《The Rise Of The Black Kingdom (Kingdom Building)》


 Glossary

    Magic


    Magic is something that all of the sentient races can awaken. In general, there are two methods of awakening: one costs money and resources and is generally better, while the other takes time. Nobles awakened with the first method, and commoners who enlisted in the army awakened with the second method. Magic grows cumulatively over time as long as you know the correct methods. As a result, Awakening at 6, like most Nobles, gives you an advantage over people who awaken at 15/20, like most commoners, which allows the Nobles to maintain their Authority and serve as Knights. But, of course, knights don''t always defeat commoners.


    Magic is used in two main ways. One body enhancement and weapon augmentation, two Spell casting.


    Governments


    This book features a variety of Kingdoms, most of which are in a similar period, early Greek or Roman governments. Most of these are similar to constitutional monarchies, with various monarchs having various degrees of power and influence over their nations. For this reason, the internal management is very convoluted and relies heavily on Nobles. Who aren''t feudal nobles but instead educated and awakened, Serving as knights and administrators in various countries. Nobles aren''t titled, but they get to their position by having money to awaken and educate their children. Most of these nations are oligarchies or oligarchal kingdoms, although feudalism remains a key holdout.


    <h2>Affiliated kingdoms </h2>


    Affiliated kingdoms are in a Vassal subordinate relationship to their Overlord. What precisely this relationship entails depends on the respective alliance (all of the overlord''s Affiliated kingdoms collectively) And even, to some degree, on the respective Affiliated Kingdom. But it primarily involves providing soldiers when called upon and paying tribute to the Overlord. On the map provided, most of the alliances are color-coded. But to prevent any confusion, I will list the overlords and their respective allies here. If a nation is not included, then that means they are not a member of an alliance, although notably, they may have allies. An example is the kingdom of black alliance with the Uncan Union.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Kingdom of Antlatur Overlord


    Kingdom of Cabela


    Kingdom of Monica


    Kingdom of Unica


    Kingdom of Emmon


    Kingdom of Hayton


    Kingdom of Esterberg


    Kingdom of Jax Overlord


    Kingdom of Seltica


    Kingdom of Trax


    Kingdom of Thar


    Kingdom of Coax


    Kingdom of Carimesia


    Kingdom of Mudria


    Kingdom of Tarreo


    Kingdom of Utrex


    Kingdom of Sacia Overlord


    Kingdom of Orsos


    Kingdom of Medma


    Kingdom of Feltass


    Kingdom of Paxeus


    Kingdom of Triton Overlord


    Kingdom of Manoa


    Kingdom of Hulon


    Kingdom of Feton


    Note: The Kingdom of Triton has additional Affiliated kingdoms that are not included on the map.


    Kingdom of Cestia Overlord


    Kingdom of Mtestia


    Kingdom of Ertuel


    Kingdom of Certuel


    As the story unfolds, more detailed explanations for the respective alliances, the magic system governments, and so on will be provided. This map is subject to change as the story progresses. It is also only a part of the world and only a part of the western continent. I will add updated Maps where needed

 Chapter 1: Death and Rebirth

    Part One Powerless Princeling


    <h2 style="text-align: center">The month of Sia Day 1, Year 1 of the first Imperial calendar</h2>


    The Hero angrily pointed at Elector and accused, ¡°You have brought suffering and death. Your men raped, enslaved, and slaughtered. You are nothing but a blight and a demon; your men are Bandits and thugs. Today, Justice has come for you. Sia will punish you in the afterlife.¡±


    Elector responded mockingly, ¡°My people have been enslaved, raped, and slaughtered in the past. Did you not do the same to the town of Ariel and Lucra.¡±


    The accusation stumped the Hero: ¡°That was unsanctioned, and I stopped it quickly.¡± He said hastily, ¡°Besides, that only happened because those towns cooperated with your acts of evil.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I''m sure those babies were guilty of many sins, being only newborns.¡± Elector responded, ¡°I only did all those things to protect my people from the same fate I have no responsibility to your people only to mine I¡¯m the patriarch of dire and not the patriarch of the whole world but soon I will be. Hero of light for today, I, the Demon King, have come to take your life!¡±


    Chapter One: Death and Rebirth


    <h2 style="text-align: center">The month of Noel Day 15 Year 675 of the second holy calendar</h2>


    Oliver impatiently checked the watch on his phone yet again for quickly the fifth time in the past 5 minutes, but there was a reason he was so impatient. It was currently 8:29 pm. he was technically scheduled to be off 30 minutes ago from his job. Still, unfortunately, the management asked him to stay an extra 30 minutes, which, according to company policy, he was required to accept. He''d already been there 8 hours, eight and a half counting an unpaid break, and he only wanted to go home.


    The moment he checked his watch again, it finally hit 8:30, so he quickly walked to the time clock. He was technically supposed to report to the management before leaving, but they would ask him to stay even longer. If anyone asked why he didn''t report to the management, he would say they just didn''t hear because they were on their phones. It wouldn''t have been the first time.


    After clocking out, he quickly shoved his earbuds in and heard the robotic female voice telling him he was connected to his phone. He did this so that no one would talk to him and the management would know that he''d already clocked out without him having to say anything. He opened his bank account information and decided he didn''t have the money to go anywhere, so he headed straight home. ¡°Seriously, College costs too much money, even with scholarships.¡± Sighing, he thought to himself, capitalism at its finest.


