Chapter 460 An Urgent Matter in the North

Outside the walls of Ilz.

The Orcish Legion of the Indam Federation stood assembled in formation.

"Are you certain this is wise? Many of your soldiers are still recovering—their combat effectiveness will be compromised."

Irus spoke up, her tone laced with concern.

"Please do not worry, Lady Irus," came the reply. "Though our combat strength hasn’t fully recovered, this journey is merely a return to our homeland. No fighting will be required."

"Hmm...... Very well. It is not my place to meddle in the Federation’s affairs. Let little Laki deal with these troubles instead."

Sylvia let out a helpless chuckle at that.

"If only Lady Laki would pay attention to matters like these......"

After all, she was a figure who had abandoned her tribe and the entire Federation over a century ago, vanishing without a trace.

She had surfaced a handful of times since then, but never in the public eye—not even Sylvia herself had ever caught a glimpse of her face.

At that moment, Sylvia came to a halt.

Turning to the group before her, she declared,

"Lady Irus, Lady Hulim Heyerar, and all honored guests—please go no further. Though we part ways now, we shall meet again on the battlefield before long."

"Very well."

Irus nodded.

"Thanks to your assistance, the siege of Ilz was lifted. On behalf of the Elven race, I extend our sincere gratitude once more."

"You honor us too greatly, Lady Irus. It was merely our duty."

"Sylvia—the troops are ready!"

A voice rang out as Sandor rode over on a Swiftstrider—one far larger than the standard breed.

"Understood. I’m coming."

Sylvia called back over her shoulder.

Then she turned to face the group again, inclining her head in a respectful bow.

"Farewell, everyone. We take our leave now."

With that, she swung herself onto the Swiftstrider beside her and seized the reins.

"Farewell. The road ahead is long—may your journey be smooth and safe."

"We are grateful for your kind wishes."

Sylvia smiled, then gave the reins a sharp tug.

"Move out——!"

At her command,

the Federation army began to march.

Irus, Hulim Heyerar, and the others behind them stood rooted to the spot, watching the departing troops until they faded from sight.

Originally, the Federation army had no need to leave in such haste.

The battle prior had left the forces of the three races severely depleted, requiring a lengthy period of rest and recuperation.

They had planned to remain in Ilz for much longer—but the sudden return of Laki Kedar, the long-missing S-Rank Champion of the Federation’s Orcish tribes, had forced the army to begin a full-scale restructuring.

As Sylvia explained it, the Federation’s military had always been managed through negotiations between the tribal lords, who balanced their own interests to deploy their forces.

But Laki had returned with a fierce disapproval of this system, issuing an order that all troops must be reorganized into a formation optimized for maximum combat efficiency.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Naturally, the army led by Sylvia and Sandor—one of the Federation’s main battle forces—was included in this restructuring.

The Federation’s initial plan had been for her to lead her troops directly to the eastern battlefield, where the reorganization could be completed afterward.

But after careful consideration, Sylvia had argued that splitting their forces and attempting to restructure mid-campaign would create critical vulnerabilities in the Federation’s battle lines, leaving them ill-equipped to handle any unexpected crises.

Thus, as soon as her soldiers had recovered enough to march, she had made the decision to return to the Federation first.

Her plan was to gather all the Federation’s forces in one location, complete the restructuring thoroughly, and then march east as a unified army.

On the other side of the continent,

the Federation’s frantic internal reorganization stood in stark contrast to the situation of the Dwarven Legion that had come to aid from Lidoyar.

Under the full command of Eugene, this legion enjoyed a high degree of operational autonomy. There was no need for them to return to the north to receive new orders.

They had settled comfortably in Ilz, intending to rest and recover completely before joining the Elven forces of Ravenrealm for the march east.

But man proposes, God disposes.

An unexpected piece of news would soon force Irus, Charkin, and the others to shift their attention to the north.

......

Months had passed since the great battle against Gulos.

A distress letter from the Lidoyar Kingdom in the north arrived at Ilz.

