CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 37: FRIGHTENINGLY POWERFUL

"An assassin."

When Ryan of the Frozen Soil Territory received the message, it came along with the news of the Flying Wolf Cavalry’s defeat and over 1,500 casualties from the Dragonblood Warrior Legion.

Earl Winter’s Flying Wolf Cavalry was decimated, leaving fewer than two thousand men alive. Had it not been for their ability to fly and the quick response of the knights, the death toll would have been even higher.

As for the Dragonblood Warrior Legion, due to their lack of mobility, they suffered even greater losses.

Even the Black Goatman Warrior Legion lost more than half their numbers. Yet the remaining three to four thousand beastman warriors were still enough to strike fear into the hearts of the nobles of the Northern Wind Province.

Ryan narrowed his eyes as he read the description of the assassins in the report.

Feline beastfolk with blue fur, capable of wielding rapiers like humans, hiding in the shadows, and striking with deadly precision.

"So I’ve finally found you..."

Ryan hadn’t forgotten that his original self had been killed by an assassin.

"Feline beastfolk — so weak that any orc could bully them — how could they possess such terrifying transcendent power? Who is behind this?"

In his mind, Ryan immediately ruled out the catfolk themselves, as well as Earl Winter and Earl Sauron.

Both of their transcendent legions had suffered heavy losses — it was impossible for them to orchestrate something like this.

The orcs weren’t likely either. If they had that kind of intelligence, they would’ve been self-sufficient in the North and wouldn’t need to invade the South.

Among the remaining suspects, nobles from the Empire’s southern regions were unlikely. Smuggling so many assassins into the Northern Wind Province without a trace? Impossible. That left only the internal nobles of the province.

"Count Loff Weiss is the most likely. Other ranking viscounts like Viscount Miles seem improbable. If they had such an assassin force, Viscount Dragon would’ve been dead already."

"There aren’t many options left."

Standing at odds with all the nobles, Ryan settled on Count Weiss as the prime suspect.

If Count Weiss was truly behind it, then he likely commanded a transcendent legion of his own.

Looking at the broader situation in the Northern Frontier, Ryan knew that many people in the Northern Wind Province might not survive this winter.

Yet what he hadn’t expected was that the first to fall was actually Viscount Miles.

After a stalemate battle in Golden Sheaf County between the Black Goatman warriors and the transcendent forces of the two Earls, the beastmen surprisingly led tens of thousands into Zerod Crossing County.

To be fair, the Miles family — a noble line that had endured for centuries — had a strong foundation. At the crucial moment, they pulled out over a dozen spell scrolls, killing more than a thousand Black Goatmen.

What was even more shocking was that Viscount Miles himself turned out to be a grand mage, just a step away from becoming a magister.

This revelation stunned many in the Northern Wind Province. Viscount Dragon, in particular, was relieved — the old fox was finally nearing the end of his days.

In the following assault, the Black Goatmen rampaged across more than half of Zerod Crossing County. Over half of the local nobles suffered grievous losses.

Thankfully, Zerod City did not fall. The nobles there remained safe, making it the only county in the entire province where not a single noble perished.

But the orcs weren’t done. After the grievous losses to Earl Winter and Earl Sauron’s transcendent legions, the two Earls withdrew to their own domains, unwilling to engage further.

Still, due to Viscount Miles’s intervention, the transcendent beastman army had taken a heavy hit. The surviving Goatmen no longer attacked cities, but instead dispersed to raid small noble estates and manors.

Ironically, the reason Zerod Crossing was targeted in the first place had something to do with Ryan.

The Black Goatmen believed themselves to be cunning, so they sent scouts south to determine which noble had the most grain.

Unfortunately, Ryan had sold that very information to Viscount Miles.

As a result, Miles and the opportunistic merchant guilds began hoarding grain in Zerod City, stacking up reserves in hopes of profiting from the war. Naturally, this didn’t escape the eyes of the Goatman scouts.

Thus, Zerod Crossing became the target of their assault.

With this, the so-called mutual defense network of the Northern Wind Province turned into a joke — each county now fought its own battles.

Half a month later, another county city fell to the beastmen. This time, no Flying Wolf Cavalry came to the rescue. The entire city, including Viscount Skinner and dozens of nobles, was wiped out.

This news shook the noble class of the province.

