Chapter 35: Don’t Let It Catch Up to You

After leaving the stone fortress, the group had no choice but to press on at full speed toward Schwarztal.

Colonel Prittwitz’s greatest concern wasn’t actually the war itself, but whether Ning Luo’s body could hold out. Ever since he’d first met Ning Luo, he hadn’t seen the man rest even once. This man seemed to have an endless stream of work.

The order he had received was to cooperate with Ning Luo in completing the diplomatic negotiations. In terms of rank, Ning Luo was higher than he was—Ning Luo represented the Empire of Albion and served as a diplomatic partner to the Holy Federation.

Even so, Colonel Prittwitz still asked in confusion:

“Grand Duke of Eisenwald already believes Schwarztal has surrendered—why must we still promise him the right to religious freedom? That could make him think the Holy Federation is weak.”

It wasn’t that Colonel Prittwitz opposed granting religious autonomy to Eisenwald.

Rather, he feared that doing so might instead cause the Grand Duke of Eisenwald to doubt whether the Holy Federation’s offensive was genuine—possibly leading him to change his mind about surrendering.

“Because we don’t have time.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Grand Duke of Eisenwald is too old—so old that he’s made too many mistakes, too many to dare make any new decisions. We don’t have time to wait for him.”

Colonel Prittwitz understood what Ning Luo meant.

Years of aging had granted the Grand Duke of Eisenwald ample experience and wisdom. But those many years had also become a crushing burden—all his past mistakes hung over him, constantly reminding him of his failures.

He couldn’t make reckless decisions the way Ning Luo could, not in such a short time.

What the Grand Duke of Eisenwald wanted wasn’t for the Holy Federation or the Empire of Scandinavia to win the war.

He understood.

It was no longer possible for either side to win. This was a war with no victor.

What the Grand Duke of Eisenwald wanted was to end the war—properly.

And if it cost him his life, so be it.

What Ning Luo revealed to the Grand Duke of Eisenwald was the most crucial message of all: the Holy Federation was also desperate to end the war. As long as the Grand Duke agreed, this thirty-four-year-long war could be resolved.

Even so, the Grand Duke of Eisenwald still dared not agree—not until both the Duke of Waldenburg and the Duke of Schwarztal also gave their consent.

Therefore—

The group had to head to Schwarztal immediately, to force the Duke of Schwarztal to agree to surrender.

They didn’t have even a moment to catch their breath.

Those who paused for even a moment—

were already dead.

…

Schwarztal lay in the eastern region of the Holy Federation.

Schwarztal Palace.

Baron Hannes, acting Grand Duke, received word that the eastern front of the Holy Federation had been heavily stripped of troops and was now dangerously exposed. In theory, this was the perfect time to launch a counterattack—but Baron Hannes refused. Instead, he immediately ordered that the news be kept secret.

Baron Hannes wasn’t a fool. He knew that launching an attack now could indeed inflict a serious blow on the Holy Federation.

But this meant nothing to Schwarztal.

The Duchy of Schwarztal was one of the weakest duchies within the Holy Federation—barely better off than Dortmund. However, due to its geographic location, its homeland had suffered far less wartime incursion than Hohenstein or Dortmund. Still, the years of relentless warfare had brought Schwarztal to the brink of collapse.

When facing Ning Luo and the others, Baron Hannes felt a complicated tangle of emotions.

“Truthfully, I am a Universal Church follower. The Duke of Schwarztal made me acting Grand Duke precisely because, in a way, it represented Schwarztal’s intent to withdraw from this war.”

Baron Hannes said this bluntly.

“Now, the opportunity to end the war is right in front of you.”

“You think the war will end just like that?”

Baron Hannes shot back.

“I guarantee it.”

“No, no, no—that kind of guarantee means nothing, Lord Scharnhorst. Over the past thirty-four years, I’ve heard the same thing 516 times—‘The war is about to end, the war will not go on.’ At first, I dared to hope. Then I became afraid to hope. Now, I’m simply numb. Yet here we are—war still rages.”

Baron Hannes remained unmoved by Ning Luo’s persuasion to surrender.

If the war could truly end, of course Baron Hannes would be willing. But what if it couldn’t? Dortmund had sided with the Holy Federation during the last round, and the fate it met was one Baron Hannes would never forget.

But Ning Luo met his eyes directly.

“So you're saying you’ve done nothing all 516 times?”

…

Baron Hannes fell silent.

It was just as Ning Luo said—he had merely pinned his hopes on others. One might argue that it was due to his low status or lack of ability.

But no matter how one looked at it—

He had done nothing.

Ning Luo pressed on.

“If I were you, I would have taken action the very first time. I would’ve found a way to end the war from the beginning.”

“Lord Scharnhorst… Things are not as simple as you young people imagine. We can’t act based on emotion alone.”

“And is this the outcome you wanted?!”

Ning Luo raised his hand, rubbing his forehead with his fingers.

“That’s why I loathe people like you the most—I loathe you from the bottom of my soul. When things could still be fixed, you never did a thing. You people always—always—wait until everything has gone beyond redemption before regretting the past!”

…

Baron Hannes remained silent for a long time.

Indeed, it was just as Ning Luo had said. At least in the first two years of the war, everything had still been salvageable. It hadn’t yet reached the point of life and death.

But how it all came to this—no one could say for certain.

Ning Luo took the documents from Cinderella’s hands and tossed them in front of Baron Hannes.

“Sign this now. Let me end this damned war!”

…

Baron Hannes looked at the documents that Ning Luo had thrown over.

Baron Hannes’s hands trembled slightly. This was a war that had lasted thirty-four years—thirty-four years that had turned everyone on this land into something neither human nor ghost. That weight was more than Baron Hannes could bear.

“The Duke of Schwarztal… leave it to me… I can’t…”

Baron Hannes didn’t give a definite answer.

Because he was only the acting Grand Duke—he did not truly hold authority over Schwarztal. He couldn’t bring himself to make the final decision.

But even so, it was clear his psychological defenses had already crumbled.

“It’s all right, Lord Hannes. I know your cowardice. That’s why I spoke to the Grand Duke of Eisenwald before I came to you. I won’t allow this land to repeat the mistakes of the past. I will make a better choice.”

Ning Luo wasn’t lying.

Everything Baron Hannes had said was true. For the old generation who had lived through the war, their greatest agony wasn’t the war itself—

It was passing the war on to the next generation.

That endless cycle of blood and fire was enough to drive anyone mad. To Baron Hannes, Ning Luo was the next generation. The war had already destroyed two generations—and was poised to destroy a third.

Ning Luo would make a better choice.

…

Baron Hannes became the first faction leader to sign.

After the former Duke of Schwarztal had passed away, he left behind only a son not even ten years old. Baron Hannes had stepped in as acting Grand Duke. His priority had always been to protect the young duke throughout the war—he didn’t dare take any risks.

But—

If the war continued, it would destroy the new Duke of Schwarztal too. The time had come. A decision had to be made.

With Schwarztal and Eisenwald now resolved—

Only Waldenburg remained. Once Waldenburg was dealt with, the possibility of ending the war would finally be within reach.

However—

Where there were those who wanted to end the war, there were also those who didn’t.

As they departed Schwarztal for Waldenburg—

the monsters of the past caught up to them. Colonel Prittwitz rode his horse to block Ning Luo’s path, eyes locked on the monsters lurking in the shadows. To kill the monsters of the past, one had to pay every price one could afford to pay.

“If we’re separated—rendezvous in Waldenburg!”