Inside the Elven Royal Palace.

Virtually all of the elven high command had been summoned to discuss the crisis.

"What? The Bow Hero has defected?!"

Upon hearing the news, every single person reacted with the same shock.

They could not believe their ears, wondering if they had somehow misheard.

A Chosen Hero—one destined to lead the people and save the world—had joined the enemy’s ranks. It was unheard of!

"Lady Irus, w-what in the world is going on here?"

"See for yourselves."

Irus held out the letter from the north, and it was quickly passed around the room.

As the high command read through the missive, the full story gradually unfolded......

Approximately one month prior.

The Lidoyar Kingdom’s army had finished its preparations and set off eastward under the banner of the Shield Hero, the Dwarven Chosen One. But before the army could even cross the kingdom’s borders, word arrived that the northern frontier was under attack by a massive horde of monsters.

With barely any troops left to defend the homeland, the Shield Hero had been forced to redirect his entire army to the north to suppress the monster uprising.

What he had not expected, however, was to encounter an entirely unforeseen foe there.

A young woman of the White Wolf Tribe, wielding a divine bow and bearing the Hero’s crest on her shoulder.

She had led a surprise attack on the Dwarven Legion from within the monster horde, resulting in a devastating defeat that forced the dwarves to retreat in disarray.

And since that fateful day,

the Bow Hero and her monster army had chased the fleeing Dwarven Legion relentlessly, invading over a thousand miles of Lidoyar territory. Only when the Shield Hero led his remaining forces to make a stand at Forgehold Fortress—the largest and strongest fortress along the northern border pass—had they finally managed to halt the enemy’s advance.

But halt was all they had done. They were completely powerless to launch a counterattack.

Three key factors had led to this dire state of affairs.

First, the attack had been utterly sudden.

The Dwarven Legion had been caught off-guard, rushing into battle without proper preparation. They had not only suffered heavy casualties but also lost their numerical advantage.

Second, the Bow Hero and the Shield Hero were a catastrophic mismatch on the battlefield.

The former excelled at large-scale area-of-effect attacks, particularly effective against concentrated military formations. The latter, however, lacked any countermeasures against such tactics. To make matters worse, the Bow Hero’s role among the Chosen Heroes was that of a scout—endowed with the greatest mobility of them all.

When she avoided direct confrontation with the Shield Hero and instead targeted the vulnerable troops behind him, the Shield Hero had been left utterly helpless to intervene.

And third—

the most decisive factor of all.

The Shield Hero had confirmed that the Bow Hero’s strength had grown far beyond his own, ascending to the rank of S-Rank Champion!

Their side, by contrast, lacked any S-Rank combatants. Without such a powerhouse to turn the tide, they had been completely outmatched by a Hero who should not have been strong enough to overwhelm them.

"What about Vlamir? How could he not have appeared in the face of such a crisis?"

When she had first received the letter, Irus had posed this question to the Lidoyar messenger.

Vlamir was the Dwarven race’s S-Rank Champion. Like all others of his caliber, he spent most of his time in seclusion, rarely seen by anyone.

But at a time when a great war had broken out, an S-Rank Champion had a duty to emerge from hiding.

The messenger’s report had made no mention of Vlamir’s presence. Coupled with the fact that the army was being led by a Hero who had not yet reached his full potential, Irus had immediately deduced that Vlamir had not come to his people’s aid at all.

This was a grave dereliction of duty.

Had Vlamir—an experienced S-Rank Champion—been present, even if the Bow Hero had attained S-Rank status, her inexperience would never have allowed her to gain the upper hand against a seasoned veteran of his caliber.

"We offer our deepest apologies, Lady Irus,"

the messenger replied, his voice heavy with remorse.

"Lord Vlamir journeyed to the Red Mist Volcano long ago and has not returned since. Before he left, he warned us never to enter the volcano in search of him—and we dare not disobey that order."

"The Red Mist Volcano...... Could it be that......"