    Coming up to a street Crossing, he was forced to stop by the Light. His town was no major city, so he wondered why these things even existed. A group of girls was on the left side, and on the right side was the street corner. The group of girls was the classic example of living the Teenage life he was not. A socially awkward person like Oliver naturally moved to the furthest end of the street corner. Their conversation was loud and obnoxious, and he barely understood it as being a part of the same language, so just as he was about to take out his phone and put on music for real. That was when he heard a Loud noise and screech, And the last thing Oliver saw was a pair of headlights beaming toward him.


    ¡°Ow, the pain, dam, it hurts, or does it? What the heck is going on.¡± Oliver tried to Blink but failed to next; he tried to understand what was going on but also failed to. Oliver''s eyes didn''t work correctly, and all around him was gray. Oliver knew he''d been hit by a car or truck or something, but he didn''t feel any pain; he couldn''t see either nor mainly move his body. He tried to call out words, but all that came out was a strange scream. But after crying, he felt something warm wipe his face before something soft was pressed against his mouth. A strange Instinct took over, and he sucked on it. Something sweet entered his mouth, and before long, he was greedily drinking it, not realizing how hungry he was until he started drinking. Within a short time, or what felt like a short time anyway, he was full and drifted off to sleep quickly afterward.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    The process of waking, sleeping, and eating continued for quite some time until Oliver understood what had happened to him. He had been reborn as a baby, just like all of those novels he used to read on the internet. This did not especially alarm him for some peculiar reason, although he was surprised by it. It was possibly due to the simple fact that, now that he was dead, being reborn was better than what else could have happened. Oliver had been an agnostic and had no views on the afterlife, so this was better than it could have been. At the same time, it just felt natural Oliver decided to switch off his brain, as having the mind of a college student in the body of a baby wasn''t strictly logical,


    However, another problem came with his Newfound self-awareness of the situation: his feeding times. He was currently being breastfed, although his vision was still impaired; he presumed that multiple women were breastfeeding him. However, he didn''t know why it was Impossible that his mother had died in childbirth or was unable to breastfeed him for whatever reason. This itself wasn''t the problem; the problem was the fact that he was being breastfed. The shame and embarrassment that came with this was immense, made worse by the fact that even after becoming self-aware, he continued to drink whenever they put their nipples against his mouth instinctively.


    After finally gaining control over his instincts, Oliver went on a self-imposed hunger strike to prevent being breastfed and the embarrassment that came with it. Oliver could hear his friends from his previous life laughing at him for being a coward or a prude. They laughed at him the same way when he turned down a job at a strip club run by his friend to work at a grocery store instead. But sucking on the breasts of women, even if it was purely for the act of feeding and he was currently in the body of a child with no sexual desire, was still a bridge that the virgin, the prude, and the coward couldn''t take. So, his hunger strike began.


    Initially, this caused panic among his presumed caretakers, whom he could finally see, although he still didn''t understand the words they said. This is probably a natural outcome of a child who went on a hunger strike for seemingly no reason. Eventually, they devised a solution of soaking cotton strips in milk and feeding that to him, which he wanted them to do from the beginning but couldn''t adequately convey to them. The fact that they didn''t just start feeding him formula told him he''d reincarnated into a world with more primitive technology. However, he had begun to expect as much based on how people dressed and what little of the world he could see.


    Also, on the subject of his pride and strange acts as a baby, having his diaper changed was a particularly humiliating experience whenever it happened. Also, thanks to having the mind of an adult, he never cried nor mainly made baby-like noises; this sometimes made it hard to convey messages to people, as he quickly found out. Babies generally cried when their diapers were changed or when they needed to drink milk; his inability to cry or, more accurately, his unwillingness resulted in a lack of communication skills from his early years. Eventually, he did make up a system of making a loud noise that wasn''t crying to convey his need for something.


    After solving the basic needs of life, Oliver quickly grew bored with his new existence. Being a baby, although being able to sleep and eat as much as he wanted, also meant he could do nothing else. Hardly being able to see or even move is not exactly ideal circumstances. In addition, Oliver was born in the 21st century, when entertainment and a variety of food were available. But lacking all that entertainment or even the ability to move resulted in boredom. These days, he was passed in a gray Haze of unconsciousness and consciousness, unaware of the time.


    However, there was a break from this Haze that he presumed came daily with the visit of two individuals. It was a brown-haired young woman in her twenties. In the other was a fellow child with black hair and strange golden eyes. Such eyes were theoretically impossible, but this girl had them for some reason. The two were in the middle of such a visit, and the black-haired girl was being lifted to see into his cradle. We were engaged in the only activity we were generally involved in: staring at each other. She found it fascinating to stare at Oliver and me and stare into her golden eyes for no reason. They, indeed, weren''t Hazel or Amber; they were just gold.


    She reached into the cradle and poked his hand, which caused his hand to grip her finger reflexively. It was an unfortunate side effect of being a baby. The adults were probably disturbed by his general emotionlessness and, as a result, had an extreme fondness for poking me. As for the girl, she started babbling excitedly in a language Oliver didn''t understand. ¡°I''m sorry, mysterious Lady of the Golden Eyes, but this is just baby reflexes and not my actual desire.¡±


    The brown-headed woman stroked the head of the girl with a gentle look in her eye. She was probably this girl''s relative. Judging by the way she looked at me, she was probably his, too. She looked a bit too young to be our mother. When she stopped stroking the girl''s head, she walked around to the other side of the cradle and poked her finger into his other hand. He reflexively grabbed her finger, and she gave him another one of her Gentle Smiles.


    Sighing inwardly, he allowed their excited murmuring in a foreign language to wash over him. Oliver decided to turn back to the black-haired girl and resume staring into the mysterious golden eyes. They indeed were a beautiful pair of eyes and so strange. He wondered if its theme had a magical charm effect, although he was probably bored. Author''s no. This chapter is introductory, but the buttons will be longer and more detailed from now on.

