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Chapter 74  The Barrier

The noble families were the first line of defense of the kingdom, they had the primary responsibility of protecting the lands and subjects under their control. They were expected to assemble and train their own armed force, but most nobles didn\'t fulfill their duty, choosing to indulge in the benefits of their status and focusing on growing their own strength. The nobles felt that burning gold with people who didn\'t have the slightest chance of reaching even the Third Stage was useless, it was better to spend with themselves.

During the reign of Henry\'s father, the kingdom\'s hierarchy was organized around four powerful duke houses, each responsible for ruling over a specific cardinal position. These houses were the pillars of the kingdom, as their ancestors played a crucial role in assisting Garret on building his kingdom. And, to hold the tittle of representative for a duke house, one had to possess at least the strength of a Fifth Stage Warrior.

Following the death of the previous king, two of the duke houses opted to abandon the country, taking their wealth and families with them. Meanwhile, Duchess Codicia seized the chance to assemble an army to usurp the throne for herself. However, amidst the chaos, the Moonlight Clan, with Luther as its sole survivor, chose to remain loyal to the throne.

Beneath the duke houses were the eight Marchessses  , who represented smaller regions within the kingdom. The Marchessses were required to have attained at least the Fourth Stage of power, demonstrating their martial prowess and ability to protect their territories. Additionally, there were sixteen viscounts and thirty-two counts, whose representatives were expected to have reached a minimum power level of the Third Stage. This hierarchy system, built by Garret, guaranteed that the nobles had the minimum strength and ability to protect the people and the land under their control. It was also a great way to guarantee that talent, bloodline, and techniques were preserved through the generations.

Following the death of the previous king, two of the duke houses opted to abandon the country, taking their wealth and families with them. Meanwhile, Duchess Codicia seized the chance to assemble an army to usurp the throne for herself. However, amidst the chaos, the Moonlight Clan, with Luther as its sole survivor, chose to remain loyal to the throne.

Following the old General, two of the Marchessses , Olaro and Iosif, pledged their allegiance to Henry, the rightful heir to the throne. Another Marchess joined forces with Duchess Codicia, seeking personal gain and power. The remaining Marchessses preferred to leave the kingdom as if attracted to something outside. As for the viscounts and counts, Henry had only managed to maintain two viscounts and eight counts under him, thanks to Luther\'s presence, with the rest either joining Codicia, leaving the kingdom or even forming small forces, trying to usurp the royal power of a few specific regions.

These small forces had managed to develop more in the West, where the greedy and dumb viscounts and counts sought to monopolize the production of Iron and exploit the chaos caused by the conflict between Codicia and King Henry. However, unfortunately for them, Henry had managed to destroy the rebellious forces and lead Codicia to death.

After the civil war, Henry sent a message to the remaining rebellious nobles. Messengers were dispatched to each village, presenting them with an ultimatum. They were given the opportunity to surrender the lands and titles, admitting their wrongdoing in exchange for the safety of their families. However, the representatives themselves would face the consequences of their dumb actions. They would be executed, and their bodies bound to horses, displayed throughout the kingdom to serve as a lesson to everyone. Unfortunately, not a single count or viscount decided to surrender, they tried to resist, but Henry\'s cavalry rapidly took back his lands. Contrary to the West, the unpopulated and poor East didn\'t suffer with such occurrences. The nobles found no reason to occupy a land that had nothing to be extracted and not even the sea could be exploited, since it was frozen all year long.

Although Henry had managed to gradually recuperate the strength of Stahl, even improve it, bringing it to a patamar that not even his father could imagine, Stahl had still suffered a damage to its foundation that would take a few more months or even years to recuperate.

-X-

While Elton followed the howling of the wolves, leading his team towards the snow covered mountain.

Gedhe, the representative of the barbarians, was carrying a massive tree trunk on his shoulders as he made his way through the snow-covered terrain, each step leaving deep imprints in the ground. The barbarian\'s eyes were fixed on his surroundings, Orsus Village, which was on its last phase of construction.

Amidst the grey trees and the wooden houses, tens of children were playing amongst themselves, jumping everywhere with a big smile on their lips, while men and women worked tirelessly to build new homes and to fortify the walls around the village. The vivid and happy scene brought a simple smile to Gedhe\'s lips, although he had sacrificed his afterlife, it was worth it. No one had to live in fear of the forest anymore. These small beasts in the Outer Layer were easy to deal with and couldn\'t even pose a threat to them without a large number of them.

"This is good!" – Gedhe thought, adjusting the logs on his shoulder and keep walking through the village.

Yet, as his mind reveled in these thoughts, a sudden tremor shook the village, causing the ground to quake beneath his feet. The very forest itself seemed to tremble, and an urgent sensation gripped Gedhe\'s heart as a familiar sensation spread through his being, as if a beast was lurking around. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Gedhe looked around, but nothing could be seen. – "Not real" – He pondered, deciding to leave it be.

However, although he had lived his whole life inside the forest, he couldn\'t imagine that this day marked ten years in Stahl\'s Calendar.