As the team slowly climbed to the top of the hill, the vast scenery behind the mountain came into view.

After crossing this group of mountains, there is an endless field of flying catkins. There are water networks crisscrossing the land, and many reeds and aquatic plants are scattered here. This is the junction of the western border and the northern border. It is not too cold. After passing this grassland, there is a sparse coniferous forest, and then the black mountain where Mole County is located. There are snow-capped mountains there, and the ground is often covered with frost.

The wind blew through the white reeds and grass at the foot of the mountain, creating ripples. After experiencing the scorching heat of midsummer, the soldiers felt a rare sense of coolness, and even their previously depressed mood improved a lot.

Some soldiers put down the things on their shoulders and stood on the hillside to vent their anger by roaring. The sound spread far away in the wilderness. Some gray geese were startled from the water grass and flew towards the distant lavender sky.

"Looks like we can have some extra food tonight." Isaiah also stopped his horse on the hillside, feeling the world suddenly opening up.

That night, the 20,000-strong army camped in the wilderness of reeds and aquatic plants, made a fire, cooked, and settled down for the time being.

The orange bonfire adorned the earth. Soldiers sat around the fire, eating rare hot food and drinking cooked soup, with a faint sense of satisfaction in their hearts.

Although the road ahead is still uncertain, I have finally found some peace and rest.

In the spacious tent, Isaiah sat in front of a simple bed, eating the roasted grey goose meat prepared by the soldiers and slowly flipping through the book in his hand.

This book talks about the topography and customs of the North. It can be regarded as a last-minute lesson as he has forgotten a lot of knowledge about the North.

"Lord Isaiah." An adjutant lifted the curtain and approached the tent.

"This is freshly cooked hot soup that you can enjoy after your meal."

The soup is white in color and seems to be cooked with milk mixed with vegetables and meat, with a faint fragrance.

"Thank you. You should rest early today. There's no need to have too many people on guard."

"I know this will be dangerous, but recovering our energy is more important now. Moreover, given our current situation, if the enemy really catches up, counterattack will be futile." Many weapons and supplies were lost during the retreat, and the current team no longer has the combat effectiveness it once had.

"Yes, sir."

With the capture of the Griffin Territory and the defeat of the Western Territory noble coalition, the Southern Territory coalition began to gradually take over the towns in the Western Territory. A large amount of work required manpower, and they also had to find time to clean up the remnants of soldiers and bandits in the territory. Under such circumstances, the number of troops chasing Isaiah's army became smaller and smaller, and finally they simply let the other side leave the land of the Western Territory.

By the end of the year and approaching winter, the team led by Isaiah finally arrived in the central part of the North and settled down temporarily with the consent of the Duke of Raven.

The 20,000 remaining soldiers could not make a single ripple in the vast northern border, and blended into the white cold earth and wasteland like grains of sand. What the Raven Duke really cared about were the officers and commanders in this team.

While the West was in turmoil and the South was fighting, the North was also sorting out its internal problems. The silence of Lady Jackdaw led to the Black Feather Witches of the North being severely suppressed by the nobles. Many witches who followed Lady Jackdaw were expelled from the North or imprisoned. The nobles supported witches from other small factions and began to integrate internal problems.

Unlike the other realms, the nobles and common people in the North didn't clash much, often even sharing weal and woe. This was due to the harsh living conditions in the North, and the nobles truly fulfilled their important responsibility to protect their people. Therefore, when the theories of the South and Crancia reached the North, even though they sparked some discussion, there wasn't a strong reaction from the people, and everyone continued to live similar lives.

Unfortunately, the North is not an isolated island, and the wave sweeping across the empire is destined to spread to every piece of land and every person's head. Everyone must make their own choices in this wave.

－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－

Frosia's armor is probably similar to White Lily's? I think Jeanne d'Arc (Shadowverse version) is also pretty good, but in my design, Frosia's face is more elf-like.

7017k