 Chapter 2: Prince of the storm

    Chapter 2 Prince of the Storm


    <h2 style="text-align: center">The month of Noel Day 30 Year 675 of the second holy calendar</h2>


    The first division of the black Army under Valerius''s command was entering a new headquarters, the Fortress of Francis. The Fortress had been constructed by the first king of black, Francis the Liberator to his people, but Francis the Terrible to his enemies. The Fortress was constructed to house no less than 30,000 soldiers. Built on top of a hill with a river to its east as a natural barrier and a marsh to its west, the Fortress was difficult to assail and challenging to besiege. It was also the perfect place to launch invasions of the Kingdom of Black¡¯s Eastern neighbor, the Kingdom of Redtowers; however, in recent times, the Fortress had been used primarily for defensive and not offensive purposes. In addition, the Marsh had been partly drained to be used for farmland. That being said, it was still a formidable Fortress.


    The clinking sound of metal and messengers frantically running around, Delivering orders to low-ranking officers, filled Valerius''s field of view. The Fortress could easily house the first division, numbering 16,000 soldiers, and the Redtowers border regiment, numbering 7,000 total soldiers. However, they weren''t permanently stationed at the Fortress and were generally considered irregular units. Upon passing through the gates, accompanied by his guards, he saw men hastily entering their barracks or warming themselves with the bonfires strategically placed around them. They just completed a four-day March through mountains and snow in the dead of winter.


    This sight reminded Valerius of the raging torrent of dark emotions whirling through him for a month without an outlet. If it weren''t for news of the birth of his Son, then he likely would have exploded by now.


    But before he could even try to calm down, a man ran up to him. After giving him a salute, he asked, ¡°Major General Valerius?¡±


    He returned the salute. ¡°What business do you have with me, major.¡± Trying to keep the slight annoyance out of his tone.


    ¡°Major General Paul requested a war council to be held with you and your officers at your earliest convenience. But he said if you were tired and wanted to rest, he could delay it until another time.¡± Valerius almost felt like giving out an annoyed grunt at that, although they held the same military rank. Paul was 30 years his senior and was something of a father figure to Valerius. Understanding Paul''s personality, he knew that was a genuine offer, but it was a genuine offer he couldn''t accept.


    ¡°Tell him I''ll be there as soon as I assemble my high officers. Also, I need someone to show us the way.¡± Valerius waved to his adjutant, and he immediately understood. He rode off to get the other generals of the first division.


    Once Valerius had dismounted and joined with his officers, they made their way to the central keep of Fort Frances. A keep within a keep was located on the north side of the Fortress at an even higher elevation than the rest of the fortifications. With the marsh and the river in the central keep, the Fortress was essentially unassailable, which was likely the goal in building the central keep where it was constructed. It was also where the officer stayed and where the War Room had been constructed.


    Upon entering the War Room, Valerius was greeted by the sight of a familiar older man hastily standing up. Major General Paul Asicot, the 55-year-old man''s hair had already turned utterly white like many people from the kingdom of black. He was clean-shaven, revealing his wrinkled and scarred face. He stood slightly over six feet tall and was still very muscular and lean. He had a very successful career as a general coming from a lesser-known Noble family. His current position was entirely due to his ability and not thanks to connections or family status, and he was the General of the Red Towers border regiment.


    ¡°Greetings, General Valerius.¡± The old man said warmly. Behind him was his staff officer of 30 years, Colonel Frederick Leavenworth, who remained as expressionless as always¡ªin Stark contrast to Paul, who was currently smiling with his whole face at their reunion.


    ¡°It''s nice to see you again, General Paul.¡± Valerius approached the older man for a handshake.


    "Congratulations on your recent Victory and promotion, although I''m almost a year late." Paul laughed, rubbing his balding head.


    Valerius''s officers followed behind him, and after greeting each other, they sat down. If one asked someone who was the primary decision maker in the first division, only six names would pop up in their head. First was Major General Valerius Achtaurus Valentinian, a black General in the first division. The second would be his right-hand man and cousin, Brigadier General Charles Cornelia of the first brigade of the first division. Charles had accomplished much while fighting under Valerius, having descended from a prestigious military house. Connections to the Royal Family resulted in a longstanding relationship with Valerius, as the two were more like brothers than cousins. Having many accomplishments of his own, it was no wonder he''d reached such a height at the tender age of 26 and was generally considered a handsome man with red eyes and golden hair cut short in the general style of the kingdom.


    The Third was Brigadier General Drake Arc. He was only considered pseudo-nobility, and as a result, he was disliked by many of the more traditional families in the capital, made worse by his confrontational personality. However, after losing a duel to Valerius, he agreed to work for him and was appointed command of the second Brigade of the first division. He was in his mid-thirties, with black hair and a scarred face.


    The Fourth was Rycar Lee, the only one not appointed by Valerius to the Third Brigade of the first division. He was quickly the most enormous and intimidating of all those assembled here, even more than General Paul. With a bald, scarred head, Thick arm muscles, and a vast body, the average Soldier would turn and run away when they saw him. However, utterly contrary to his appearance, Rycar was a General who preferred to fight in the back. Rather than being known for his offensive, he was known for his defensive strategy and ability to smooth over conflicts within his own Brigade and the whole Army.


