Chapter 828: The Continent’s Past

Henwell leads his party into the heart of town and has each residence prepared.

Seven residences ring the Peace Tower, serving the five kingdoms other than Kosen.

The final two belong to the Western Federation and Peace Haven.

Rather than stay at Peace Haven's residence or his private estate, Henwell moves into Vorry's royal residence.

The message could not be clearer: Henwell has come on behalf of Vorry's royal family.

A few days later, the first to arrive is Addison, the former Third Prince and Councillor Prince of Bilri.

Next to arrive, despite having the farthest to travel, is Nissen, Elector of Kosen, a man of forty.

Unlike the burly men typical of Kosen, Nissen is thin and looks perpetually ill.

Nissen holds the title of count, and his fief lies in Everwinter City in the far north.

His predecessor, the previous Count of Everwinter, elevated the family to elector status.

Count Nissen's arrival takes Henwell somewhat by surprise.

He had expected Kosen to sit this gathering out, just as it had last time.

That evening, Henwell hosts a banquet for Count Nissen.

"With your arrival, Count, Seven Kings Town finally lives up to its name."

Nissen chuckles. "Heh... Then why not call it Eight Kings Town?"

Henwell shakes his head. "I will neither break away and proclaim myself king nor usurp Arius's throne. I am no king. I am only here to make up the numbers."

Nissen studies Henwell for a moment, then asks curiously, "Henwell, you are actually telling the truth. Why are you so unwilling to come into conflict with Arius?"

Henwell smiles. "Of course not."

Nissen pauses, then bursts out laughing. "Heh... Henwell, you truly are an interesting man."

"I am beginning to regret not visiting you sooner. Otherwise, we might already have become good friends."

Henwell says, "It is not too late. We can still become friends."

Nissen's smile fades. After a long silence, he says, "Becoming my friend now will cost you dearly."

After they take their seats, Henwell asks, "Oh? Then I would like to hear the price."

"Enough weapons and equipment for a hundred thousand warriors."

Henwell frowns and considers the request for a moment. "Agreed."

"At the coming conference, the various parties will reach several agreements."

"Those agreements will cover the transit of supplies and cross-border support."

"I will send word immediately and have the Northern Mountain Front's logistics base prepare twenty thousand sets of equipment and keep them ready to move."

"The rest will be delivered to Everwinter City in batches over the next two years."

"I will also prepare other supplies: dried meat, preserved fruit, medicine, and more."

Faced with Henwell's promise of so much aid, Nissen falls quiet.

"Henwell, is my friendship really worth that much?"

Henwell chuckles. "Of course your friendship is not worth that much, but the Everwinter Front is."

"If even proud Kosen has been forced to ask for aid, the situation at the Everwinter Front must be dire."

"Once Kosen's defenses collapse, Vorry's northern border will soon come under threat."

"Vorry has already committed most of its strength to the Northern Mountain Front."

"It simply does not have the strength to establish another defensive line in the near future."

"I have no desire to see the Frostborne Warriors and Frost Corpses pour across the border and turn Vorry's northern lands into another Everfrost Wastes."

"The losses then would far exceed what I am paying now."

Nissen rises, touches his forehead, and bows. "Kosen thanks you for your generosity. We will not forget this friendship."

Henwell also stands and returns the courtesy. "This war concerns everyone on the continent. No one can remain entirely apart from it."

Once seated again, Henwell continues, "I will also send a team composed mostly of technical personnel."

"They will study the weaknesses of the Frostborne Warriors born in the Everfrost Wastes and the extraordinary Frost Corpses derived from them."

"The team's builders will also devise new fortress designs suited to the enemy's traits and the local environment."

"I know your people have resisted calamity creatures alone for thousands of years and possess a wealth of experience."

"Still, the safety of humanity across the continent is at stake. Another perspective can only help."

"Habits of thought harden over time. Looking at the problem from another angle may reveal a better solution."

Nissen says, "Five thousand three hundred years."

Henwell pauses. Nissen explains, "We have resisted the Frostborne Warriors and Frost Corpses for a full five thousand three hundred years."

"Strictly speaking, this is the Fifty-Third Calamity War we have endured."

"Five thousand three hundred years ago, our people lived near what is now Peace Haven."

"Almost the entire continent had become the Everfrost Wastes, crawling with monsters such as Frostborne Warriors and Frost Corpses."

"We spent a thousand years forcing them back into that small region in the north."

"At the time, we were the strongest nation on the continent. The so-called five kingdoms of today were little more than city-states."

"We reached an agreement with the Abundant Continent and allowed its people to build fifteen city-states on our land."

"They called them Guardian Cities."

"The only one that survives is now the heart of the Western Federation. Back then, it was designated Guardian City No. 13."

"The capitals of the present kingdoms were all built on the ruins of those Guardian Cities."

"Do you know why we now huddle in the bitter cold of the north?"

Henwell draws a deep breath. "While all your strength was committed to fighting the Frost Corpses, the people of the Abundant Continent broke the treaty and attacked you."

Nissen nods. "Exactly. We had just emerged from an immense battle against the Frost Corpses and suffered terrible losses."

"Then all fifteen city-states rebelled."

"The Abundant Continent used those fifteen teleportation points as footholds and poured vast numbers of elite troops into the invasion."

Henwell asks, "How did you survive?"

Nissen smiles. "Because we were powerful then, more powerful than you can imagine."

"If we had not suffered such terrible losses in that final battle against the Frost Corpses..."

"Even the full might of the Groias Empire could not have defeated us."

"But weakened though we were, we were still not something they could trample at will."

"We destroyed every Guardian City except Guardian City No. 13."

"The war raged for thirty years."

Henwell frowns. "You were clearly losing. Why did the Empire and the Church not wipe you out completely?"

"From what I know of them, that is hardly their style. However bitter and cold the north might be, they would never leave you room to recover."

Nissen looks out the window and says quietly, "Because our god made a sacrifice: he froze the continent for fifty years."

"He also opened what are now the divine-abomination lairs, giving our enemies a new enemy of their own."

"Now, Henwell, do you understand why we do not ask the nearer kingdoms of Bilri and Ika for aid?"

"Because all they want is for us to die."