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As a well-educated noble from a young age, the lieutenant’s proficiency in literary arts goes without saying. The first draft was submitted to General Loren for review yesterday, and the result may arrive today.

As the lieutenant was meticulously trimming the beard he had grown during his journey to Transia, General Loren’s guards came to summon him to the general’s office.

Like before, Lieutenant Frayzer straightened his appearance before knocking on the door and entering General Loren’s office.

The half-dwarf general was seated, holding the lieutenant’s report in his hands. However, the grim expression on his stern face indicated his dissatisfaction with the report.

Or rather, he was quite pleased with the report itself.

But he was extremely displeased with certain hidden facts beneath the surface that the report revealed.

“Frayzer, can you ensure that every detail in the report is absolutely true?” the general asked in a grave tone as he set down the report and picked up his dwarven pipe.

The lieutenant’s heart skipped a beat, and he solemnly replied, “I can swear on the Carpe family name! Every detail in the report is what I personally witnessed.”

“Then what about the sub-space rift hidden beneath Kadman City?” General Loren lit his pipe, exhaling a smoke ring as he tapped the desk and inquired, “The three pieces of information you provided about the sub-space rift are mere guesses, without any actual evidence, correct?”

“I provided a detailed explanation after that section of the report, General,” the lieutenant calmly responded.

“Regarding that rift which should not have appeared, what can be confirmed is that it was indeed triggered by the fallen patriarch Salrokdar of the Blood Vulture Clan, in his mad attempt to create a Midnight Deity for vampires, sacrificing the vast majority of the Blood Vulture Clan’s elites.

This point is undeniable.

However, Salrokdar’s state at the time was clearly abnormal. The new Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, Lady Tris, suspects he was misled by some external information, while the old knight Finoch Lawson confirmed it was related to certain hidden forces.

These two conjectures I personally tend to believe are true.

Only regarding the final guess—that the Astral Realm Tear ritual performed by the Circle Tower in Kadman City was a means to conceal the sub-space rift—I must admit, General, this conjecture is too shocking and reckless.

The new Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, Lady Tris, and Count Murphy of Kadman both warned me that if I wish to ensure my personal safety in the Goldflower Kingdom, this information should not be disclosed.

I am well aware of the danger involved.

But I believe my king deserves first-hand, detailed intelligence.

Even though I have no evidence to support my assertion that the emergence of the dangerous sub-space rift may be related to the Circle Tower, an organization that now holds significant positions in our country, despite their claims of being an ‘academy,’ anyone can see their ambitions.”

“That is precisely why I summoned you,” General Loren removed his pipe, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke that nearly obscured his face. He spoke in a low voice, “Once this report is submitted, you will draw the attention of the Circle Tower. With that self-proclaimed ‘academy’ gaining increasing importance in our country, despite their obvious ambitions, not even your status as the Carpe family heir can guarantee your safety.

So I advise you… delete it!”

“That’s impossible, General!” Lieutenant Frayzer stood upright, his voice solemn. “The Carpe family has served the royal family for generations. I have a duty to my sovereign! I must report to my king any potential threat to his authority.”

“It cannot appear in the report, it will get you killed!” The half-dwarf general slammed the desk before jumping off his chair and striding up to the lieutenant. Looking up at him, the general said:

“If your guess is wrong, the Circle Tower will see it as defamation, and the Spirit Mages’ retaliation will be swift and direct. If your guess is correct, the situation will only be worse.

You should be smarter. Extract the suspicion about the Circle Tower from the report and reorganize it into a more formal briefing.

Let me tell you, I will be departing for the Mist City in three hours to report to the military on the Pioneer Army’s next course of action and discuss the defense against the impending Black Disaster with those fat-headed fools.

As an old Royal Guard, I suspect I will have the opportunity to meet with our sovereign.”

“!”

The lieutenant immediately understood the general’s implication.

General Loren was not asking him to conceal the truth but suggesting an alternative strategy. The genuinely dangerous information would be brought to the Mist City by the general himself and presented privately when meeting King Louis.

This way, the danger Lieutenant Frayzer would face due to this report would be minimized.

At the same time, it would not diminish the valuable content and captivating nature of his outstanding 《Report on the Ten-Year War and Transia: Investigation of the Blood Vulture Vampire Clan》.

This is indeed a win-win solution.

But it also touched Lieutenant Frayzer’s heart that General Loren was willing to provide him with this assistance that went beyond the bounds of their superior-subordinate relationship.

He nodded, accepting the general’s decision.

However, General Loren then shook his head, exhaled a smoke ring, and suggested to Lieutenant Frayzer:

“I’ve read your report, and it’s excellent. The content is detailed yet not dull at all, reading like a captivating fantasy non-fiction novel. I believe our sovereign will enjoy it.

