Ember Dragon Novel Chapter 369: The Tower and the Count

Chapter 369: Chapter 369: The Tower and the Count

Chapter 369: The Tower and the Count

Cassius teleported Misha to a guesthouse in Northwind Fortress, where maids would assist her with bathing and changing clothes—though the maids might not necessarily be human. They could be serpentfolk, dragonborn, or even half-orcs.

The Ember Kingdom had now elevated racial diversity to an extre.

"Langpu, co in."

"Yes, Master."

Langpu, who had been waiting outside for a long ti, finally entered the hall, kneeling respectfully at the foot of the stairs.

"Master, was the human I brought this ti to your satisfaction?"

"Very good, beyond my expectations."

"Rise."

Cassius commanded indifferently.

"As long as you are satisfied, receiving your approval is my greatest honor."

Langpu slowly stood, his grotesque face plastered with a sycophantic smile.

—The ogre archmage was still unaware that his title as the Ember Kingdom’s foremost spellcaster was about to face a serious challenge, and that the "challenger" was the very human girl he had brought here himself.

Cassius continued, "I want the Ministry of Magic to dedicate all efforts to providing Misha with a systematic magical education, and to build a tower for her near Northwind Fortress. Let it be called..."

He paused, hesitating briefly, before choosing to reflect the original trajectory of fate:

"The Tower of Blighted Fla."

"Yes, Master. I will do my utmost to fulfill your task and will not disappoint you."

Langpu bowed his head hastily in response.

He didn’t question why—it wasn’t his place. His only duty was to obey the red dragon’s orders.

Yet, even Langpu couldn’t help but feel a flicker of surprise in his downcast eyes.

For the King to allocate such resources and even construct an exclusive mage tower, this human girl’s value and importance were clearly far greater than Langpu had initially thought.

Clutching his staff, Langpu silently resolved to carry out the task flawlessly.

Cassius paid no mind to Langpu’s inner thoughts. Closing his eyes lazily, he asked offhandedly:

"It’s been nearly two months now. What is the current situation in the North? Has it been fully cleared?"

"Reporting to you, Master, Marshal Dolo’s strategy has been highly effective. The Starfall operatives have been efficient, and we now control nearly 80% of the Northern territories. The remaining defiant forces are under siege."

Cassius’s expression shifted slightly, intrigued.

"Oh? There are still those bold enough to resist?"

Langpu replied, "It is the Duke of Sveno, Jacob Rosa. He has rallied the surrounding noble forces, attempting a counterattack against the Kingdom and even reclaiming a few cities."

"However, the Kingdom’s army responded swiftly. Marshal Dolo rapidly deployed forces, and they’ve now encircled the rebels entirely. As you put it, the remnants of the Northern nobility are now ’fish in a barrel.’"

Cassius mulled over the na.

"Jacob Rosa, hmm..."

"Interesting."

Dormant mories stirred anew.

Jacob Rosa, a general of the highest rank in the Duchy of Sveno, had made significant contributions in the war against the demons and was revered by the Northern people as the "Northern Wall."

He was also an important ally NPC to players in the previous tiline, forming a justice alliance that spurred a series of side quests.

Sensing Cassius’s contemplation, Langpu stepped forward and asked, "Master, is that human useful to you?"

"If you require it, I can imdiately contact Dolo to have Jacob Rosa captured alive and brought to you."

"No, kill him."

Cassius shook his head and replied calmly.

While Jacob Rosa was a formidable extraordinary warrior, he was nearly fifty years old, leaving little potential for Cassius’s purposes.

Moreover, as a staunch supporter of Northern order and a symbolic leader for the rebels, his complete elimination—physically and spiritually—was essential to intimidate and suppress Anzeta’s resistance forces.

Cassius added, "And give him a humiliating death. Don’t let him die with dignity."

"Understood. As you command."

Langpu responded quickly.

However, his eyes flickered briefly, and he hastily proposed:

"Master, should we have the Ministry of Propaganda sar his reputation with so scandalous stories—portraying Jacob Rosa as a depraved noble guilty of heinous cris?"

"For instance, those rumors about young boys could easily be pinned on him."

"By doing so, we could tarnish his image, shatter the last idol created by the Northern nobility, and sever their spiritual foundation entirely."

"Once the Northern nobles’ supporters lose their hero, their will to resist will naturally crumble."

The ogre grew increasingly enthusiastic, even exhaling plus of white smoke in his fervor—truly a "generous and kind-hearted soul."

Cassius couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking the ogre had truly mastered the art of propaganda.

Remarkably, he had done so as a self-taught practitioner.

Yet, Cassius still offered praise: "Excellent, you’ve thought it through thoroughly."

"Proceed with your plan."

"Crush their resistance entirely, and remind them that history is written by the victors."

Langpu’s face once again bead with an obsequious smile. "Not at all, Master, you flatter . These insights are rely drawn from your profound teachings."

"Besides, I’ve only grasped a minuscule fraction of your boundless wisdom, far from worthy of comparison."

Dragon and ogre exchanged knowing smiles.

Thus, in just a few brief words, the fate of Jacob Rosa, the "Northern Wall" of the past life, was sealed—utterly unaware of his impending doom.

One couldn’t help but marvel at the capriciousness of the gods of fate.

Jacob Rosa, a hero of yore, had now beco the leader of the resistance.

He would soon face annihilation, a public trial on the gallows, and even posthumous infamy, his na reviled for generations.

"Jacob Rosa’s death was the elegy of a hero, the anguished cry of the North, the lting of its final vestige of snow. He died standing with dignity—not as so have slandered."

—Duke Ludon’s"Anzeta’s Secret History: The End of the North"

"Ludon Sig had fled south at the ti and wasn’t present. How could he know Jacob Rosa wasn’t stoned to death by enraged serfs during his surrender?"

"Given Ludon Sig’s past experiences and Jacob Rosa’s alleged proclivities toward minors, I suspect Ludon Sig might have had so unsavory interactions with the Count in his youth."

"Why else would he be so eager to defend Jacob Rosa?"

—An anonymous historian’s comntary in "Fianso’s Secret Histories Miscellany"