Chapter 74: Military Operations of Voxmire (Part I)

　　The Voxmire spies active in Suvillas scrambled to relay the unfolding events to Hedlim. However, the sheer indolence of the courtiers prevented this critical intelligence from reaching the Duke in a timely manner, and the hesitation of Lahmus further squandered precious hours.　　Even more infuriatingly, when the Duke's military orders finally reached the barracks, some officers were discovered at a nearby town’s theater, engrossed in a comedy. By military law, they should have been in a state of constant combat readiness; by strategic design, they were meant to lead the initial assault on a key Nord fortress.　　The Nord defenders sounded the alarm of war, but after a desperate stand, they realized they had been abandoned to their fate. The fortress fell without a single soul arriving to reinforce them.　　Following the signing of the peace treaty, many of Nord's valiant veterans had either demobilized or been transferred to the Forest Line, a region deemed high-risk due to frequent sightings of Voxmire scouts. Yet Lidril, acting as Chancellor, willfully concealed the truth from his Sovereign. Whether it was reports from secret agents or eme