Chapter 50: Current priority actions

By the time Phield arrived on the battlefield, the unfortunate corrupted giant scorpion had already been burned crispy on the outside and thoroughly cooked within.

"Are you hurt?" Phield dismounted at once and hurried over. Seeing fresh blood still flowing along the Drakewolf’s body, his fists clenched unconsciously. "Where are you injured?"

Ashina smiled sweetly. "Thank you for your concern, my lord. Thanks to you, I’m perfectly fine. The blood is the enemy’s. Well... Drakewolf did take some damage, though."

The Drakewolf looked exhausted. After a long pursuit and sustaining injuries, it lay on the ground, breathing heavily.

"It actually got hurt..." Phield frowned deeply. "That means the enemy’s combat power was terrifying. I’ve never seen it suffer like this before. Bring it back to the domain. We have plenty of potions—its wounds will be treated immediately."

He circled the Drakewolf and spotted the injury on its hind leg. Large patches of flesh had been shredded into pulp, gray vapor still rising from the wound. His heart ached. He gently patted the Drakewolf’s head, unsure whether it could feel the touch through its thick armored plates.

As a Divine Gift—and an extremely rare living divine artifact—it held immense significance within the domain.

It didn’t even need to be fed. It could gnaw on almost anything, and when hungry, it could simply hunt corrupted creatures.

Ashina’s smile widened. "No need to go through all that trouble. Ordinary potions won’t do much for it anyway. I’ll recall it and nurture it with divine power for a day—that’ll be enough."

"That’s a relief." Phield finally let out a long breath, his expression easing. "Now tell me about the monster you encountered."

"Alright—but before that." Ashina leaned closer, pouting slightly. "I worked really hard too, you know. Why did you only pat Drakewolf’s head?"

Who was it that once said, ’Touch me again without warning and I’ll bite you’?

Phield didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He reached out decisively and patted Ashina’s head.

Ashina was instantly delighted.

After basking in that happiness, she grew serious again. "I’m sorry. I lost track of that thing."

"No need to blame yourself. I know where it is—beneath the main building. Anything that threatens the domain must be destroyed." Phield glanced at the minimap. The red marker was still there. "Tell me—what exactly attacked our territory?"

"It was a Divine Chosen. She called herself Rosalia Starnight."

"How is that possible?" Phield was stunned.

"Rosalia is the daughter of Baron Sophia Starnight. When the gray mist erupted ten years ago, she was confirmed dead—torn to pieces by monsters." Phield shuddered. This situation was heading somewhere deeply unsettling.

Ashina scratched her head. "That’s just what she claimed. Don’t worry—she’s about as strong as I am. And she had a demon-like tail. She’s probably a monster impersonating her."

"She must be a monster," Phield agreed. "Otherwise, there’s no way a noble lady would hide in a main building crawling with monsters for this long. But still... are you certain she was truly a Divine Chosen?"

When Ashina nodded solemnly, Phield grew thoughtful. "Then it seems monsters can also produce Divine Chosen. Damn it. The Church and the Empire never mentioned this. There isn’t even a single rumor of corrupted Divine Chosen on the market. They’ve definitely been hiding far more than they admit."

He rubbed his chin. "For now, let’s assume Rosalia is a corrupted Divine Chosen. The only question is whether she was corrupted first and then died—or died first and then became corrupted."

"She definitely died first," Ashina said with certainty. "The knowledge I received states clearly that Divine Chosen cannot be corrupted."

"I see." Phield clenched his fist angrily. "Then it’s simple. We crush it completely. How dare it attack our domain? I don’t care whether it’s a corrupted Divine Chosen or a remnant noble—it dies."

Before, he hadn’t understood what the red marker meant. The unknown was always the most frightening. Now that they had fought her, the fear was gone. Besides, his position was far better than when he first arrived. He had an organized guard force and a foothold.

"My condition isn’t great right now. I need a day of rest," Ashina said quietly. "Drakewolf needs time to recover as well."

"Of course. I also need time to prepare." Phield nodded. "We’ll have to mobilize the entire domain. There are too many corrupted creatures in the main building. You’ll need the guards’ support."

I wanted to develop the domain peacefully, he thought. You won’t allow it? Then prepare to be beaten into the ground.

