Chapter 1 The Northern Uprising

As if in the blink of an eye, the news that the six northern provinces of the empire had raised the flag of rebellion under the leadership of Princess Constance had gone from a rumor whispered in hushed tones to a publicly known fact. On the streets and in the markets, almost everyone was suddenly talking about it. People discussed the situation with unease, seeking the latest information from one unreliable source after another. They discussed the princess's motives, the goals of the six northern provinces, and speculated about the changes on the front lines and the emperor's response. But the most worrying event was the battle that had taken place some days ago at the Koperus River, and the small village that had been destroyed in the fighting—people couldn't help but worry, as it wasn't far from their own town.

According to more recent information, it had been an unexpected skirmish. A contingent of Broken Sword Knights and their retinues, preparing to travel north in response to the princess's call, were discovered by the Black Sword Knights before crossing the river. A chaotic battle ensued. The Broken Sword Knights were outnumbered ten to one, but they fought evenly. The final result of the battle could be described as inconclusive. Both sides chose to retreat after suffering heavy casualties. In terms of battlefield gains, there were no victors, but in the long run, the commander of the Black Sword Knights would undoubtedly be uneasy: the Broken Sword Knights had vanished after the battle, and no one knew whether they had already headed north or were still wandering in the area...

The most direct impact of this was that every town had increased its scrutiny of passersby.

Leaving a town was easy, but entering the next one was not so simple. A makeshift checkpoint blocked the only road to Greenwade. Large numbers of fully armed imperial soldiers were searching every traveler heading north to prevent them from being disguised Broken Sword Knights or other rebellious elements loyal to the princess. Black Sword Knights could even be seen at the checkpoint. They wore full suits of black steel armor, their faces hidden behind dragon-headed helmets. The magical mechanical swords at their waists emitted a faint hum as they stood guard with their masters.

Hao Ren pulled back the curtain and watched another group of travelers being inspected in front of his "merchant caravan." His gaze lingered on a Black Sword Knight for a moment before he turned back and said, "Looks like the inspection is pretty strict."

"The situation is developing faster than expected," Charlemagne said with a frown. "News of the northern rebellion shouldn't have spread so quickly—at least not before the imperial legions and local officials were prepared and had planned to release the information."

"So the people spreading the news aren't necessarily working for the emperor," Vivian said, unsurprised. "It seems this Dragon Empire isn't as united and loyal as you initially claimed. At least six provinces in the north were quick to respond to the call for rebellion, and there are plenty of destabilizing factors in the south as well."

"Our understanding of the Dragon Empire is limited, after all," Awenna said, her expression still calm, showing no embarrassment. "And even the most stable nation will have destabilizing factors. His Majesty Buren has ruled this land for thousands of years; he can't guarantee that everyone in this land is absolutely loyal to him—especially with a princess who is second only to him in prestige actively moving around."

Lili bared her teeth. "This is a classic example of a daughter causing trouble for her dad. That emperor's guts are probably turning green with regret right now."

Charlemagne and Awenna: "...Huh?"

"Ignore her," Hao Ren said, waving his hand. "She talks nonsense when she eats the wrong things."

As he spoke, the carriage arrived at the checkpoint. Several imperial soldiers waved to stop the vehicle, demanding a routine inspection.

Charlemagne instinctively reached for the sword at his waist, his other hand touching the royal crest of the Izhul Kingdom he wore on his chest. If things really got out of control, this crest would be his last gamble.

But a glance at Hao Ren and the others sitting in the back of the carriage surprised him. They didn't seem nervous at all; they were even chatting and laughing, which puzzled him.

Were these people from the World Tree Temple so out of touch with the world that they lacked a basic sense of danger?

At that moment, an imperial soldier came to the carriage. Charlemagne took a deep breath, his expression instantly becoming humble and nervous. He opened the door panel, pulled back the curtain, and leaned out. A moment later, his voice came from outside, "We're a merchant caravan heading to Greenwade. We have travel permits and a list of goods. Just ordinary crafts and fabrics."

After a moment, the loud voice of an imperial soldier came, "The original destination on the permit was Grey Mountain City? Why did you change to Greenwade?"

"We wouldn't dare go to Grey Mountain City!" Charlemagne quickly replied, his tone like that of a truly frightened merchant. "I heard there are rebels in that city! The Broken Sword Knights are a bunch of ruthless killers; we wouldn't dare deal with them. Greenwade is garrisoned by imperial legions; it should be safer there."

