The Asheville Estate descended into tension.
By the end of the day, countless military reports covered the enormous strategy table inside the western command chamber while messengers continuously arrived and departed beneath the darkening evening skies. Mana lamps illuminated the room in cold golden light while armored knights moved rapidly through the surrounding corridors carrying orders toward defensive checkpoints across Asheville territory.
War had begun.
Not officially.
Not formally.
But everyone understood it already.
Viscount Delhart had made his move.
Inside the strategy chamber—
Reina stood silently near the central territorial map while silver eyes scanned military positions carefully. Her black military coat flowed softly behind her beneath the flickering mana lamps while nearby Asheville commanders waited nervously for further instructions.
Then—
Another scout arrived.
The knight immediately dropped to one knee.
"Lady Matriarch!"
His breathing sounded uneven.
"Enemy forces have occupied multiple outer villages near the eastern border."
Silence filled the room instantly.
Several commanders immediately became agitated.
"They moved this quickly?"
"We should retaliate immediately!"
"Send cavalry reinforcements!"
Another commander stepped forward urgently.
"If we lose the outer villages morale will collapse!"
Reina's silver eyes narrowed sharply afterward.
And immediately—
She reached toward the military orders resting upon the table.
"Mobilize eastern—"
"Stop."
The room froze.
Kel's voice remained calm.
Yet somehow—
Everyone obeyed instantly.
The silver-haired matriarch slowly looked toward him afterward.
Kel stood quietly near one of the chamber windows while cold evening winds moved softly through the dark curtains behind him.
His expression remained unreadable.
Reina frowned slightly.
"You want me to abandon the villages?"
The surrounding commanders looked equally confused.
Meanwhile—
Kel calmly walked toward the central map afterward.
Then quietly—
He pointed toward the occupied outer regions.
"Delhart wants you emotional."
Another pause.
"He's testing your reactions."
The strategy chamber remained silent.
Kel continued calmly.
"If you rush forces now…"
His finger moved toward the eastern forest routes.
"…you'll fight on terrain he already prepared."
Several commanders slowly began understanding.
Meanwhile—
Reina remained silent briefly.
Then eventually—
She slowly withdrew her earlier order.
Not because she fully understood yet.
But because she trusted him.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly muttered:
"She's learning restraint."
Kel calmly replied internally.
"That's more important than strength."
Meanwhile—
Reina calmly gave new orders instead.
"Reinforce all territorial checkpoints."
"Stabilize defensive walls."
"Maintain internal supply routes."
Another pause.
"No reckless engagement."
The commanders immediately obeyed afterward despite lingering confusion.
And thus—
The night passed beneath rising tension.
Meanwhile—
Inside Viscount Delhart's territory—
Confidence spread rapidly.
The older viscount himself sat proudly within his military command hall while armored officers surrounded him beneath luxurious lantern light.
Reports continuously arrived.
"Asheville forces withdrew."
"They abandoned the outer villages."
"No counterattack detected."
Slowly—
Delhart smiled.
A greedy smile.
Because in his eyes—
This confirmed everything.
Reina Asheville remained inexperienced.
Weak.
Unable to protect expanding territory properly.
And once nobles smelled weakness—
They became wolves.
The viscount immediately became more aggressive afterward.
Additional troops marched deeper.
Mid-perimeter territories became occupied.
Supply stations established.
And eventually—
Even his own commanders relaxed entirely believing victory already secured.
That—
Was the mistake.
The next morning arrived beneath dark silver skies.
Cold winds swept across the eastern territories while armored Asheville knights silently prepared throughout hidden forest routes beneath Reina's command.
The atmosphere itself felt different today.
Sharper.
More dangerous.
Meanwhile—
Inside the Asheville command chamber—
Kel quietly smiled while observing the latest military reports.
Reina noticed instantly.
And immediately—
She understood.
This was the moment.
The silver-haired matriarch slowly stood afterward while black military attire flowed around her beneath the cold chamber light.
"Mobilize all prepared units."
The commanders immediately straightened.
"Today…"
Her silver eyes sharpened coldly.
"…we reclaim every occupied territory."
The atmosphere exploded afterward.
Orders spread instantly throughout Asheville territory.
Cavalry units mobilized.
Hidden reserve forces emerged.
Border knights marched simultaneously across multiple routes.