So many nobles dead — leaving aside the political repercussions, how could they explain this to the Empire?

Earl Winter’s Flying Wolf Cavalry and Earl Sauron’s Dragonblood Warrior Legion were once again mobilized to pursue the Black Goatman warriors, though the brunt of the fighting still fell on ordinary cavalry units.

Only the cavalry could keep up with the Goatmen. The Flying Wolves lacked stamina, and by the time they arrived at the battlefield, the battle was already winding down.

Fortunately, after more than 20 days of pursuit, the remaining 2,000 or so Goatman warriors were mostly eliminated. Over half of the nearly 100,000 Black Goatmen who had invaded the province were now dead.

Other orc tribes suffered even greater losses. But to the beastmen, population was a burden — their southern invasion had always been about grabbing grain and culling their numbers.

After enduring devastation, the Northern Wind Province finally welcomed February of the new year.

The beastmen began to retreat. The human lords launched counterattacks — not out of rage or honor, but to reclaim the wealth the orcs had plundered from their lands.

As part of these pursuits, Ryan’s Frozen Soil Territory finally had its moment to act.

Unlike the other nobles who chased the beastmen, Ryan set up ambushes.

"Not a single orc must be allowed to threaten my territory. Brandt, assemble the troops! Search every mountain and kill any who resist — the rest will be taken as slaves!"

Riding across the plains beneath Horn Ridge, Ryan looked out over the slowly thawing snow. For the first time, life returned to his land.

With nearly a hundred soldiers and seven to eight hundred serfs, Ryan’s self-proclaimed "Thousand-Man Legion" began sweeping through the surrounding mountains.

Along the way, they mapped out the terrain.

The orcs who had once invaded so savagely were now full of fear. Well-fed and burdened with plunder, they chose to flee rather than fight when confronted by human forces.

Ryan was speechless — but he kept scooping up the spoils. The number of orc slaves in his domain grew from 300 or so to 900, then over a thousand.

Two more weeks passed. With the snow nearly gone, it became hard to find orcs near his territory.

By then, Ryan had captured over 2,000 orc slaves.

So many orcs began to cause unrest in the Frozen Soil Territory. Ryan didn’t even have time to visit the otherworld anymore.

Determined not to waste food, he issued a new order:

"Send them to build the road we scouted earlier. Pile up the dirt they dig — if we can’t find fertile land, we’ll create it ourselves!"

"Don’t go easy on them. Work them to death if necessary."

Orcs consumed far more than humans. Ryan couldn’t imagine how long his grain stores would last if even one orc survived.

Thinking of food, his gaze shifted to the towering silos at the base of Horn Ridge — and he couldn’t help but feel satisfied.

He had to thank the orcs for choosing to retreat through his territory — not only had he gained over 2,000 slaves, but also 20,000 gold coins, over 100 tons of grain, and a pile of luxury goods and gems.

In an instant, Lord Ryan’s coffers swelled once again.

As he patrolled his territory on horseback, Ryan was still waiting.

Waiting to see if the assassin who once failed to kill him would try again.

That’s why he traveled alone — even Brandt didn’t accompany him.

Because Ryan realized that now... he was terrifyingly powerful.

He tightened his grip on the reins — the warhorse beneath him shivered, though it had felt this terrifying aura many times already in recent days.

His breath radiated heat. Even leather would soften at its touch. Dry wood would ignite if held too close.

He had tested it — he could lift a millstone above his head with one hand, with ease.

The reason? Something extraordinary.

The Flame Dragon Knight Breathing Technique of the Rimehart family had advanced — he had broken through to the level of a full-fledged knight.

Strangely, though his body had long since reached a knight’s level, he had managed to break through a second time.

It was as if the "Blessing of the Deer Spirit" from his spiritual panel had enhanced his physique, and now allowed him to practice a second breathing method — the Deer Spirit Knight Breathing Technique — in tandem with the Flame Dragon one.

They didn’t conflict at all. His body instinctively trained the Flame Dragon technique, while the spiritual panel enabled the second.

Because his body was already knight-level, this breakthrough didn’t improve his physique much — but what it did boost was his soul.

After breaking through, Ryan felt like a predator at the top of the food chain. Anyone who faced him would feel fear deep in their bones.

In battle, this made enemies perform worse — and led to effortless victories.

In short, none of the five or six knights under his command, aside from Brandt, could match him.