    Fifth was Samuel Magyar, Brigadier General of the Calvary Regiment. He was also the oldest man in the room, even older than Paul. Despite his age, he was known for his ferocity and tendency to be on the front line. But he was also cunning, cautious, and flexible, which Valerius thought was needed in a good Cavalry captain. Valerius had relied heavily on him in the past. Due to his old age, his hair had gone entirely White, but he''d grown it out and even had a full facial beard.


    Finally, the Sixth was the youngest man in the room. James Tallwood, only being a colonel, was the chief of staff of the first division. Since most of the people in the first division were only interested in fighting, he was relied upon for most of the day-to-day operations of the army. Something which resulted in him having severe eye bags and looking several years older than he was. These men made up the significant officers and advisors to Valerius. They were all men he could proudly call his comrades and people he relied upon heavily in his current position.


    ¡°Now that we are all assembled, how about we start the meeting?¡± said Frederick. Now, don''t take this as ingratitude. But why exactly are you and the first division here? We received word from the capital, but they weren''t clear as to why there was a sudden major shift in our military Arrangements.¡±


    Good Old Frederick gets, ting right to the point; Valerius smiled. ¡°I have my suspicions, but how about you tell me about your current position, and I''ll tell you mine.¡±


    Paul and Frederick glanced at each other before Paul started, ¡°Actually, things here are a bit strange.¡± Paul stood up, pointing at a map hanging up on the wall. ¡°Normally, Red Towers would be raiding our territory, specifically the fertile Fields built West of Fort Frances. As I''m sure most of you know, that is some of our most fertile territories, and one of our primary objectives here is to stop those Villages from being burnt down. However, as early as the fall of last year, Red Towers almost ceased its raiding entirely.¡± Paul stopped for a moment to let that sink in before continuing. ¡°Previously this has happened before and is always a prelude to a larger invasion.¡±


    ¡°Then you should be grateful for the reinforcements, no,¡± Drake asked bluntly. Frederick directly glared at him while Paul coughed uncomfortably.


    ¡°As I''m sure you''re aware, the king of Redtowers is currently married to the sister of Antlaturs King, and they are allies. Although, as far as we know, the two have never acted in unison, we cannot let down our guard from a potential joint invasion. Especially given the recent defeats that the golden stallion suffered.¡±


    All eyes turned to Valerius, who nodded in agreement with that assumption: ¡°The golden stallion is proud, but he isn''t stupid enough to try a renewed invasion without utilizing all his options.¡±


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Charles scratched his chin. ¡°Then why hasn''t he pursued this option before.¡±


    Valerius knew Charles wasn''t trying to contradict him but was genuinely curious. However, it was Paul who answered: ¡°Redtowers and Antlatur have had past conflicts even after the king of Redtowers married the golden stallion sister. Redtowers continued raiding their territory. Either way, leaving our Southern defense vulnerable was not a smart decision. Which is why I would like clarification if you don''t mind.¡±


    Valerius smiled. ¡°Clarification, General, not an explanation?¡± Paul folded his arms. ¡°Clarification.¡±


    After Sighing, Valerius started, ¡°I''m sure you know the 3rd division has recently been formed. My brother, the first prince, has been put in charge of the division at the insistence of the council and with the opposition of most of the generals remaining in the capital, including the minister of military affairs. My transfer here coincided with the 3rd division taking over the Southern border defenses.¡±


    Paul snorted. ¡°A green General is leading a green division to fight our most formidable foe while the most formidable General and most experienced soldiers remain here. Is the council full of idiots?¡±


    Valerius smiled bitterly at that. ¡°Idiots, no, they''re scared I might overtake my brother in popularity. They''re scared that I might return to the capital, this time as Crown Prince. To that end, the situation is partially my fault, given the fact that I failed to die or humiliate myself as intended. As a result, they intend to prop up my brother as best they can. As for Antlatur, they likely believe that they''re pushovers after losing in the last war to me.¡±


    Paul Grimaced. ¡°You seem rather blas¨¦ about it.¡± He said accusingly


    Valerius dropped his fake smile and let his anger slip out. ¡°When I first heard the news, I was tempted to march on the capital,¡± he said flatly. ¡°If it weren''t for my mother still sitting on the throne, I probably would have.¡± There was a moment of silence in the room as they all felt Valerius''s anger.


    ¡°Well, then there''s nothing we can do about it, so how about we move on to what we should do or, rather, what we can do,¡± Rycar commented, and Valerius calmed down.


    ¡°Yes, we should do that. After all, I lift my sword for the kingdom of black regardless of who sits on the throne.¡± Valerius truly felt relieved at that comment, as it meant that Paul would not sabotage his efforts or join his opposition. Although it''s a bit sad that he wouldn''t support Valerius, without his support for the opposition, it would be almost impossible for them to rally the actual military to his brother''s cause.


    Frederick coughed deliberately. ¡°Now, why Don''t we get down to business and come up with a countermeasure if Antlatur and Redtowers were actually to invade simultaneously.¡±


    Valerius, who had already thought about this, answered immediately: ¡°Even if it''s an Incompetent Commander with inexperienced soldiers, the black Valley is a highly fortified and defensible region. All they''ll need to do is hold out for reinforcements. With the first division stationed here, the second can immediately go to the aid of the Third without worrying about attacks from the rear. All the third will need to do is hold on until reinforcements arrive, which wouldn''t be too hard because they have multiple highly defensible fortresses at their disposal.¡±


    Paul granted before responding, ¡°Have you forgotten my lessons already? The most important aspect of war is the human one. With inexperienced soldiers and commanders, there''s no telling what will happen. They might just surrender, run away, or forget to stock the fortresses with food. Many things can happen with people who don''t know the basics.¡±


