Within the imperial palace’s inner hall,

After the court session concluded, Leon returned to the inner hall, where many of the ministers departed. Only Sol remained behind.

Leon and Sol sat across from each other. Unlike the crowded great hall, the inner hall was sparsely populated, with only Leon, Sol, and a few attendants remaining.

Leon waved off the attendants, who tactfully withdrew, leaving only Sol and himself in the hall.

“Uncle, do you believe deploying troops from the River Valley will resolve the situation in the northern lands?”

“The garrison in the River Valley is ill-suited to this task, and the nobles there have lacked military experience for many years.”

Leon sighed. Although Sol didn’t say it outright, his meaning was clear: sending troops from the River Valley would not solve the problems in the northern lands.

The situation in the River Valley differed from that of the western and northern borders. Located at the confluence of the Little Ling River and the Dragon River, it was a vital location.

The imperial family had never bestowed large noble titles within the River Valley, dividing it instead into numerous baronies and viscounties, which had left the local nobility fragmented and disorganized.

To maintain their influence and control over the River Valley, the royal family appointed a garrison commander and stationed a garrison of twenty thousand soldiers directly under their command.

Although the River Valley was not large, its population density and prosperity rivaled that of Gold Dragon City. Its geographical position was also extremely important; a mere few days’ journey downriver by waterway would bring one to Gold Dragon City.

The kingdom sought to strengthen its control over the River Valley, and thus the River Valley Garrison was born. However, neither Leon nor Sol knew how much battle prowess this garrison, which had seen almost no combat since its inception, possessed.

“Then, calling upon the non-noble free knights to go fight in the northern lands and offering them landless titles funded by the unclaimed territories of the northern wastes—how effective do you think this measure will be?”

This was the second strategy decided upon at the court meeting.

“There are around five hundred knights in the Imperial Capital and the River Valley who have no land or inheritance rights. Of these, perhaps a hundred will seize the chance to earn a title by fighting in the northern lands. It should have some effect, but falls short of what is needed to fully resolve the crisis in the northern wastes.”

Of course it would have some effect. Regardless of their skill, a hundred knights would be a formidable force against the cannibals, even if they were reduced to foot soldiers.

“What do you think falls short, Uncle?” Leon asked humbly. He trusted this noble uncle more than the officials outside the court, as he was a pillar of two dynasties and a trusted member of the royal family.

“First, it’s difficult to manage these free knights; without someone with both prestige and power to consolidate their ranks, it will be hard to issue unified commands.

If these free knights all headed north and fought individually, their efforts would be greatly diminished. Secondly, the northern lands lacked high-level combatants. From the available intelligence, the ogres had at least four chief-level fighters, plus a two-headed Ogre priest whose strength remained unknown.

In addition, the Lancelot Family lost two great knights in the recent battle. The northern lands likely could not compete with the ogres on high-level combat prowess alone.

Moreover, there would be no great knights among the free knights answering the call to the north. Those who possessed such strength either served under the banner of the Imperial Court or had been recruited by noble houses; it was impossible for them to join the fray in the northern lands. In other words, reinforcements for their high-level combatants would not arrive.

Yet without reinforcements, they would have to fill the gap with countless lives, and even then, they might not defeat their enemy before their own forces collapsed.

After all, even the elite Northern Expeditionary Army had crumbled under the onslaught of an ogre chief unrestrained by a great knight. It was unreasonable to expect the River Valley’s defending army or spontaneous volunteers among the free knights to demonstrate much stronger fighting will.

“What does Uncle think we should do?”

“I will personally travel to the northern lands.”

Given Sol’s status and strength, he was undoubtedly a suitable candidate to lead such a mission.

As the king’s uncle, and a duke, his authority would naturally be respected by the nobles of the River Valley and the free knights. As for his abilities, Sol’s cultivation had reached the peak of Earth Knight, making him the closest person to the legendary rank of Holy Knight in the kingdom in hundreds of years.

Even if his strength wasn’t the absolute best in the Human Race, he was certainly within the top three. A few ogre chiefs together would not be a match for him.

Having Sol take charge of the operation would also effectively consolidate the loose free knights heading north. No one would dare question Sol’s authority, and facing him, the ogres would suffer a devastating blow.

“However…”

Leon hesitated slightly at Sol’s offer. He knew that Sol was the most suitable candidate, but if Sol left for the northern lands, Gold Dragon City would be left without a single dragon knight.

The recent incursion of ogres into the East and the trouble they stirred up at Dragon’s Breath Pass were too convenient, and Leon felt uneasy with Sol away from Gold Dragon City.

Although the northern lands were important, Leon viewed the safety of Gold Dragon City as a hundred times more crucial.

“Your Majesty need not worry. I will go to the northern lands myself, and I will leave Asho behind to guard Gold Dragon City.”

Asho, Sol’s trusted companion, was a grown gold dragon. For this trip to the northern lands, Sol planned to travel light and leave Asho behind to guard the Imperial Capital. As long as a dragon was present, no petty criminals would dare stir up trouble.

Sol himself would only reveal his identity once he reached the River Valley, swiftly resolve the matter in the northern lands, and return to the capital.

Leon was taken aback by this unconventional plan; there had never been a precedent of separating a dragon from its knight, and it hadn’t occurred to him that such an arrangement might be possible.

It wasn’t Leon’s fault, for this was a solution born of habit. The giant dragons were all extremely proud, unwilling to listen to any knight they hadn’t approved of. Thus, over time, no one had considered the possibility of separating dragons and knights.

Asho was clearly an exception among these giant dragons, amiable and accessible even without Sol around.

After giving it some thought, Leon couldn’t help but admit that Sol’s plan was the best option available under the circumstances.

“Then when does Uncle plan to depart?” Leon asked, effectively granting his approval for Sol’s plan.

“The sooner the better. Ideally we should set out today. I request His Majesty grant me full authority to handle all affairs in the northern lands.”

“Very well. Uncle will oversee all affairs in the northern lands, and any rewards for merit will be determined by Uncle’s judgment alone. We will issue an imperial edict shortly.”

“Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty.”

With that, Sol bowed to Leon. As usual, Leon hastily helped him up, never daring to accept a bow from the man. Both had made their points.

That very day, Sol set off with the king’s decree in hand, accompanied by a few personal attendants, and rode north on the back of a rhinoceros.

The rhinoceros was a species between the cow and horse, larger and stronger than an ordinary horse, with far greater strength, speed, and stamina; it was even more powerful than the average quasi-knight.

However, its temperament was far more volatile than that of an ordinary horse, and most riders could not tame it. Only those with the strength of a knight or greater could handle such a creature.

For Sol, taming a rhinoceros was a trivial task, and riding one allowed him to traverse the thousand kilometers between the two cities in mere days.

Sol sensed something unusual about the cannibal crisis in the northern lands, and he even saw the shadow of the beastman kingdom.

He intended to resolve the matter swiftly with decisive force, extinguishing the flames of chaos before they could take hold.