasped the dagger in his hand amid Nancy’s screams of pain.

“Raven, you hurt me!” Nancy frowned slightly, with a bit of grievance and naivety.

Guilt rose in Raven’s heart, but it was immediately followed by further anger!
He grasped the dagger, swung it backwards with his backhand, and the blade sank into Nancy’s chest.

Blood gushed out.

Raven’s body was shaking, and at this moment he could hardly breathe.

He moved his chair and took Nancy’s gradually cooling body into his arms, his expression sad and wooden:

“…You’re acting really well, why don’t you keep going…”

I remembered.

Raven remembered everything. He remembered that Donald was dead, old Gordon was dead…

This is a real dream, and all the people who appear in the dream are dead.

Including Nancy, of course.

Nancy’s eyes in his arms were filled with resentment and questioning, as if she was questioning Raven where she had revealed her flaws.

Raven reached out and covered her eyes.

The scene in the mirror was exactly the same as Raven’s memory of Nancy’s death.

“Unfortunately, you are not her…”

The flaw couldn’t be clearer.

Because Raven knew that no matter how reasonable the dream was or how motivated Nancy was, she would never do such a thing.

The real Nancy would never hurt him.

boom–

At this moment, my mind was filled with darkness and the whole world shattered.

As if he had sunk into the bottom of an endless sea, Raven felt aches and heaviness all over his body, and his consciousness was drifting away.

I don’t know how long it took, but a vague voice sounded in my ears.

“Raven……”

“Raven…!”

Something was shaking itself.

Raven gradually regained control of his body.

He opened his eyes and a ray of sunlight pierced into them.

……

(End of this chapter)