The First Vampire

The following morning.

The Imperial Allied Army officially withdrew from Storm Fortress, initiating a massive retreat operation.

Despite the devastating defeat at the Sky Breaking Mountain Range, the Imperial Allied Army still had over four hundred thousand soldiers within the fortress. Together with the refugees from the Westland who were also leaving with the military, their numbers exceeded a million.

Such a large force, once on the move, spanned across vast spans of terrain. It stretched for dozens of kilometres, forming a long, thick tail that trailed from the Storm Fortress, a sight visible even from the sky.

Managing such a sizeable force in an era without real-time communication was an almost impossible task.

Inhabiting the body of Emperor Reinhardt, Colin watched the myriad problems continually reported to him, feeling both irritated and powerless.

Only now did he truly understand why the feudal system was the best choice for this era.

Because it was the only viable choice.

Ultimately, Colin could only establish a few general principles and then allowed the various lords to independently manage their armies. Unless necessary, their decisions weren’t to be reported to him anymore.

When he left the central army camp, the Duke of the South Border walked a distance before he turned to Scholar Yerug, whispering a question.

“How is it?”

Scholar Yerug shook his head determinedly, replying:

“That was obviously not Emperor Reinhardt. A person’s nature cannot be changed. If it was the real Emperor, he would have already lost his temper. How could he still be handling things so calmly?”

Duke St. Rands nodded in agreement but then asked in confusion:

“But looking from the outside, he is Emperor Reinhardt…”

“On the outside, Mr. Ji still looks like the previous Duke St. Hilde too,” Scholar Yerug jokingly replied.

Duke St. Rands stroked his chin thoughtfully, saying;

“So are you suggesting that His Majesty’s body has been possessed by somebody too?”

“It’s highly likely, otherwise there’s no explanation for His Majesty’s abnormal behavior,” Scholar Yerug opined.

“And who do you think has possessed His Majesty’s body?”

Scholar Yerug pondered for a moment before saying, “I suspect it’s Queen Midela.”

“The Queen?” Duke St. Rands stared at Scholar Yerug with surprise, apparently taken aback by this conclusion.

Scholar Yerug explained:

“Yes, wasn’t the Queen’s life force drained because she forcefully initiated the Sacrificial Magic Array? But what if she didn’t really die, but instead successfully possessed His Majesty?

I don’t know much about possession magic, so I can’t make a more accurate judgment, but think about it. His Majesty’s attitude has drastically changed, and he has decided to adopt the strategic approach of Marquis Garcia against the Orc army.

If successful, not only would Marquis Garcia be exonerated, but also the Northern Riders, who successfully annihilated the War Song Corps and exterminated the pigheaded Orc Emperor’s trusted army, would certainly gain great acclaim.

Such bias could very well be Midela laying the groundwork for the rise of the North…”

Duke St. Rands pondered over this in silence before finally asking,

“If it’s true that Queen Midela has possessed His Majesty, what do you think we should do?”

Scholar Yerug cautiously responded,

“Your Grace, I suggest that we do nothing, at least not until the Battle of the Luwal Valley is over.”

Duke St. Rands instantly understood, “You mean, let the North lead the strike against the Orcs first, and then discuss other matters later?”

“Yes. The Orcs are currently our greatest threat. If the North has control over Emperor Reinhardt, at least it’s a way to resolve internal conflicts. In this way, the Imperial Allied Army can wholeheartedly counter the Orcs.

Whatever plot the North may be concocting privately, we should wait until we’ve repelled the Orcs before we expose it.

Blowing the lid off now will only benefit the Orcs.”

Duke St. Rands remained silent, seeming somewhat dissatisfied with this suggestion.

Seeing this, Scholar Yerug spoke up again:

“Your Grace, in fact, it would be more advantageous for the St. Hilde family to control the Empire’s dealings with the South Border compared to the Lorenzo family.

At least, they hold no grudges with the St. Rands family, and if they wish to seize the imperial authority, they inevitably need the support of strong allies, and there is hope that they might make some concessions…”

On hearing this, Duke St. Rands seemed to have thought of something, nodding his head in approval, saying,

“Alright, then we’ll follow your idea. If Governor Fred approaches again, dismiss him with this same reasoning.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

…

A grand army, mighty and vast, moved towards the East.

As the true commander of the great army, Colin, aside from initially feeling a bit nervous and fearful, had gradually become accustomed by this time.

However, the lower-ranking soldiers were becoming increasingly irritable and restless due to the long journey.

The detailed battle formation for the Luwal Valley clashes was impossible to explain to the lower-ranking soldiers, and even if explained, they would not understand.

So, in their view, the empire’s decision to retreat this time was not a smart one.

After all, the terrain of Luwal Valley did not provide them with the same sense of security as the walls of Storm Fortress.

Moreover, the withdrawal implied throwing away the vast regions west of the Luwal Valley, and an increasing number of refugees also joined the retreating troops, which further intensified the people’s unrest.

Fortunately, nobles and military officers had aligned their thoughts, and Colin, leveraging the authority of Emperor Reinhardt, repeatedly rectified military discipline, demanded strict control from officers at all levels, and did not hesitate to rule with an iron hand.

As a result, along the marching route, one could see poles holding up grotesque skulls.

This bloody method was what kept the disturbances within the army under control.

Army laws were ruthless, and Colin did not allow himself to feel mercy at this critical moment.

Because he understood that show of soft-heartedness could potentially lead to greater chaos and even a collapse.

This Imperial Allied Army appeared to be mighty, but was in fact extremely fragile.

They were in desperate need of a victory to regain their confidence.

In mid-August.

The Imperial Allied Army finally successfully reached the Luwal Valley and joined forces with the Northern Army.

Unfortunately, Colin did not find Marquis Garcia here but only heard that he had returned to Dragon City.

This caused Colin to be particularly perplexed, not understanding why Marquis Garcia would go to that location?

Wasn’t he keen on proving himself in the Luwal Valley?

Without any other options, Colin had to tough it out and march onwards, controlling the defense system as deployed by the headquarters of Emperor Reinhardt.

However, this meant that Emperor Reinhardt had to regularly meet with nobles and military officers, and gradually, rumors about the emperor’s strange behavior began to circulate in the army.

Thus, Colin had to have Emperor Reinhardt pretend to fall sick while concurrently announcing his appointment as the temporary commander, representing the emperor in leading the allied army.

Although this would heighten some people’s suspicions, Colin could not afford to worry about that now.

Blocking the advance of the orc army was the urgent task, and as long as they won this tough battle, Colin was confident of dealing with the various thoughts of the imperial nobles.

Thankfully, although the nobles were all talk behind closed doors, no high noble took the initiative. Under the pressure of the approaching orc army, no one dared to actively incite civil unrest at this time.

Moreover, in the current Glorious Empire, Colin was quite reputable. No one opposed his appointment as the temporary commander of the allied army, and in this state of suppressed calm, the army at Luwal Valley completed their strategic deployment.

They were just waiting for the arrival of the orc army.

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