After returning to the domain, Tate reported the casualties.

Because Rosalia’s method of drawing in corpse tides was bizarre—simply flinging them in with chains—the number wasn’t large. No actual deaths occurred. Only three guards suffered minor injuries.

Ironically, the slaves—who hadn’t been attacked at all—fared worse. Seven were severely injured after being knocked down and trampled in the chaos, nearly crushed to death. Fortunately, slaves were light, so being stepped on wasn’t immediately fatal. Twenty-two others suffered minor injuries.

"Hiss..." Phield fell into brief silence, unsure how to even comment.

"Oh! A damned bunch of idiots!" Kaor exclaimed dramatically from the side. "Look at the floor—it’s covered in footprints. Cleaning this will take at least three days!"

"My lord, this is my fault." Tate apologized sincerely. "I failed to live up to your expectations. Please punish me."

Given the general lack of education and discipline, ignorance was inevitable—especially among slaves.

There was no need to be harsh on Tate, especially with a major operation imminent.

"After the monsters in the main building are cleared, reduce the slaves’ food rations by half for three days. The reason will be failure to obey management."

"As for your punishment—you’ll be required to work with stricter standards from now on. That takes effect immediately." Phield spoke gently. "Were your family members frightened?"

"No." Tate looked on the verge of tears. He had expected severe punishment. Instead, his lord’s warmth left him speechless. He opened his mouth several times, then finally expressed his resolve with a formal salute.

With a major battle approaching, Phield wouldn’t choose such a critical moment to impose heavy penalties.

"Good. All agricultural work is suspended immediately. Gather all male slaves and the physically strong female slaves. They will transport timber from the logging site, dig trenches, and build fortifications. I will be launching an operation against the main building."

"The elderly and weak will handle logistics, tend to the wounded, and burn the corrupted corpses."

"I authorize the use of force."

...

Early in the morning.

Thud, thud, thud—

The dull, rhythmic sound of a hammer striking wood echoed up from downstairs. Since arriving at Nightfall Domain, Paul had become one of the busiest people around, buried under endless carpentry work day after day. Right now, he was on the open ground beneath the grand manor, directing the slaves as they constructed simple wooden chevaux-de-frise.

"This craftsmanship is impressive. That woman didn’t exaggerate back then." Phield pushed open the tightly fitted window frame—it no longer let out that awful creak—and then looked down at the barricades that had been worked on through the night. A sense of relief washed over him. "Nina, bring Paul a serving of honey-sweet porridge. We can’t afford to starve Nightfall Domain’s only carpenter."

"Yes, my lord." Nina responded. Seeing Phield adjusting his attire, she hurried forward to help, worry written all over her face. "My lord... are you going as well?"

"Yes. This battle matters." Phield drew his refined steel longsword for a glance, then sheathed it again. "I’ve been having nightmares these past few nights. If I don’t clear out the monsters in the main building, I doubt I’ll ever sleep properly again."

As the domain expanded, everyone’s activity range kept growing, yet the boundary was edging ever closer to the main building. A confrontation with Rosalia was inevitable, sooner or later.

Phield flicked his eyes to the mini-map. The blood-red marker in the basement of the main building was slowly shifting inside, as if it might emerge at any moment.

"I won’t allow anything to interfere with the domain’s development."

Nina parted her lips, wanting to persuade the baron not to go, but the words changed at the last second. "I wish you victory at first strike, my lord."

"I will." Phield replied lightly, then turned and left the grand manor.

"You should have tried harder to stop him." The maid Meg paused mid-wipe, hands on her hips, her gentle voice carrying a note of reproach. "It’s far too dangerous. Wouldn’t it be better to let Lady Ashina lead the guards instead?"

Nina rolled her eyes. "It’s not that simple. When I followed my lord to Maple Leaf City last time, I realized a lot of things are completely different from what we imagine. War isn’t just two sides lining up and hacking at each other like savages—it’s strategy and command. I can’t really explain it properly, but our lord can do things others simply can’t."

Meg puffed out her cheeks. She was still upset that she hadn’t been taken along last time, and now, seeing Nina look at her like she was an idiot, she felt so angry her head nearly spun.