Only, this title is too formal. Our sovereign was once the famous playboy of the Silan Kingdom in his youth. He even published a collection of poems and a rather provocative novel under the pen name ‘Baron Polis,’ vividly depicting the overly colorful life of an energetic young man as the protagonist.

Of course, that book can no longer be found.

My point is, if you want to earn our sovereign’s more enthusiastic praise, you need to change the name.”

The half-dwarf general gestured with his fingers, offering a suggestion to his subordinate as an elder.

Having served as a former Royal Guard accompanying King Louis for over a decade, he was well aware of his youthful and vigorous sovereign’s little quirks.

After some thought, he said to Lieutenant Frayzer, “How about changing it to 《The Carpe Travelogue: Journeying with Vampires》? I believe after our sovereign praises your writing, your book is bound to sell well in our country. You might even seize the opportunity to gain the title of author and earn the admiration of a group of literary young ladies.”

“Ah, this…”

The lieutenant was momentarily speechless.

He did not want his painstakingly compiled investigation report, symbolizing the end of the war, to resemble a third-rate novel. But since General Loren had said so, what could he do?

Not change it?

If he didn’t change it, he might as well wait to be ruined!

This was what General Loren meant to convey, and after he finished speaking, Lieutenant Frayzer prepared to take his leave, but the general called out to him.

“Wait, there’s another matter I need you to handle, but you can’t alarm anyone else.”

General Loren sat down on the sofa in his office.

Clenching his dwarven pipe, he seemed agitated as he loosened the buttons of his crisp military uniform, indicating that the words and instructions he was about to give were unrelated to military affairs.

This half-dwarf was always adept at using seemingly trivial details to convey his intentions to those around him.

Amid the swirling smoke, his brown eyes, the color of the earth, fixed on Lieutenant Frayzer. After nearly a minute of silence, he spoke:

“Old Finoch and I are old friends, though few know of this friendship between us. It can’t even be called a friendship, for before I was born, my mother, Baroness Irena Frederick, was already a devout follower of the Avalon Church.

She had some kinship with old Finoch’s wife, so theoretically, the old knight and I are related by marriage.

But that’s not the main reason we became friends.

He’s over 170 years older than me. Even by dwarven family standards, he’s my elder. I know everything that happened in his family, though he never told me where he went or what he did during those six years he went missing. But I trust old Finoch’s character.

Now, that old bastard who taught me martial arts in my childhood is dead.

In name, he handed over the White Oak Battalion to his unfilial daughter, but in reality, he entrusted his final followers to me.

If all goes well, I will do my utmost to accommodate these old soldiers.

They’ve done nothing wrong.

They were merely caught up in the Avalon Church’s strange rebellion. Our sovereign will also acknowledge their contributions to the kingdom during the Ten-Year War, and a pardon will be enough to clear their names.

However, an unexpected situation has now arisen. The Circle Tower may be related to the emergence of the sub-space rift, and the entire Pioneer Army, including myself, may have been used by those gloomy and conservative Spirit Mages.

Although I’m not sure if they really did these things, suspicion alone is enough not to let it go unchecked!

This morning, I received word from the Circle Tower that they will soon dispatch people to take custody of the remaining old soldiers of the White Oak Battalion.

Those Spirit Mages have sufficient reason to do so.

After all, the old soldiers were indeed involved in matters related to the sub-space, and they must be taken seriously.

But as you also know, under the current circumstances, once the Circle Tower takes those old soldiers away, it’s highly unlikely they’ll return alive.

And I will be leaving the camp in three hours.”

General Loren wearily closed his eyes.

He was about to make a decision that violated his identity as a soldier, but he had no regrets. Rubbing his eyes, he said in a low voice:

“By then, command will be transferred to the staff, and I will order that no soldier is to leave the fortress until my return! This is necessary! For we must conduct an internal purge to root out the vampire spies lurking within our ranks.

Hence, no external force can enter our camp during this time!

No one is allowed!”

“I understand, General,” Lieutenant Frayzer immediately grasped the meaning.

But then, he said in a low voice, “I actually have a place for those remnants of the old faith, but I’m afraid those stubborn Witch Hunters may be unwilling to go. One of my juniors is currently serving as regent in Transia. I believe her integrity in protecting her human brethren.

Although the lord there is a vampire, from my observations of Count Murphy, he would shelter these poor, unfortunate souls.”

“Poor souls?”

General Loren let out a cold laugh, saying:

“A pack of disgraced curs who will stage a rebellion and shamelessly flee from my camp in three hours’ time? How could they possibly be called ‘poor souls’? Perhaps due to the negligence of my officers, they will be able to take away necessary supplies, weapons, and warhorses. But that does not mean we will forgive these rebels!

