233: Entering the Iron Wall Fortress

"My Lord, the army has assembled and is ready to depart at any time."

The squire knight reported softly to his master.

Horn rose unhurriedly. Dozens of knights had already gathered around him; these were Earl Horn's most loyal followers.

"How are the preparations for our Grand Duke?"

"The Raging Bear Knights have finished assembling, and the Iron Guard Heavy Armor Army is also ready to depart. The Grand Duke has also mobilized thirty thousand troops from his direct legion."

"Thirty thousand from the direct legion? Our Grand Duke is making an even bigger move than his father!"

"The members of the Raging Bear Family have always been this bellicose. I heard that the Grand Duke has also transferred a portion of the elite Border Defense Army from the Iron Wall Fortress to the south."

"Transferring the Border Defense Army? Is that fellow Sena coming over? Then who will be left to guard the Iron Wall Fortress?"

Horn hadn't expected Belmont to transfer the Border Defense Army south. As the border fortress defending against the Fel Orcs to the north, the importance of the Iron Wall Fortress was self-evident.

"According to the news sent back by our people, the Grand Duke has already ordered the White Wolf Earl, Reyn Derrick, to lead the Magic Wolf Knights to station in the Iron Wall Fortress. He will temporarily guard the Iron Wall Fortress while Earl Sena is in the south."

"White Wolf Reyn... his strength is indeed sufficient to hold the Iron Wall Fortress, and the Magic Wolf Knights under that kid are strong enough too. However, Belmont actually trusts him that much."

Horn was surprised that Belmont would trust the White Wolf Earl so much. He didn't know much about Reyn, but he knew Belmont very well.

For the suspicious Belmont to trust him so much, there must be a secret between Reyn and Belmont that he didn't know about.

"My Lord, what should we do this time?"

Earl Horn walked to a map, his gaze wandering over it.

This map depicted the mountains and terrain of the entire Northern Territory, including the three Grand Duchies of Cold Wind, raging bear, and stag.

"Let's wait for the Grand Duke's orders. If he wants to fight, then we'll fight. However, how we fight this time isn't up to him alone."

Looking at the planar markers for the Magic Stone Vein on the eastern border of the map, a trace of coldness flashed in Horn's eyes.

In less than half a month, the Rage Bear Territory once again assembled an army of over a hundred thousand and headed toward the eastern border; the Second Magic Stone War had begun.

However, unlike the first time, Reyn was not involved this time.

Reyn was somewhat surprised when he received Belmont's Grand Ducal summons. He had already known about the Stag Territory's movements through the Shadow Guards; a war between raging bear and stag had become unavoidable ever since Grand Duke Karl was assassinated.

As the successor, Belmont had to demonstrate his strength to let others know whether he was worthy of that position.

To obtain matching benefits, one must possess equivalent strength; might makes right. This was the way of the world in the Northern Territory. Reyn had long guessed that Heisenberg would definitely conduct a test.

Reyn had originally prepared to head south again, but he hadn't expected to receive Belmont's order to garrison the Iron Wall Fortress instead.

"Lord Earl?"

The messenger from Rage Bear City stood respectfully before Reyn, not daring to make any small movements. As a messenger, he represented the Grand Duke of the Raging Bear, but facing the Earl before him, the messenger felt an inexplicable lack of confidence.

"I understand. The Magic Wolf Knights will station in the Iron Wall Fortress within three days. Tell the Grand Duke not to worry; as long as I, Reyn Derrick, am at the Iron Wall Fortress, nothing will happen."

"Your great strength is obvious to all. The Grand Duke will be very pleased that you are sharing his burdens like this, Lord Earl."

"I shall take my leave then, Lord Earl!"

Not long after the messenger left, Reyn led the already prepared Gale Claw Legion to station in the Iron Wall Fortress.

Although Belmont hadn't communicated with Reyn in advance, Reyn had already made preparations and could depart at any time.

The plan to go south had changed. The order to enter the Iron Wall Fortress gave Reyn some new schemes, but the specifics of how to implement them would have to be planned slowly after he arrived at the fortress.

By the time Reyn reached the Iron Wall Fortress, Sena had already headed south. He had received his orders a day earlier than Reyn and had departed ahead of time upon hearing that Reyn was about to arrive.

"Why is Lord Sena in such a hurry?"

"It seems Lord Sena has probably stayed in the Iron Wall Fortress for too long and wants to show himself off elsewhere!"