Hao Ren was stunned as he listened to the commotion outside. He hadn't expected the prince, who seemed paranoid, to have such acting skills. Was he a natural-born thespian?

But even excellent acting couldn't prevent the imperial soldiers from following procedures. Hao Ren heard the imperial soldier shout, "Everyone heading north says that! Open all the carriages! We need to inspect all the goods—and everyone!"

Charlemagne couldn't refuse the order; otherwise, they would all be detained. So he had no choice but to pull back all the curtains.

Several imperial soldiers went to inspect the goods in the other two carriages, while a Black Sword Knight in black steel armor stepped onto the modified carriage with a lightly armored imperial soldier.

The fully armed Black Sword Knight caused the carriage's chassis to sink slightly.

The knight, like a walking iron can, scanned everything in the carriage. His black mask revealed no expression. Even the eyeholes showed only a deep darkness.

Hao Ren had long been curious about these famous knights, so he seized the opportunity to observe every detail of the Black Sword Knight. His first impression was that the knight seemed to lack vitality—but not in the same way as undead creatures.

The Black Sword Knight was undoubtedly alive, but not entirely alive.

The imperial soldier who had come up with the knight respectfully lowered his head behind him. "Sir, this carriage is a bit odd. The magical device is running very quietly, and the axles seem to have been modified..."

The Black Sword Knight nodded slightly and took a step forward. Influenced by some inexplicable instinct, his gaze met Leah's.

Leah looked up from her studying, glanced at the iron can in front of her, and casually said, "We're a merchant caravan heading to Greenwade. Safe and legal. Can we pass?"

The Black Sword Knight nodded, and a rough, deep voice came from under the mask. "You are a merchant caravan heading to Greenwade. Safe and legal. You may pass."

The imperial soldier was stunned, but at this checkpoint, the Black Sword Knight's orders were unquestionable, so he quickly nodded, jumped out of the carriage, and shouted to the other soldiers, "Let them pass! Let them pass! These carriages are fine!"

After passing through the checkpoint and getting the Greenwade passage stamp on their permits, Charlemagne and Awenna finally felt relieved. Then they looked at Leah, who had retreated back into the carriage as if she were lost in thought.

...Before, Leah had been silent for so long that the siblings had thought she was an autistic child.

"What's wrong?" Noticing the gazes, Leah popped her head out of the ocean of studying again and asked curiously.

"What did you just do?" Awenna asked in astonishment. "How could a Black Sword Knight let us go so easily—he was already suspicious of us!"

Charlemagne also nodded slightly. He had felt the Black Sword Knight's suspicion and the murderous aura about to be released. He had even prepared for a fight, but he hadn't expected that after this "little girl" said a word, all of the Black Sword Knight's strange aura had vanished.

"Nothing, just telling the truth." Leah said seriously, but she didn't finish the sentence: and turning the truth into reality.

Although she was just a quality projection here, and because she wasn't skilled in using it, she could only display a little bit of insignificant power, the power of a True God, even if presented through a projection, was far beyond what a Black Sword Knight, who was still in the category of mortals, could resist.

The words she spoke with infused divine power were the truth.

Of course, given the instability of the quality projection and the lack of processing power due to being immersed in her studies, Leah's ability wasn't omnipotent. If she were facing an entire army instead of a Black Sword Knight, her words probably wouldn't work.

Charlemagne and Awenna didn't know these details. They naturally assumed that what had just happened was some kind of mental magic, a special secret art from the World Tree Temple. This made them even more incredulous. Awenna touched a strand of hair on her chest. "...I've never heard of Black Sword Knights being susceptible to mental illusions. They're almost immune to such spells..."

Although they weren't on the same page at all, Hao Ren was very interested in Awenna's words. "Immune to mental magic?"

"Yes, the minds of the Black Sword Knights are extremely strong, immune to most soul and mental magic. And they also have a power called Dragon Mark. Once the Dragon Mark is activated, they can resist all kinds of magic like the legendary dragons, and their personal strength will increase again—so although they can't compare to those even more outrageous Broken Sword Knights, they are still the strongest soldiers in the world, bar none. But I never thought you could operate under their noses so easily..."

Hao Ren nodded, not saying much, but he couldn't help but think of the sense of disharmony he had felt when facing the Black Sword Knight...