Ashen Dragon-Chapter 375 - 299: The Tower and the Earl

Chapter 375 -299: The Tower and the Earl

Cassius transported Misha to the guesthouse within Northwind Castle, where maids would serve her for dressing and bathing—though the maids might not necessarily be human; they could be Serpentfolk, Dragonborn, or even Half-Orcs.

The Ashen Kingdom had now taken racial diversity to its extreme.

“Ramp, you may enter.”

“Yes, Master.”

Ramp, who had been waiting outside for a long time, finally walked through the door and respectfully knelt before the steps.

“Master, did the human I brought over please you this time?”

“Very much so, exceeding my expectations.”

“Stand up.”

Commanded Cassius coolly.

“As long as you are pleased, Master, that is my greatest honor.”

Ramp slowly stood, his ugly face beaming with a smile.

—The Ogre Archmage did not yet know that the title of the foremost spellcaster in the Ashen Kingdom was about to face a severe challenge, and that the “challenger” was the human he had personally brought here.

Cassius continued: “I want the Magic Department to put their full effort into providing Misha with systematic magical education and to build a high tower for her around Northwind Castle. Let’s call it…”

His voice paused and, after a moment of hesitation, he chose to follow the original path of fate:

“The Tower of Sinful Fire.”

“Yes, Master, I will do my utmost to complete the mission and not disappoint you.”

Ramp quickly lowered his head and replied.

He did not ask why because it did not matter. His only duty was to obey the Red Dragon’s orders.

Yet even Ramp, in his lowered eyes, a barely noticeable flicker of surprise passed by.

The resources His Majesty was investing, even establishing a separate Mage Tower, suggested that this human girl brought back had far greater importance and value than he had imagined.

Ramp tightened his grip on his magic wand, thinking this to himself.

Cassius did not concern himself with Ramp’s thoughts, instead slowly closing his eyes and casually asked:

“It’s been almost two months already. What’s the situation in the Northern Territory? Has everything been cleared up?”

“Reporting to Master, Marshal Dolores’s strategy has been very successful, and the Starfallen’s efficiency is indeed high. We have controlled nearly eighty percent of the territory in the North and are surrounding the remaining, stubbornly resisting forces.”

Cassius’s expression grew a bit curious.

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“Oh? Are there still people daring to resist?”

Ramp responded: “It’s Jacob Rosas, the Earl of the Sweno Duchy. He has gathered all the noble forces in the vicinity, attempting a counterattack on the kingdom, even capturing several cities.”

“However, the kingdom’s army responded quickly. Marshal Dolores promptly mobilized, and they have now surrounded the remnants of the Northern Nobility forces. As you put it, they are ‘a turtle in a jar.'”

Cassius chewed on the name.

“Jacob Rosas, huh?”

“Interesting.”

Sealed memories were awakened once more.

Jacob Rosas, the Earl of the Sweno Duchy, the most prestigious general, made significant contributions in fighting the demons and was revered by the Northern People as “The Great Wall of the North.”

He was also an important ally to the players in the previous life, forming a righteous alliance with them and triggering a series of side quests.

Noticing Cassius’s contemplation, Ramp immediately stepped forward and said: “Master, does this human have any use to you?”

“If you need, I’ll contact Dolores immediately to capture Jacob Rosas alive and bring him before you.”

“No, kill him.”

Cassius shook his head, saying calmly.

Although Jacob Rosas was a powerful Transcendent Warrior, he was nearly fifty and had little potential in Cassius’s eyes.

Moreover, he was a loyal supporter of the Northern Order, becoming the leader and even the spiritual symbol of the rebels—he needed to be utterly destroyed both physically and spiritually. Only then could it serve as a deterrent to the rebellious forces across Anzeta.

Thus, Cassius added, “Also, give him a humiliating death. Do not let him die with dignity.”

“Yes, I will follow your orders.”

Ramp quickly responded.

Yet, almost without thinking, he added:

“Master, do you want me to have the people in the propaganda department smear his name, fabricating eye-catching stories—portraying Jacob Rosas as a typical evildoer, engaging in all kinds of atrocities?”

“For instance, using those young boys’ stories, we could attribute them to him.”

“This way, we can tarnish his reputation, smashing the last idol the Northern Nobility have created, cutting off their spiritual backbone completely.”

“When the supporters of the Northern Nobility lose their hero, they naturally lose the will to resist.”

The Ogre grew more excited as he spoke, to the point where he was exhaling wisps of steam, truly making him seem like a “benevolent good guy.”

Cassius couldn’t help but laugh, thinking that this Ogre had indeed captured the essence of journalism.

Moreover, he was self-taught.

Nonetheless, he verbally praised: “Very good, you’ve thought this through thoroughly.”

“Go ahead with your plan.”

“Completely extinguish their rebellion and tell them that history… is written by the victors.”

Ramp’s face once again beamed with a flattering smile: “Not at all, Master, you flatter me. This is merely a summary from your profound words.”

“Besides… I’ve only grasped a tiny bit of superficial knowledge from it, nowhere near comparable to your vast ocean of wisdom.”

A dragon and an ogre exchanged smiles.

And so, within these brief exchanges, the fate of Jacob Rosas, once the “Great Wall of the North,” was decided unbeknownst to him.

One couldn’t help but marvel at the God of Fate’s capriciousness.

Jacob Rosas, once a heroic figure, had now become the leader of the rebellion.

He was about to face annihilation, a public execution on the guillotine, and even after death, he would leave behind a notorious legacy, condemned for eternity.

…

“Jacob Rosas’s death was a hero’s elegy, a mournful roar, the melting of the last remaining snow in the North; he died standing with dignity—definitely not as some people slander.”

—”Secret History of Anzeta: The End of the North,” Duke of Luton

…

“Luton Siege had already fled south at that time and was not present, so how could he know Jacob Rosas wasn’t stoned to death by enraged serfs during his surrender?”

“Considering Luton Siege’s past experiences and Jacob Rosas’s perverse penchant for minors: I have reason to suspect that during his youth, Luton Siege may have had some sordid relations with this earl.”

“Otherwise, why would he be so eager to defend Jacob Rosas?”

—”Fianso Secret Historical Records,” an unnamed historian