Thanks to Adrian's tireless boasting and the tacit approval of the three vice-commanders, news of Reinhardt's promotion to a Two-star Military Rank spread throughout the entire fortress overnight.
Fearless in the face of death, he sent a Convicted Demon flying with a single punch.
In his first battle on the wall, he personally slayed fifteen Convicted Demons!
In a life-or-death struggle, he awakened a second Special Ability and promoted to a Two-star Military Rank!
With no reinforcements and no supplies, deeply shrouded in the shadow of war, Frostfire Fortress felt as if it had been utterly forgotten by the Empire and Lord Hearn in a corner of the Northern Lands.
The people here were in desperate need of some uplifting news.
Reinhardt's appearance was like a ray of light, piercing the darkest of nights to stand before their very eyes!
During the brief lulls in the fighting, the soldiers would gather to discuss Reinhardt's deeds. In the dull, oppressive fortress, that young man's indomitable spirit was perhaps the only thing that brought them a glimmer of light.
The underground fortifications.
A crowd of boys from his training camp cohort gathered around Reinhardt's sickbed.
It was all just too incredible, like the tales of legendary heroes their parents had told them in their youth.
Even though they had trained alongside Reinhardt in the camp for three years, they still wanted a closer look, to see if the guy had somehow sprouted three heads and six arms.
Carl and Pachy leveraged their shared experience of killing an Abyssal Hound with Reinhardt. Carl, in particular, was boasting so much you'd think he was about to take flight.
He spoke as if he had been a brick on the fortress wall, witnessing everything firsthand.
Most importantly, to these passionate young men who could die at any moment—and who might even be forced out of the training camp after the war—Reinhardt's very existence was a tremendous spiritual symbol!
He was no longer just empty words; he led by example, truly showing them that hard work and sweat would one day pay off! Just like all the sacrifices they had made in their pursuit of the Knight's path!
"You're the hero of the training camp, Reinhardt!"
"I can't believe it. A little while ago, this guy was dragging us out to the training grounds for extra practice, and now, in the blink of an eye, he's not only the captain of the Knight Order's second squad but also a Two-star Military Rank Knight."
"Sigh, if I worked half as hard as Reinhardt, I would have condensed my Power by now too."
The underground fortifications of Frostfire Fortress were extremely cramped. They had been built so the fortress garrison could take shelter from a potential rain of fire from the Abyss Legion.
The long, narrow corridors were lined with individual compartments on two levels, upper and lower. In peacetime, they could accommodate the daily activities of two hundred people; during war, they could hold up to two thousand.
In contrast to the lively atmosphere around Reinhardt, Big-nosed Robie and his two lackeys were completely crestfallen and dejected.
If Reinhardt had only condensed his Power, they might have stood a chance of catching up. But now, their old nemesis was already a Two-star Military Rank Knight, while the three of them could only cower in the underground fortifications.
Thinking back on all the pranks they had pulled on Reinhardt, they couldn't bear to imagine how he would mock them now.
Ober, who had always been slow-witted and quiet, said nothing. Lupu was clutching his head, muttering incessantly.
"It's over… It's all over. A Two-star Military Rank Knight is nearly on par with Lord Carlos."
He nudged the dazed, spaced-out Robbie Hiling. "Boss, isn't your father Lord Duval, the Sky Knight? Hurry up and think of something! Are we just going to let Reinhardt walk all over us like this?"
Unfortunately, the Robbie Hiling who had once led them in running amok through the training camp, constantly pulling pranks, was now utterly silent.
This made Lupu's expression turn even uglier. He looked like he was about to cry.
'Without Robbie Hiling to back them up, wouldn't they be completely screwed when Reinhardt decides to get his revenge?'
'And what in the world is wrong with Robie, anyway?'
'Ever since the day he snuck out of the bunkers by himself, he's been like this. Anyone who didn't know better would think a Bloodline Mage had sucked out a piece of his soul.'
Robie lifted his head and stared blankly toward Reinhardt's room, his hazy thoughts drifting back to his childhood…
In the end, it was Knight An Jie who came to deal with the crowd of youths in Reinhardt's room, hauling them out one by one.
When it was Carl's turn, he looked reluctant and complained, "Instructor, Pachy and I just came to see our friend. Do we have to leave too?"
Knight An Jie was at the Three-star Military Rank and was proficient in medicine, so she remained in the underground fortifications, both to protect the youths and to treat the wounded.
An Jie gave him no chance to argue, grabbing his arm and marching him out. Seeing this, Pachy flinched. He didn't dare get on Instructor An Jie's bad side and hastily left the room.
No sooner had the three of them left the room than the fortress bell tower began to ring with a deep, muffled toll.
It was the warning signal for an enemy attack.
Reinhardt shot up from his bed, but before he could even put on his shoes, Knight An Jie was already blocking the doorway. Her face was grim, and the hideous scar across it looked especially frightening.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Reinhardt's brows knitted together. Having truly clashed with the Abyss Legion, he knew how immense the pressure on the fortress defenders was as they fought against those powerful Abyssal Creatures.
Although he hadn't seen the casualty report, he conservatively estimated that they had lost at least five hundred men the previous night alone.
'Even if that bastard Sedon and his Direct Lineage Knights are fighting their hardest on the walls, how can I just stay here and rest peacefully?'
'Once the fortress falls, we'll have no defenses left. We'll be facing the unbelievably vast Abyss Legion head-on!'
'At that point, just being alive will be a luxury.'
But An Jie was resolute. She said in a low voice, "Erich gave specific orders for you to stay here and recover properly…"
She paused for a moment.
"If it really comes to that, he will send someone to notify me. You, and everyone else here—no one will be allowed to shirk their duty."
In a defensive battle like this, a rotation system was the best strategy.
But Frostfire Fortress had no reinforcements or supplies. The high command of the Seventh Group Army had only issued a single order: hold for seven days. There was no mention of any relief force.
Their strength would dwindle while the enemy's did not.
One day, the fortress's soldiers would be completely wiped out. The Knights of the Steel Knight Order would suffer casualties and losses until only the last man remained.
When that time came, every survivor would have only one choice: to fight to the death!
Reinhardt heard the gravity in Knight An Jie's voice. It was the sound of being utterly abandoned by the Empire. But he still didn't understand. Even if the Steel Knight Order had suffered a defeat, they were still soldiers loyal to the Empire—a formal military unit under the direct command of His Majesty the Emperor!
After becoming the captain of the second squad, Reinhardt had learned about the conflict between Sedon and Erich, as well as that bastard's ambition to become the order's commander.
But Reinhardt was no naive sixteen-year-old. He knew that conflicts of interest that appeared straightforward on the surface were never so simple.
He refused to believe that a mere Earth Knight like Sedon could wield so much influence!!
'Could the high command of the Seventh Group really give him the green light just for the sake of a mere commander's position? Allow him to brazenly shirk his duties, defy the supreme authority of the Emperor, and make it clear he wanted the veterans of the Steel Knight Order to be completely wiped out here in Frostfire Fortress?!'
Reinhardt fell silent.
He gazed into Knight An Jie's eyes, at the instructor he respected more than anyone.
"Lord An Jie, what exactly happened in the autumn of 1438?"