    ¡°I agree with you, but there is not much we can do except defeat Redtowers quickly so that our forces can reinforce them as quickly as possible. To that end, I believe the best course of action we can take right now is preparing a plan and our forces to defeat Redtowers if and when they invade.¡± Valerius smiled confidently. ¡°I know a few things about defeating enemy armies quickly and decisively. But General Paul and Colonel Frederick, the two of you, are far more experienced, particularly when fighting Red Towers, as I''ve never fought them before. How about you tell me about their troop strengths and weaknesses and the number of soldiers you expect they will bring to the battlefield.¡±


    Paul smiled nostalgically before his face contorted into that of a demon''s mask. ¡°It seems the little princeling has gotten full of himself after just a few victories. Have you forgotten the fact that you just made a four-day-long march here? You''re exhausted. Do you think you''re in a fit state to strategize and plan?¡± Paul laughed a bit after saying that, and Valerius could only sit down sheepishly.


    ¡°Plans never survive contact with the Enemy, as the Demon King said,¡± Paul said while taking out a cigar. ¡°There''s no point in planning for an invasion we don''t even know will happen. Besides, we can''t control Redtowers, Antlatur, nor the first and second divisions.¡± After lighting his cigar, Paul took a satisfied puff and blew out the smoke.


    Thanks to the isolation of the kingdom of blacks and the fact they couldn''t grow tobacco locally, they had to smuggle it in. They were making it a premium product that cost much more than the average citizen could pay. Even a noble would have to think twice before casually smoking. That being said, plenty of people were still willing to pay the premium to get a hand on their smoke. Valerius felt angry when he remembered the time he broke into an Antlaturer Camp. When he arrived at the command center, he found many of their officers casually smoking premium cigars, and their ashtrays were full. Valerius, who likes to smoke quite a bit but could rarely get his hands on premium cigars in the first place, felt extremely angry. He had enjoyed their cigarettes for a while, but they''d still quickly run out.


    Sighing, he reached for his pocket only to find it empty and remembered that he had smoked all the cigarettes on the journey here. But before he could even sigh, Charles was already offering him his pack of cigarettes, thankfully taking one from the box and ignoring Charles''s eye roll. He stuck the cigarette in his mouth and brought the gold-plated lighter he stole from the Antlaturer camp. He opened it before running a small amount of magic through the specially designed channels for MagiMagicd, and a small flame spurted out of the end. LightMagiche took a satisfied puff-puff end of a cigarette before nodding to Charles, who also stuck one in his mouth and helped him light his cigarette.


    ¡°We''ve prepared rooms for all of you and meals, as well as for your soldiers, so you won''t need to worry about that.¡± Paul said, ¡°But before you go, there is one thing: a messenger arrived for you, General Valerius.¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t you start with that?¡± Valerius asked with dissatisfaction if there was a messenger from the capital or really from anywhere. It should have taken priority. However, his dissatisfaction was blown away when Paul commented.


    ¡°It was about a personal matter. As a side note, congratulations on the birth of your son.¡±


    ¡°Where''s the messenger now,¡± Valerius asked urgently


    Paul smirked at him ¡°It''s not bad news I assure you. As for the messenger, I''ll have Frederick bring you to him immediately.¡± Frederick impassively nodded behind Paul.


    Valerius hastily stood and moved towards the door, only for Charles to stand up. ¡°Charles, you don''t need to follow me.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine, after all; it''s about my second cousin,¡± Charles said with a faint smile. There were no more words needed to be said, and the two men headed off to find the messenger.


    Frederick led them directly to one of the rooms for officers within the keep before Valerius Could even ask why a messenger was being given such a nice room. Frederick opened the door and revealed a man sitting at a table, calmly drinking from a teacup. Valerius knew, just from the smell, that tea would never be kept in a black Fortress. For the same reason, cigarettes were so rare that they were not tea but probably hot water. But the man was familiar with blonde hair, red eyes, and a handsome smile.


    Charles responded, ¡°Jorah, what are you doing here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Lord Brother, you''re stiff as ever.¡± Jorah Cornelia said with a Casual smile and wave.


    ¡°Didn''t I explicitly tell you not to come to the battlefield?¡± Charles asked while glaring at Jorah, who proceeded to shrug. ¡°I''m not at the battlefield; besides, I''m just here to deliver a message to our cousin. Also, I''m still a knight even if I''m a young one.¡± Jorah dropped his friendly demeanor.


    Charles said, exasperated, ¡°And like I keep telling you, knights are made, not born.¡±


    Jorah turned his attention away from his brother and focused on Valerius. ¡°I don''t know why you bothered to keep this stiff by your side, cousin. Does it not get tiring?¡±


    Valerius Smiled. ¡°Your brother has greatly assisted me, Jorah, and I wouldn''t trade his loyalty or service for the world.¡±


    Jorah seemed disappointed by that but still carried on glibly. ¡°Well, I came here today as a messenger, as I told my Lord Brother earlier. I was sent by your hm.¡± Jorah uncharacteristically stopped and scratched his cheek. ¡°I was sent here by Lady Luce.¡±


    Valerius grimaced at the Young Knight stammering, but it made sense. ¡°I doubt that woman even looked at our son.¡± Valerius clenched his fist so hard he almost drew blood and took the seat across from Jorah.


    ¡°So what did that woman, my wife, name our son? I wasn''t informed by the last messenger.¡± In her home country, the United States Union, and in the Kingdom of Black, it was traditional for the woman to name the child, with the man having almost no say in the matter.


