Path To Godhood Begins With Marrying Wife And Gaining SSS Rank Skill Chapter 427: New Provinces

The matter of war was one thing.

What troubled Ethan the most, however, was Frontier.

Frontier had officially surrendered to Arcadia, fulfilling Arcadia's long-standing ambition to absorb neighboring kingdoms and expand its territorial influence. With this acquisition, Arcadia had successfully reduced the land gap between itself and the other great Empires.

Under normal circumstances, such expansion should have shaken the balance of the continent and provoked imdiate reactions from rival powers.

Yet none of them moved.

That silence itself made many uneasy.

The reason was simple. Frontier was no longer a prize but a burden. Nearly half of its land had been destroyed during the conflict. Cities lay in ruins, supply routes were shattered, and governance had collapsed completely. Whoever accepted control would first need to rebuild chaos into order.

And more importantly, that ruler would beco the first shield against the next demon invasion.

Inside the Imperial Palace of Arcadia, within a massive circular chamber lit by floating mana lamps, a large stone table displayed the entire continent in glowing detail.

At its head sat the Emperor.

His sharp hawk-like eyes moved slowly across Frontier's scarred territory. Broken cities blinked red across the map while military formations shimred faintly along borders.

Around him stood ministers and generals offering suggestions.

"Your Majesty, Duke Harren possesses sufficient military strength."

"Marquis Valen has administrative experience."

"Lord Craven governed unstable regions before."

Nas continued one after another.

The Emperor listened quietly, his fingers tapping against the throne.

After a long pause, he suddenly asked,

"During the battle at Frontier… what was the realm of Count Ethan?"

The question froze the chamber.

Officials exchanged uncertain looks before one minister stepped forward.

"He… he appeared to have reached the Legendary Realm, Your Majesty."

A brief flicker of disbelief crossed the Emperor's face before disappearing.

He leaned back calmly and waved his hand.

"Pass my decree."

Scribes imdiately lowered their heads.

"Appoint Count Ethan as Lord of one Northern Frontier region," the Emperor said evenly. "If he manages to stabilize governance peacefully…"

He paused.

"We will grant him a hearty promotion."

Murmurs spread instantly. Several nobles frowned while generals exchanged displeased looks. Granting such authority to a rising noble unsettled many.

But one glance from the Emperor silenced everyone.

The decree was issued.

...

Far away in Blank Estate, celebration lights still decorated the streets after the recent wedding festivities. Colorful lanterns still hung across balconies, music echoed faintly from distant squares, and people continued enjoying the generosity Ethan had shown after the marriage ceremony. Laughter and cheer filled the outer city, yet inside one of the private lounges of the main estate, the atmosphere was completely different.

Tension gathered in the room like a storm waiting to break.

Sophia paced back and forth across the soft carpet, her steps heavy and impatient. Her brows were tightly furrowed, and irritation was written clearly across her face. She crossed her arms, uncrossed them again, and finally threw her hands into the air.

"This is ridiculous!" she burst out. "Absolutely ridiculous!"

She turned sharply toward the others sitting in the lounge.

"Truly everyone sitting there is a rotten bunch."

Her voice rose as frustration spilled out freely.

"They sit comfortably on their thrones and push all the dirty work onto others. When danger cos, suddenly they rember Ethan exists."

Diana quickly stood up and walked toward her, raising both hands in a calming gesture.

"Sister, calm down… calm down," Diana said gently while trying to slow her pacing. "Getting angry like this will not change the decree."

Sophia stopped abruptly and stared at her.

"Not change?" she said sharply. "They are practically throwing him into a battlefield again."

Lia, who had been quietly seated on the couch, placed her teacup down with care before speaking.

"To be fair," Lia said calmly, "they are also acknowledging his influence and strength. From their perspective, this is political trust."

Sophia turned toward her instantly.

"Political trust my foot!" she snapped. "This is exploitation."

Near the window, Claira folded her arms and spoke in a steady tone.

"They issued it publicly because they know Ethan cannot refuse openly."

Sophia groaned loudly and dropped into a chair, rubbing her temples in frustration.

"Exactly. They cornered him."

Diana sat beside her and gently patted her shoulder.

"You know him," Diana said softly. "Even without the decree, he would not ignore Frontier completely."

Sophia looked away stubbornly.

"I am not worried," she muttered. "I am angry."

Claira let out a faint chuckle.

"That is the sa thing when it cos to you."

Sophia shot her a glare but did not argue further. The tension eased slightly as quiet laughter spread through the room.

At that mont, the lounge door opened.

Ethan walked inside holding the imperial decree in his hand. Rina and Julia followed closely behind him. His expression looked tired, and the faint crease on his forehead showed how much the matter weighed on him.

Sophia imdiately stood up.

"Well?" she demanded.

Without answering imdiately, Ethan walked toward the table and tossed the scroll onto it. The parchnt slid across the surface before stopping near the center.

"Damn," he muttered.

He rubbed his forehead slowly.

"He gives a piece to chew, but instead of cream it is filled with hard bones."

Rina stepped forward and picked up the decree again, reading it carefully while crossing her arms.

"So they want you to rebuild the Northern Frontier while standing at the frontline against demons," she said calmly.

Julia nodded slightly.

"It is both a reward and a trap."

Sophia pointed toward the scroll with clear annoyance.

"See! I told you!"

Ethan gave a tired smile but remained silent for a mont. He pulled a chair and sat down while thinking carefully.

After a brief pause, Rina asked softly,

"What should we do?"

The room fell quiet.

Ethan's eyes lowered as his mind rapidly calculated possibilities.

"The problem," he said slowly, "is that I cannot leave Blank now. Not during this stage."

He looked toward Julia.

"Father-in-law Baron Phillips and Baron Fenwick can help maintain internal stability here."

Julia stepped forward without hesitation.

"Don't worry, Ethan," she said firmly. "Leave the Frontier to first. I will manage things."

Ethan nodded gratefully.

"Thanks. However, before deploynt, we need to create a portal."

Rina's eyes widened slightly.

"Portal? That will cost enormous resources. And we need Mage Tower cooperation."

A faint mysterious smile appeared on Ethan's face.

"Don't worry," he said calmly. "I have already sorted it out."

Everyone fell silent as realization slowly spread across their faces.

Within the following days, preparations began imdiately. Supplies were gathered, elite troops assembled, and long-distance magical formations were activated across hidden locations.

Julia stood at the head of the expedition force, accompanied by several of Ethan's children who would move ahead to stabilize Frontier before his arrival.

Servants, knights, and commanders moved with urgency, yet discipline remained intact.

As the Frontier expedition officially began, everyone understood one unavoidable truth.

Whether he wished it or not, Ethan had stepped onto the continental stage, and this ti the entire world would be watching him.