Eric, who had recently broken through to the Gold Rank, quipped. After breaking through to the Gold Rank, Eric's state of mind had also changed; in the past, he would never have dared to speak about Earl Sena like that.

Reyn looked at Eric with a smile but said nothing. Eric immediately realized he had said too much, his expression tensing as he fell silent.

"Once we enter the fortress, don't say too much. Especially, do not act arrogantly in front of your old friends. It's understandable to want to show off a bit, but remember not to cause trouble for me."

Among the Wind Wolf Knights led by Reyn, there were dozens of veterans, including Eric, who had followed him from the Border Defense Army to the Red River Territory.

The strength of these people had generally increased significantly over the past few years, with Eric being their representative.

Returning to the Iron Wall Fortress now was like a triumphant homecoming for them. They certainly wanted to show off in front of their old friends, and Reyn understood this.

However, Reyn feared that some people would become overconfident after their strength increased and cause trouble in the Iron Wall Fortress, interfering with his subsequent plans.

"Yes, Lord!"

Subsequently, Reyn led the Gale Claw Legion into the Iron Wall Fortress. The Gale Claw Legion had now reached a count of one thousand men, achieving a certain scale.

The strength of every Wind Wolf Knight was at least at the Bronze Rank, and all of them wore full sets of enchanted armor. The powerful aura emitted by the entire legion greatly shocked the Border Defense Army soldiers observing from the side.

The strength of the Gale Claw Legion was already much greater than that of the most elite units in the Border Defense Army.

There were a total of fifty thousand border defense troops on the northern border of the Rage Bear Territory. Including the logistics personnel serving them and some of the soldiers' families, the entire Border Defense Army community numbered nearly two hundred thousand people.

Most of these two hundred thousand people lived within the Iron Wall Fortress and its surrounding subsidiary fortress groups.

Earl Sena had taken ten thousand elite border defense troops south. Although forty thousand remained, nearly half of the high-end combat power had gone south, and Earl Sena himself was not present to oversee the fortress, causing some restlessness among the people inside.

Now, seeing the Wind Wolf Knights led by Reyn arrive, the restless hearts were instantly calmed. Anyone who wasn't a fool could see the power of the Wind Wolf Knights; the arrival of such a powerful knight legion was enough to put everyone at ease.

All the remaining high-ranking officers in the central hall of the Iron Wall Fortress were gathered here.

"We are all acquaintances, so there's no need for formality. Please, sit!"

Only after Reyn sat down did the rest of the people sit in unison.

Reyn, with a smile on his face, seemed to have no airs and a gentle attitude, but his aura suppressed everyone to the point they didn't dare to speak. Everyone present could clearly feel that terrifying pressure.

The quartermaster, Baron Rex, was currently the most astonished. In the years since Reyn left the Iron Wall Fortress to inherit his territory, he was the only one among those present who had had several interactions with Reyn, giving Rex some insight into Reyn's changes over the years.

Looking at the man now sitting in the head seat, suppressing everyone present with his presence alone so that they didn't even dare to breathe loudly, Rex felt the scene was so surreal it was like a dream.

For a person's strength and status to achieve such a leap in such a short time was something that previously only appeared in Rex's own dreams, and the protagonist in those dreams was himself.

Now the dream had become reality, but the protagonist was not him.

"My Lord, your strength has grown again!"

"I've had some breakthroughs recently. Rex, you're doing well too."

As Rex spoke, Reyn gradually withdrew that terrifying aura, allowing everyone else to breathe a sigh of relief.

"My Lord, your strength truly commands my utmost admiration. I didn't expect you to be so powerful; I estimate it won't be long before you break through to the Legendary Realm."

"Indeed, My Lord. I believe your talent is absolutely the best in the entire Northern Territory."

After being intimidated by Reyn's strength, the following conversation turned into a session of flattery. The officers of the Iron Wall Fortress scrambled to kiss up to Reyn.

Reyn's strength was much greater than theirs, and his noble rank was also much higher. Crucially, Reyn was still young, and his future prospects were terrifyingly bright. Although these officers were soldiers, they were also nobles, and they were experts at the game of flattery and finding a powerful patron.

Reyn looked at their faces and thought to himself what kind of expressions they would make if they knew he had already broken through to the Legendary Realm.

It would probably be quite interesting.

However, for the time being, Reyn did not want to reveal his Legendary strength. He still needed to accumulate power to complete his even greater plans.