Unfortunately, the Pioneer Army has already suffered heavy casualties in the previous war. We lack the strength to pursue them, so we can only leave it to the Spirit Mages to hunt down these bastards.”

“General!” Lieutenant Frayzer finally realized what his general was planning. This completely exceeded his expectations, as he had thought the matter would not escalate to such heights. Surprised, he said:

“There’s no need for you to do this! Leave it to me. I can mobilize the resources of the Carpe family to handle this without alarming anyone. You need not involve yourself! This will draw the Circle Tower’s attention to you.”

“I want them to take notice of me!” The pent-up rage within the half-dwarf finally erupted at this moment, and he almost roared:

“Those bastards dare take advantage of me! Those scoundrels treat war like a plaything, a rubber toy for their amusement? They even involved the dangerous sub-space! If it weren’t for old Finoch sacrificing his life to eliminate that threat, all of Transia would have ceased to exist, and we, bordering that accursed land, would have suffered catastrophic losses!

Those sons of bitches nearly doomed my soldiers and my army!

Giving them a little punishment is more than courteous enough. If they truly intend to grapple with me further, I will gladly oblige!

Let them come!

So the entire continent can witness whether the Circle Tower’s spirit magic prowess is superior or if the silver dwarves’ earth priests are mightier! If they dare make another move, by the name of Mother Gaia, I will personally demolish their damn White Cliff!

A bunch of bastards!

Whether intentional or dereliction of duty, they have now caused such a grand mess, and they must answer to me. They must also answer to our sovereign and the kingdom!”

Amid the general’s roars, Lieutenant Frayzer maintained his silence.

He knew General Loren’s harsh words were not mere impotent rage, the silver dwarves behind this half-dwarf general were not to be trifled with.

As one of the three dwarven tribes most adept at spirit magic and beloved by Mother Earth, if the Circle Tower truly angered them, their White Cliff headquarters being suddenly devastated by a super earthquake would likely take only a few hours.

Although General Loren rarely mentioned his background, as the heir of the Carpe family, Lieutenant Frayzer was well aware of the general’s origins.

General Loren’s own grandfather is the current supreme leader of the silver dwarves.

If not for his extremely poor relationship with his grandfather, he would practically be a “dwarven prince.”

As for how General Loren’s wondrous dwarven father managed to woo a baroness of some renown in the Silan Kingdom and have her willingly bear him a child—well, that’s another story.

“In any case, I’m leaving this matter to you, Frayzer,” General Loren said after venting his anger, rebuttoning his collar as he stood up. “Do a fine job! Spilling some blood if necessary is acceptable.”

“The situation will not escalate to that point, General. Please rest assured,” Lieutenant Frayzer solemnly responded.

After leaving the general’s office, he quickly returned to his quarters and instructed his attendants to summon Colonel Natalie to assemble the Witch Hunters. He then retrieved his Computation Bead, intending to secretly contact Miriam, but the Crimson Regent’s communication reached him first.

“Lord Frayzer, I have an unreasonable request regarding the schematics for the Iron Warden you gifted me.”

“We’ll talk about weapon schematics later!” Before Miriam could finish, Lieutenant Frayzer cut her off, briefly informing his junior of the impending events:

“The Circle Tower has become aware of the sub-space rift incident. They now intend to take away the Witch Hunters of the White Oak Battalion under the pretext of ‘intervening in sub-space affairs.’ Their fate after being taken away by the Circle Tower is apparent.

I will arrange a ‘rebellion’ to provide the Witch Hunters an opportunity to escape, but you must assist them!”

The lieutenant spoke solemnly:

“This is not only to honor the brave contributions of Sir Finoch but also because a highly esteemed individual does not wish to see those who have valiantly served the kingdom meet such an end.

Help them, Miriam!

Immediately report all of this to your lord. I assure you, he can gain the friendship of the Carpe family for this.”

“Wait.” Miriam’s tone also grew serious. After a few seconds, Murphy’s voice resonated from the communication bead:

“Time is pressing! Don’t act hastily. It will take time for me to gather reinforcements. Release them after evening, and we will intercept them at the Anderma Hills border.”

“I do not wish to conceal the danger of this matter, Lord Murphy,” Lieutenant Frayzer said as he walked to the window, glancing outside to see carriages bearing the Circle Tower symbol. He spoke in a low voice, “The Circle Tower is clearly coming in force.”

“How convenient.”

Murphy let out a low chuckle as he replied:

“The Blood Vulture Clan is also urgently seeking a cordial chat with the instigators who brought us an apocalyptic disaster, while a hundred thousand souls buried in the ruins wail in anticipation of justice being served.

Lieutenant, you need not worry about implicating the esteemed individual behind you.

For the time being…

…it is a matter of ‘personal grievance’ between us noblemen of the night and the Circle Tower!”