And leading them personally—
Reina Asheville herself rode at the front lines beside Kel beneath the cold morning skies.
The silver-haired matriarch wore full combat attire now.
Black armor reinforced with silver-lined plating covered her body elegantly while a dark cloak bearing the Asheville insignia flowed behind her horse beneath the powerful eastern winds.
Meanwhile—
Beside her—
Kel remained strangely calm.
No armor.
Only black noble combat clothing and the sword Reina once gifted him resting quietly at his side.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly laughed.
"You really look more terrifying without armor."
Kel calmly observed the approaching enemy territory.
"Armor is restrictive."
The war progressed rapidly afterward.
Because Delhart's forces had overextended aggressively believing Asheville weak.
Supply routes became vulnerable.
Forward camps isolated.
Communication fragmented.
And one by one—
Asheville forces reclaimed territory with overwhelming speed.
Outer villages returned.
Mid-perimeter forts collapsed.
Enemy formations shattered beneath coordinated assaults.
Meanwhile—
At the center of the chaos—
Kel and Reina rode directly toward Delhart territory itself.
Toward the viscount's mansion.
Toward the heart of enemy command.
And by the time Delhart fully realized what happened—
It was already too late.
BOOM—
The mansion gates exploded inward beneath overwhelming force.
Panic erupted instantly throughout the noble estate.
Servants screamed.
Knights rushed desperately.
And amidst the chaos—
Kel calmly walked directly into the mansion halls.
The viscount himself barely emerged from his command chambers before—
Kel grabbed him violently by the collar.
"You—!"
The older noble couldn't even finish speaking.
Kel dragged him outside the mansion entrance like dead weight before throwing him directly into the center courtyard.
CRASH—
The viscount rolled violently across the stone ground while surrounding soldiers and citizens stared in complete shock.
Meanwhile—
Reina slowly stepped forward afterward.
Sword drawn.
Silver eyes cold.
And behind her—
Four floating aura swords slowly manifested into existence.
The entire courtyard froze.
Because the sight itself looked unreal.
The main sword rested within Reina's hand glowing beneath silver aura.
Meanwhile—
Four additional blades floated beside her body created entirely from condensed leaking aura itself.
Stable.
Sharp.
Deadly.
The bizarre technique immediately stunned everyone present.
"What… is that…"
"Aura constructs?"
"No…"
"That's impossible…"
Even Delhart himself froze briefly seeing the floating blades circling around Reina like silver spirits.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly muttered:
"She adapted your technique surprisingly well."
Kel calmly observed from nearby.
"She made it stable."
Meanwhile—
The duel began.
CLANG—
Reina's main sword crashed against Delhart's blade instantly.
The older viscount staggered backward.
Then—
One floating aura sword attacked simultaneously from his blind side.
CLANG—
Delhart barely blocked it.
Immediately afterward—
Another aura blade struck from above.
Then another.
Then another.
The battlefield itself erupted into chaos.
Because Delhart wasn't fighting one swordswoman—
He was fighting five synchronized blades simultaneously.
The surrounding soldiers and citizens stared in absolute disbelief.
The floating aura swords moved independently around Reina's body while she herself maintained direct sword combat pressure relentlessly.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
Meanwhile—
Delhart visibly struggled.
His defensive movements became increasingly unstable trying to counter attacks from multiple directions simultaneously.
"This—!"
CLANG—
Another aura sword slashed across his shoulder armor.
The viscount staggered backward furiously afterward.
"This violates war laws!"
He roared angrily.
"You cannot invade my territory personally and attempt assassination, Lady Reina!"
The surrounding crowd murmured loudly.
Meanwhile—
Reina calmly pointed her sword toward him beneath the cold skies.
"I do what is necessary."
Another floating sword rotated beside her shoulder silently.
"You occupied Asheville territory first."
Another step forward.
"You marched military forces without formal declaration."
The aura around her intensified sharply.
"So I simply came…"
Her silver eyes became colder.
"…to take your head for your mistake."
The surrounding crowd became stunned silent afterward.
Because for the first time—
They truly understood something terrifying.
Reina Asheville was no longer merely a surviving young matriarch.
She had become a genuine ruler.
And standing nearby watching calmly—
Kel quietly observed everything beneath the cold eastern skies.
While deep inside him—
A faint sense of satisfaction quietly surfaced watching Reina carve her own authority into the world herself.