Chapter 155: A Castle Between Two Duchies

Moonlight filtered through the window of a quiet chamber within a castle, reflecting off the cold glass as snowflakes drifted outside.

Behind the pane, the castle’s grey stone towers and battlements stood beneath a blanket of snow. White gradually covered the stone ledges and rooftops, as though winter itself were reshaping the castle beneath the pale moon.

Snowflakes gathered on the stone sill, melting as soon as they touched the faint warmth escaping from the room.

Beyond the heavy drapes, the city below was little more than a collection of distant shadows, barely visible through the falling snow.

The chamber was quiet and simply furnished, with polished grey stone walls, a short shelf holding a few books, and several finely crafted wooden chairs.

Spherules of magical light drifted near the ceiling, casting a soft, white glow across the corners of the room. Their light mingled with the moonlight filtering through the window, softening the harshness of the shadows without dispelling them entirely.

At the center of the room stood a round table of dark wood. Floating above it was a three-dimensional map.

Miniature mountains rose from a pale blue glow, crossed by thin silver rivers. Cities appeared as golden points of light, pulsing faintly along glowing pathways.

A young woman stood beside the table, watching the map in silence.

Her pure white hair caught both moonlight and hearthfire so brightly it seemed to possess its own radiance. While soft strands tumbled to her shoulders, the back was gathered into a long, meticulously woven braid, with a few loose wisps framing her face to temper the cold composure of her features.

At first glance, she seemed calm. Yet her clear blue eyes held a coldness that reminded one of the winter sky before a storm. Her gaze moved across the map, following the cities and illuminated routes.

Finally, she broke the silence.

Her voice echoed softly against the stone walls, carrying a smooth, frigid edge while her eyes remained fixed on the glowing map.

"Our deeper incursion into Moongrave Castle revealed that the danger was far greater than we had initially estimated. There are thousands of cursed creatures, not to mention those ceaseless, maddening whispers..."

She paused, the light in her blue eyes narrowing.

"We nearly lost our minds in there. We need to change our plans. Lumi... what are our options?"

Behind her stood another girl in silence.

She was so small in stature that she seemed no older than ten. Under the moonlight, she looked remarkably pale, as though she had stepped out from the very heart of winter.

Long white hair flowed down her shoulders and back, nearly swallowing her slender frame, while a portion of it veiled one side of her small face.

Her crimson eyes, however, held a sharp intelligence that seemed at odds with her childlike appearance.

Little Lumi stepped toward the table, a faint smile curling her lips as she looked at the young woman’s back.

"I like your new tattoo. It looks quite distinct... Baroness Aveline."

A large white tattoo stretched across the center of Avelin’s exposed back. It depicted a stag with long, branching antlers, surrounded by delicate glowing lines that resembled moonlight beneath her skin.

It was no ordinary tattoo, neither in its starlight sheen nor in its sheer size, which covered most of her back.

Yet despite the size and brilliant glow of the white stag, Lumi’s crimson eyes were not fixed upon it.

Instead, her gaze rested on a second tattoo near Avelin’s right shoulder blade.

It was smaller and much darker, depicting a sinister black creature hunched as if crawling across her skin. Twisted tendrils extended from its body like claws or thin limbs before fading into the shadows.

Aveline turned her head slightly, casting a brief glance at her shoulder before returning her attention to the map

"Ah... this? I got it after killing a monster while exploring the lands of the Eternal Eclipse, near that cursed castle."

Lumi smiled. "So your trip wasn’t entirely in vain after all."

Aveline returned her focus to the map, her calm demeanor unchanged.

"I was just lucky. Now, let’s focus on what matters. What do we do next?"

The small girl approached the map, her tiny fingers scanning the drawn territories, most of which were marked with symbols of snow and dense forests.

"If we’re going to enter the lands of the Eternal Eclipse again, we need a way to strengthen our forces quickly." Lumi explained calmly.

"Unfortunately, Valthera won’t give us that opportunity anytime soon. Our best option is to find another castle that isn’t as dangerous as those in the Eclipse lands... or at least one in an area where these hideous Eclipse beasts don’t gather in such numbers. That would give us a relatively safe foothold."

"I know that." Aveline interrupted in a crisp, pragmatic tone. "Do you have any ideas?"

Lumi leaned over the map and placed a finger on a glowing point to the northeast.

"I’ve already looked into it. The closest castle to you is within your mother’s duchy... in the Viscounty of Gloamveil."

The point expanded, revealing a cluster of mountains and dark forests around a small keep.

"The path it unlocks remains a complete unknown. None of our spies have managed to learn where it truly leads."

She paused.

"But it is not The Eternal Eclipse. At this point, that alone is enough."

Lumi moved her finger to the symbol of the keep.

"The viscount himself is a common-born knight. Marquis Gilead elevated him to his current position not long ago."

A small smile appeared on her face.

"He is ambitious, which is why he accepted the title. But he has no old family behind him, no powerful allies of his own, and no reason to risk everything for a single castle."

"If we put a little pressure on him, he will yield."

Lumi drew a thin silver line from their current position toward Gloamveil.

"As you know, no law prevents nobles within the same duchy from competing for territory or expanding at one another’s expense. There is no political obstacle here. Finding a pretext for war between two nobles is never difficult."

Then her finger stopped over the lands between them.

"However, reaching Gloamveil is another matter. We have only two realistic options."

Lumi traced a route through the forest with her finger.

"The first option is to cut directly through here. It shortens the distance, but the forest itself poses a severe obstacle. The terrain is treacherous, and it will exhaust the troops before we even reach our destination. Transporting supplies through it will be agonizingly slow and difficult."

She pointed to the forest on the map.

"On top of that, we know nothing about the Morvith waiting to ambush us there. Even with my divination abilities, I cannot determine their numbers or positions with any certainty."

Lumi moved her finger to another route marked in red.

"The second option is to pass through the Barony of Dreadmoor."

Lumi continued, trailing her fingernail along the extended curve.

"The route is longer and will take our forces two additional days compared to the first path, but the flat terrain will allow our supply wagons to move much faster without the dangers lurking in the forest."

"More importantly, Dreadmoor’s natural defenses and open terrain make it a much safer route. Our supply lines would remain under the castle’s protection, giving our troops secure and reliable supply points throughout the journey."

Lumi raised her crimson eyes to Aveline.

"However, Dreadmoor doesn’t belong to your mother’s duchy. It falls under the Duchy of Vesperion, so we’d need to request permission from its baron to pass through, according to noble custom... or—"

Aveline finished the sentence without hesitation.

"...or we could simply take Dreadmoor as well."