The father and elder brother listened quietly, not daring to interrupt the young Wizard’s train of thought.
After the banquet, Ron went to the top floor of the castle, his favorite place to stay when he wasn’t heading to the Black Mist Jungle.
The starry sky above was as magnificent as the sea, the Milky Way stretched across the sky like an eternal road.
Ron stood at the highest point of the castle, gazing at the gradually familiar starry sky, his mind filled with countless thoughts.
Now, he could already sense the connections between the stars and could draw power from distant celestial bodies through "Star Projection."
The road ahead was still long, but each step would bring him closer to that supreme existence.
.........
The wind at the Northern Lands frontier was always particularly biting.
Especially in this season, cold air currents swept over from the distant Polar Plain, mixed with tiny ice crystals, sharp enough to cut an ordinary person’s skin.
Ron stood on a cliff observatory, overlooking the winding valley below.
This was the final defense line of the Northern Kingdom Territory, and a natural barrier used by the rebellious Counts to block Andre’s army.
In the morning light, everything in the valley was clearly visible—rows of tents, soldier formations of half-beastmen, and most strikingly, the Polar Half-Beastman Cavalry Regiment.
Those creatures, on average two meters tall, rode enormous snow wolves and wielded weapons forged from Cold Iron, each exuded a heart-pounding ferocity.
"It seems the intel was correct, they’ve indeed introduced the Polar Half-Beastman Cavalry."
Andre stood beside Ron, with a wary gleam in his golden vertical pupils:
"These guys are one of the most terrifying forces in the Northern Lands, ordinary soldiers almost stand no chance against them."
Ron’s expression remained calm, seemingly indifferent to those below who could terrify ordinary people.
His gaze pierced through the valley, landing on the large black tent in the distance, which should be the command center of the rebel army.
"How many people?" Ron asked in a calm tone as if inquiring about the weather.
"According to the scouts’ report, about three hundred Polar Half-Beastman Cavalry and over two thousand mixed troops."
Andre replied, then added:
"If they were ordinary rebels, I’m confident we could suppress them with our forces, but those half-beastman cavalry..."
Though he trailed off, a trace of concern had already surfaced on his face.
Those Polar Half-Beastmen were renowned for their frenzy, each rivaling a seasoned Knight’s Squire.
Not to mention their mounts—the tamed giant snow wolves, equally terrifying war machines.
"No need to worry." Ron said softly, a slight smile on his lips:
"Today, I will let these savages have a taste of real music."
With that, he pulled out a violin from his Spatial Bag.
The one Trish had given him had now become a mere collector’s item, as ordinary instruments couldn’t bear his current magic power.
The violin in his hand now was one of his recent alchemy creations.
It was entirely made of a translucent blue crystal, while the strings were carefully crafted from the gut of some peculiar creature, emitting a faint silver glow.
Astonishment flashed in Andre’s eyes; he had never seen Ron use an instrument in battle.
But he was smart enough to understand that what was about to happen was far from an ordinary performance.
"Send out the order to your troops, tell them to cover their ears and retreat to the upwind position." Ron instructed seriously:
"The ensuing performance is only for the enemy to hear."
Andre immediately dispatched the messenger to convey the order.
Soon, once the Kingdom Army soldiers reached a safe distance, they used specially crafted wax balls to plug their ears and prepared to charge at any given moment.
Ron walked slowly to the most protruding position on the cliff, from where he could overlook the entire valley.
The valley was like a natural speaker box, any sound could be amplified and echoed several times.
He gently placed the violin on his shoulder, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, as if sensing the subtle energy flow in the wind.
Unconsciously, Andre took two steps back, an indescribable fear welling up inside him.
Even he could feel the subtle change happening in the air around Ron, spreading like ripples on the water’s surface.
"You’d better cover your ears too."
Ron reminded, a tone of concern in his voice:
"Although I’ll try to control the target, sometimes the power of music achieves more unexpected effects."
Andre swiftly complied, inserting the wax balls into his ears, then retreated to the upwind area, anticipating the looming horrifying spectacle.
Ron slowly raised the bow, pausing for a moment, as if waiting for a suitable opportunity.
At the instant a gust of wind whizzed past, he suddenly began to play.
The first note fell like a droplet of water hitting a calm lake surface.
It seemed ordinary yet invisibly stirred ripples of energy.
The melody began very softly, like a lover’s gentle whisper, with an irresistible charm.
The human soldiers in the valley stopped their activities, puzzledly looking up for the source of the sound.
The Polar Half-Beastmen perked up their ears vigilantly, inherently sensitive to magic power fluctuations, they had already sensed something unusual.
Though Andre stood not far away and had his ears plugged, he could still feel the faint vibrations that traveled through the air.
He saw Ron’s body continuously emanating a dim glow, each note forming tiny energy ripples in the surrounding air, spreading outward.