    Jorah coughed. ¡°She named him Dominic Theodore Valentinian Black.¡±


    "As before, I still can''t mock her name since it was a good name for a prince a little bit too religious, Theodore meaning a gift from God, but which God?" Valerius thought, "Hers or mine."


    ¡°Ah, lady Luce also told me to tell you that the child is strange.¡±


    ¡°Strange how,¡± Valerius asked almost without thinking.


    ¡°The child refused to drink breast milk and did not cry. The priests of Sia examined him; however, they said nothing was wrong with his Health. He just chose not to cry.¡±


    ¡°That is strange. Does some spirit possess him,¡± Charles interjected. Jorah shook his head.


    ¡°No, the priest also examined the child, who is not possessed.¡±


    ¡°Well, that''s okay then, so long as he''s healthy.¡± Valerius said without much concern, ¡°But I wonder if my son will grow up to be a prude.¡± Valerius laughed, Jorah smiled, and Charles looked concerned.

 Chapter 3: Baby Life

    Chapter 3: Baby Life


    The Month of Ninsum Day 3 Year 675 Of the second holy calendar


    Dominic sat up with the help of a cushion and he squinted his baby eyes at the bright sunlight coming from the window. The scene outside was not particularly interesting there was nothing but a muddy patch of grass. Repeatedly trampled by a group of soldiers who trained on it with horses or by sparring. No one was training right now as it was afternoon, so there was not much to look at. When they were training it was an exhilarating sight. Dominic had been a fan of historical movies particularly medieval ones with battle scenes. However, watching those Movies and a real Combat drill we''re too entirely different things.


    However, despite the lack of interesting things outside Dominic continued to stare out the window, out of sheer boredom. A light giggle came from behind him ¡°Lord Dominic enjoys looking out the window.¡±


    He struggled to turn around made difficult by his lack of muscles and generally clunky baby body to look at the person who had spoken. Jane was his constant companion for quite some time now, maybe since he was born. She was a girl who looked about 12 years old with black hair and green eyes. In the future, she will surely charm many men with her good looks but for now, she is just a cute 12-year-old. She wore a black blouse that was tucked into a white skirt that went all the way down to her ankles.


    After watching interactions between his presumed relative who he now identified as Luce he judged her position to be close to that of a maid outfit. Unfortunately, she wasn''t wearing a traditional maid. Dominic wasn''t particularly interested in girls who were mentally 8 years younger than him but he still thought that she would have been cute in a purely platonic way. That being said her outfit was more practical and Dominic found himself growing fonder of her every day. It was probably a natural result of spending so much time with her.


    Over time Dominic had come to understand a few things one was his name, Dominic. Most people generally called him with honorifics so he concluded that he was probably of high status, not that he understood the honorifics. The second was that Luce was likely his mother, the reason he concluded this was simply her attitude. But the main reason was realizing that this is an entirely new world separate from Earth or at least the distant past. Judging people by modern sensibilities was downright stupid here. In his world, someone in their early twenties having a kid would be considered weird but thinking about that from a historical context it was the people of the modern world who were weird. Most cultures throughout history married their teenagers off and not being married by the age of 20 meant that something was wrong with you. It was also perfectly normal for those people to have children before turning 20. Dominic felt somewhat embarrassed that this realization hadn''t come to him sooner. The second major realization he had was that this world had magic.


    As for Jane, being a 12-year-old working as a maid Dominic just chalked it up to more or less the same thing. Child labor laws probably didn''t exist in this world and the girl herself seemed pretty happy with the arrangement. Oliver had just been one to go with the flow in his previous life and Dominic had inherited that personality trait. Dominic was also not some sort of hero who cared about saving the world as Dominic and Oliver only cared about himself and people close to him. Which meant one could generously describe him as a very kind man who cared about friends and family above all. Put truthfully he was generally Apathetic to other people who were not his friends and Family. If Jane was unhappy then he would have done something about it but since she was fine with it he didn''t care. Not that he could do anything at the moment.


    Jane had just changed his diaper and was busy fiddling around with something. Dominic, having seen this before was not particularly interested but still watched primarily out of boredom. She set the diaper down on the table where he''d been changed for some reason he was always moved before this process began. She removed a stick from a specially designed holster attached to her skirt. The stick was only about 8 inches long at the most. It appeared to be made of some sort of white material although he had never been able to examine it close enough to figure out what it was with a green stone attached to the hilt. Pointing her stick at the diaper she murmured some words and a magic circle appeared at the tip. The magic circle was about 1 inch wide and 1 inch tall. It had a smaller Circle in the middle and what appeared to be five smaller glyphs on the edge of the circle.


    The diaper went through a series of miraculous changes in just a small amount of time. The filth was removed from the inside of the diaper then it got wet then dried in just a few seconds. Once the spell was completed Jane casually picked up the now-dry diaper and folded it when she was done she put it back in the diaper drawer. Dominic had the same realization that he always did at this point and that was that having your diaper changed was embarrassing. But watching someone clean it, then fold it, and then put it back in the drawer was even more embarrassing. Dominic sometimes questioned the sanitary nature of reusing diapers but they have been doing that ever since he was born and no problems have occurred as of yet.


    Jane approached him and picked him up like you always due to a baby. Dominic had originally felt embarrassed by this just like everything else about being a baby, but eventually, he got used to it. ¡°it''s almost time for your daily routine.¡± Jane said smiling.


