"Duke Bohemond of the Bastogne Duchy has just received the call for aid. He and his duchy need time to gather their armies. We all know Bastogne’s unique situation..." Antelme continued, "So we must wait at least until the fall harvest is over."

Most of the knight lords of Bastogne Duchy are Holy Grail Knights, which immerses the entire duchy in the glory of the past. The life of the citizens is fairly decent, and the nobility’s corruption is relatively low. However, simultaneously, the internal affairs capacity of the entire duchy is also relatively low, especially for Bohemond himself. He always appoints deputies to manage the duchy while he stays in Bastogne Castle with the knights of the Red Dragon Knight Brotherhood, engaging in duels and driving away various powerful enemies all day.

In such circumstances, organizing an army in Bastogne would certainly require a lot of time.

"Don’t consider Kakasong, its border is too long. Duke Hubert’s army can protect the national boundary quite well..." Laine continued to ponder, "Similarly, Borelion is not to be considered."

"Then we’re left with Paragon and Boldro... Won’t the Sea God Knight Order support us?" Jerald also asked his question.

"Don’t rely on others, Jerald. We can only depend on ourselves." Francois interrupted Jerald’s question, the Duke still frowning, "Can it be confirmed that the opponent is indeed the undead grand mage Heinrich Kemmler and his Ancient Tomb Legion?"

"Confirmed."

The conference hall was filled with whispers; Heinrich Kemmler had returned, bringing back his Ancient Tomb Legion.

"So what should we do now? Should we temporarily stop the fall harvest and immediately support Montefel Castle?" Sir Geoffrey of Angleton asked.

"If we disregard the fall harvest to recruit a large army now, it would be a huge loss to the territory."

"But if we don’t quickly support Montefel Castle, it might fall, which is unacceptable. We mustn’t let the land bestowed upon the Brittania people by the Lady be desecrated by the undead."

"Montefel Castle is famous for its fortifications in the Old World; it’s not easy to conquer! We must prepare thoroughly."

The conference hall erupted in a dispute, with the nobles fiercely debating whether to deploy troops during the fall harvest. After all, the fall harvest is their own interest, and Montefel Castle is renowned in the Old World. Many knights believe the Ancient Tomb Legion won’t easily break Montefel Castle.

Moreover, the knightly nobility of Winford understands that when engaged in battle with the undead army, it is crucial to finish the fight quickly. Every knight and soldier who dies will become a new member of the undead, and the tactic of attrition is not advisable.

Laine was also frowning tightly; what should be done?

"Fulcard’s request for assistance this time is straightforward. Considering his pride, he usually wouldn’t request help so promptly." Antelme continued to explain, "However, the destruction of Axe Bite Pass at the start of the year dealt a significant blow to the economy of Montfort Duchy. Thus, Fulcard immediately requested aid from the entire country, and he also asked aid from the Empire, but the Imperial Court has yet to respond."

"First reorganize and gather the armies; after the fall harvest ends, we will immediately deploy troops!" Ultimately, Francois’s decision sealed the outcome.

......

In Brittania, on the mountainous region of Montfort Duchy.

A massive undead legion was marching along the mountain paths, stretching endlessly across the hills. Tens of thousands of zombie legions and skeleton warriors filled the entire mountain pass, while black bat legions and celestial ghost legions covered the gloomy skies of the mountains. In the central army, Kemmler’s two elite Desolate Grave Guard legions and Tomb Ghouls, Tomb Evil Ghosts legions advanced slowly. He, himself, supported by his magic staff, was not riding a horse.

Mathew Bade, leading two undead knight legions and a squad of blood knights, followed alongside Kemmler. This Musillon Black Knight, clad in full cursed plate armor, was riding after Kemmler as the primary provider of cavalry for this war. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Montefel Castle is now an overcrowded meat cage, with most refugees having retreated into the castle under Fulcard’s protection." Mathew Bade spoke to Kemmler, "Your slow advance has given Fulcard ample time to prepare."

"Are you questioning my decision?" Kemmler raised his head, slightly lifting his worn and frayed wizard hat.

"No, my task is to assist you. That’s the condition of our alliance." Mathew Bade replied indifferently.

"Hmph! Then follow my orders." Kemmler lowered his head again.

Moving ahead of the alliance army led by Laine and Francois, Kemmler and his Ancient Tomb Legion were also not fully prepared. However, attacking during the fall harvest would cause chaos in Brittania. They launched an offensive three days ago, and there were still no signs of army gathering anywhere.

Nevertheless, Kemmler’s advance was not particularly smooth initially. Montfort Duchy has few farms, and most peasants rely on herding and mining for survival. In the absence of harvest duties, the peasants’ first reaction upon seeing the undead army was to turn and flee.

At this point, Kemmler ordered not to pursue them. On the contrary, after initially slaughtering several villages consecutively, he commanded the army to slow its advance. This allowed Duke Fulcard of Montfort to have time to bring the refugees into the castle and reinforce its defenses.

Mathew Bade felt quite perplexed by Kemmler’s orders. If the initial strategy was to attack during Brittania’s fall harvest, why now slow the advance? Why, if the intention was initially to create a sizeable body count to replenish troops through slaughter, did Kemmler then let Duke Fulcard shield a large number of refugees to retreat?