Chapter 1693: Chapter 1693

Salhir II had known of the Snowman Legion's existence since last winter, but he had absolutely no idea the army was lurking in the snowy mountains surrounding Ruen. It was the greatest variable since their contest began. Though surprised, Salhir II quickly settled back into his chair, appearing, at least on the surface, unflustered.

"I don't have much time left."

He didn't pause the match.

The frost crept to the edge of the chessboard and halted, leaving the rest of the room untouched. As the second round commenced, Salhir II continued to command his children. He followed Sarrot’s plan, laying out a meticulous strategy to corner Dolores. As for his other children scattered across Ruen in search of clues, he offered them no guidance whatsoever.

After the king used a handkerchief—an item that could rapidly heal the injured—it was Jenkins's turn. He watched the Snowman Legion halt outside the city walls as a patch of white spread across the board, radiating from the snowflake token. He knew then that Alexia had her own plan.

Relieved, he gave his instructions for the next round:

"Dolores will take a few trusted followers and leave the palace through a secret passage, temporarily handing command over to Duke Rodbell. Once she is clear of the palace, she will head to the Sage's Church in the city to seek help."

Salhir II glanced at Jenkins but remained silent. Instead, it was Princess Angelina Stuart, who had not spoken a word until now, who asked quietly:

"Will the Church help her? Given how we returned to Ruen, we can't exactly show ourselves to them so openly, can we?"

"Don't worry. Dolores might not be able to sway the Church on her own, but I have a little bit of influence with them."

A faint blush crept onto the princess's cheeks at his smile, which earned another sigh from her father.

Jenkins continued with his arrangements:

"Dolores will reveal her identity and, as the fiancée of Jenkins Williams, request the Church's help to suppress the Northern Legion's actions in the city tonight. At the same time, the Sage's Church..."

"You cannot command the Church. You can only command your pieces."

"I'm not commanding them; I'm merely predicting their actions. The Sage's Church is bound by the High Tower Accord, so while they won't dispatch Enchanters to directly confront the Northern Garrison Legion, they can send a contingent to assist Dolores and the people in the palace without engaging in direct combat.

Furthermore, the Sage's Church will unite with the other churches in Ruen to pressure the Northern Legion. They will demand that the legion follow His Majesty's orders for the night, but forbid them from excessive bloodshed that would turn this city into a river of blood."

"Is this what you call mercy?"

"No, this isn't mercy," Jenkins replied. "It's just where I draw the line as a human being."

Jenkins used no item this round, but the influence his status afforded Dolores was far more potent than any physical object in this contest could ever be.

As Dolores entered the church, the golden stars representing the Church's influence merged with the blue stars of Jenkins's faction, sweeping together toward the city. The situation shifted in the blink of an eye. The Church's intervention stabilized the city, pulling it back from the brink of war.

Clergy hurried through the streets, and the Northern Garrison Legion, taken aback by the Church's unexpectedly firm stance, ceased all further movements.

Meanwhile, Sarrot Stuart's steam cannons were finally moved from the city walls to the base of the hill. But before he could give the order to fire the first deadly shell, a piercing shriek echoed from the north.

The princes and princesses of Ruen were baffled, but the king, princess, and writer from Nolan could see them clearly: a group of portly figures in black cloaks, materializing on the outskirts of the city.

They advanced in perfect lockstep, ignoring the warnings of the city guard. In unison, they raised their heavy right arms, tightly cinched within their sleeves.

A powerful resonance of spirit and nature hummed in the air, followed by the collective crackle of crystallizing water vapor. A moment later, a colossal snowball materialized in the sky, casting a shadow that eclipsed both moons. Anyone who saw it knew something was terribly wrong.

The snowmen, disguised as humans, sent the massive snowball hurtling toward the ground. It smashed into the ancient city wall—a structure that had stood for five hundred years—and blasted a gaping hole through it.

The piercing shriek the city's inhabitants had heard moments before was the sound of the snowball shattering the wall. The soldiers who witnessed the spectacle were thrown into utter chaos.

"I swear this has nothing to do with me."

Jenkins declared at once, before Salhir II could even voice his suspicion. He stroked his cat and added:

"You see? I've been right here the whole time."

Salhir II snorted but held his tongue, his gaze fixed on the game board where the fragile outer defenses proved completely unable to halt the snowmen's assault. Both the Northern Garrison Legion and the city's own defense forces had stationed the bulk of their troops within the walls. For origınal chapters go to N0veI.Fiɾe.net

The snowmen streamed into the city, their right arms held high. As their spirits resonated, the temperature of the hot summer night plummeted. They were attempting to alter the very environment around them.

Meanwhile, the Church had taken note of the disturbance outside the city. A brief observation was all it took for them to realize the Snowman Legion had returned. There was no time to question their origins; the Church deployed its Enchanter squads in full force. If the snowmen were allowed to advance, the entire city's population risked being transformed into horrifying, aberrant creatures.

As the capital of the northern kingdom, its fall would mean the entire Hamparvo Kingdom could be overrun by this powerful, malevolent force.

Within ten minutes, news of the Snowman Legion's breach reached the Stuarts. Most of them knew what this meant; every child raised in the northern kingdom grew up with the terrifying legends of the north. After a swift reevaluation of their priorities, the army turned its attention outward. The steam cannons, so recently hauled into the city, were dismantled once more, prepared for deployment to a new, unexpected battlefield.

In the span of just half an hour, the complex internal conflict had become astonishingly simple. Now, everyone shared a single objective: to protect the city, the pearl of the northern kingdom.

"What is Alexia planning?"

Jenkins wondered silently. He and Salhir II watched as the city was breached—first the snowmen poured in, then the human army arrived, joining forces with the Church's Enchanters to desperately hold the line.

The scene was almost epic: humanity, united in its struggle against disaster. It was indirect proof that Jenkins's plan—to unite all factions against the great cataclysm at the end of the epoch—was entirely viable.

And yet, despite knowing the full story behind these events in Ruen, Jenkins couldn't begin to fathom what Alexia—the short lady behind the move—was thinking.