    Dominic would have shifted uncomfortably if he could have, he didn''t have access to a watch but by watching the shifts of the soldiers training he could figure out the time. She carried him to his cradle just as she placed him down the door opened. Several women entered the room led by the lady of the household herself Luce. Jane, after safely placing Dominic down turned around and curtsied without even confirming who she was looking at. This had become a daily routine for all of them although Dominic hated it. ¡°Lady Luce it''s nice to see you. I see you brought along the usual crowd.¡±


    Luce responded the way she always did ¡°They just followed me here.¡± ¡°Well, you can''t blame us the young Lord is cute.¡± ¡°The fact that he always tries so hard warms my heart.¡± ¡°Of course, we followed we wouldn''t miss the cutest thing in the world.¡±


    Dominic only understood half of what they were saying but by this point, he got the gist of it. Rolling his eyes he started before they could finish their chatter. Although they viewed it as a performance he was certainly not here to entertain them. Dominic had poor health ever since he was born, spending much of his early days running a high fever. His poor health seems to be a combination of his natural temperament and his refusal to drink breast milk when he was younger even now he is rather small for his age as a result he did exercise hopefully to aid muscle growth. He rolled over in his cradle and started a baby plank. By moving his knees and by rubbing his upper arms against the cushion of the Cradle he started what could be considered a crawl but was closer to dragging/pushing himself along. After he reached his destination the wall of the Cradle he positioned himself into something akin to a push-up position. This was all to stand on his knees. After working his arm muscles his leg muscles and then grabbing onto the edge of the crib he managed to stand on his knees, but only while holding on to the edge of the Cradle.


    Dominic then pulled himself with his arms and pushed himself with his knees close to the edge of the crib. His crib was typical in its design with bars connected to the bottom into an upper rim at the top, his goal was the rim. After reaching close enough Dominic reached his arms upward from his kneeling position. This was usually difficult to impossible for a baby of his age but after training his arm muscles and with great difficulty he could do it. He reached the rim before grabbing pulling and pushing with his legs and his arms until he was fully upright and standing. He was standing up albeit while holding on to the edge of the crib he was fully standing. Dominic raised his voice into a war cry reminiscent of a professional Boxer who just scored a KO. Of course, in reality, his war cry was the adorable scream of a child and not the Magnificent Bellow of a man but Dominic could imagine and more importantly he could ignore certain women going. ¡°oh my how cute.¡± or ¡°This is my favorite part.¡± or ¡°I love his little scream when he gets this far he''s usually so quiet and docile.¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Dominic''s legs were shaking like crazy his arms were too as they were put through immense strain just by standing up, nearby Jane had started Counting 4 5 6 7. But he could barely hear her focusing solely on his arms and legs trying his absolute best not to fall. This was a strenuous workout for his baby''s body. Today Dominic had put his mind to beating his record. But naturally, exhaustion in his physical body had its limits. Limits that couldn''t be breached with willpower alone such as 40 seconds of standing up. As Jane said 35 Dominic''s arms gave out and he fell forward. He would have bashed his nose straight on the rim of the crib if it wasn''t for Jane who grabbed him with one arm while the other still held her watch. Lifting him in the air and carrying him with one arm while straightening out the bed sheets which had gotten completely messed up during his exercise then putting her watch away.


    After finishing her task she laid Dominic down on the cushion. ¡°you beat your previous record young Lord by 6 seconds.¡± Dominic still didn''t entirely understand what she meant but he grasped that he defeated his record thanks to the Happy look on her face. In that sense Jane was exactly like a child when Dominic failed to beat his record or at least match it she would look upset and when he succeeded she would look happy. With his daily routine complete Dominic happily fell asleep while ignoring the happy murmuring of the women around him who treated him like some sort of pet. After all his baby body did require quite a bit of rest napping was an important part of his life.


    After his afternoon nap, Luce decided to go on a walk taking Dominic and his presumed sister whose name was Nora out on this little Excursion with her. Although it was called a walk it was far from a pleasant stroll through the garden, primarily because there was no Garden. It was more like going outside onto your front lawn.


    The residence which they lived in seemed to be a small mansion surrounded by a low-lying wall. The wall itself was three times higher than the height of an average man, Dominic estimated, and wide enough that two people could stand shoulder to shoulder on top of it. Several small Towers that jutted inward instead of outward rimmed the wall. The wall itself was made of black stone which contrasted with the white of the mortar. Dominic was a bit surprised by the wall. He knew certain Mansions of rich people had fences surrounding the entire property but he thought that was more just to Mark the property and keep poor people out. The wall surrounding the residents was an actual wall with guard towers and people constantly guarding them. The soldiers when not guarding the walls constantly trained and almost seemed like they were surrounded by enemies or in a military installation on the front line, with constant tension from the soldiers.


    The residents only had 4 buildings on it an Armory, the barracks a stable, and the house itself. The front of the residence was where the training grounds were as well as the stable that was also where the gate was. The barracks in the armory were located on the right side of the main building. The Garrison as far as Dominic could tell was approximately 300 strong. The backyard also had a small lawn with three whole trees and grass growing on it. The grass was unhealthy looking, the trees also seemed to be more like spruce trees than trees you would want in a garden. But still, it was the only green in this place which seemed to be made of black and dark colors. People also tended to wear black or dark colors like they were in a Perpetual state of mourning.


    Luce had spread out a blanket on the ground and she was calmly watching Nora and Dominic play together. The play involved Nora rolling the ball towards Dominic who would then flick the ball back to Nora. When Dominic was even younger Nora would play a similar game where people would throw the ball rather than just roll it, she seemed to enjoy it more. But ever since Luce started taking Dominic out with her Nora had started playing this instead seemingly to include him. Dominic got a warm feeling in his chest whenever he thought about this, he felt like a father watching his daughter grow up.


    Nora rolled the ball into Dominic''s spread-open legs. Dominic then pulled his arms back and hit the ball towards Nora, She caught it with the wide-open palm of her hand before smacking it back in between his legs. They repeated the process numerous times but Nora found childlike joy in it. Dominic played along with it even when his arm started to tremble from exertion. Luce had only started taking Dominic out recently probably because of how sickly he was.


    Eventually, Nora began to tire of the repetitiveness of the game seeing that Luce pulled a thermos from the basket she brought along, although that was the only thing in the basket. She spoke right as Dominic was pushing the ball towards Nora ¡°Do you want some Ripple juice.¡± she asked while smiling.


    Nora completely forgot about the ball focusing instead on the offered thermos. Causing the ball to roll past her and down the hill, Jane who had accompanied them started running after the ball. Nora completely ignored that and instead, she ran over to Luce. Dominic didn''t begrudge her largely because he couldn''t keep playing anyway.


    He looked at the thermos he didn''t know when thermoses had been invented but he did know that this seemed rather advanced for the civilization that he appeared to be in. There were several anomalies like this such as a magic lighting system and the fact that the house was constantly kept at room temperature even though air conditioning and heating should be impossible. Is it magic or something else, if Dominic was reincarnated here others might have been as well but his range of movement and knowledge is very limited.


    He felt the same sense of crushing powerlessness that he always felt in situations like this. Dominic had almost no information about the outside world, no ability to go there or the ability to find out he hardly even understood the language. All of this resulted in a deep-seated feeling of helplessness which he hated. Glancing over at his presumed sister who was happily taking a cup of dark red liquid from Luce. ¡°Well, I suppose there''s no urgency I am a baby after all the adults will protect me for now from whatever danger happens to lurk or not be lurking outside these walls And I can just take my time.¡±


    Jane came running back seeing that Nora was indisposed at the moment she sat down and rolled the ball toward Dominic. He unenthusiastically rolled it back toward her Jane pouted a bit ¡°Young Lord you were so happy earlier playing with Lady Nora.¡±


    Dominic could only smile bitterly at that, Nora was a literal child and so when he played with her although it was two children playing together it felt more like he was playing with a little sister or even his child. But when adults played with him, he got the exact opposite feeling of a child being played with. Dominic''s musing was interrupted when he noticed that Jane was staring with gaped mouth astonishment at something behind him. Turning his clunky baby body around he spotted a soldier running towards them.


    Dominic immediately got a bad feeling about the running Soldier as he felt like he just Jinxed himself. His prediction was proven correct when the soldier ran directly up to Luce after giving what Dominic thought was the standard military salute in this world pressing one fist over the heart, the other over the tailbone, and bowing the soldier shouted in a loud voice. ¡°A message arrived for you Lady Luce from our contacts at the border Antlatur is gathering their troops at their capital, intelligence suggests they intend to invade.¡±


    Dominic recognized the soldier as he was the captain of the Garrison, usually acting calm and dignified, but now he was panicking. ¡°Does the council and the queen know?¡±


    The captain shook his head ¡°I don''t think so. My contacts stated that Prince Francis was still in denial he might not have sent a report back to the capital.¡±


    Luce nodded calmly ¡°Quickly send a letter to Fort Frances to inform Prince Valerius.¡± The moment Luce gave her orders something in the captain seemed to snap into place he saluted and quickly departed. Dominic observed Luce¡¯s expression although he didn''t understand the conversation he fully understood that it was a serious topic. Although she tried to hide it in front of the captain the moment he was gone a look of concern crossed her face.

 Chapter 4: The Attackers and the Defenders

    Chapter 4 The Attackers and the Defenders


    The Month of Ninsum Day 4 Year 675 Of the second holy calendar


    The city of Higgsbury was constructed next to a natural harbor. The harbor was protected by a small hill jutting out from the coast and a small island. As a result, the elements, such as winds and rain, rarely got into the harbor. The ships that docked there didn''t have to be concerned with being smashed by a storm as they could safely repair and unload cargo. This allowed for the rapid expansion of Higgsburys Maritime Commerce as the harbor could dock over 100 ships at one time. Usually, this was enough to house all the ships gathered there at any point, but today was different.


    Higgsbury was the capital and the military Harbor of Antlatur. Today, they had gathered both their Fleet and their army, which resulted in the naval facilities'' overcapacity. Supply ships and Grain Merchants attempting to make a wartime sale were given the least priority, but military ships overflowed from the harbor even then. They gathered a naval presence of 120 War triremes and 30 larger deep-sea ships. The reason for this large Naval presence was not the coming invasion of the kingdom of black, as that Kingdom was a landlocked Nation. Instead, they were gathered to warn Antlatur¡¯s Oldest foe, The kingdom of Triton.


    The kingdom of Antlatur had gathered one of the largest armies in its history to take on one of its weakest foes¡ªand they had a lot of foes. The kingdom of Black used to be a part of Antlatur, but they rebelled and became an independent Kingdom. Despite this, they were a young and weak Nation that Antlatur should have been able to crush easily; however, they hadn''t been. The main reason for this was that Antlatur was busy dealing with enemies on all fronts.


    This was the reason why black could continue existing to this day despite the overwhelming disparity in the National Power of the two Nations. They had to fight constantly with their other neighbors; however, the two most powerful enemies had either been defeated or were busy elsewhere. Triton had suffered a recent defeat at the hands of King Andrew Michael Antonine Antlatur, the golden stallion. Meanwhile, the kingdom''s other greatest enemy, the kingdom of Jax, was busy invading their southern neighbor and, as a result, had no spare attention to focus on other matters.


    There were four other pesky nuisances to deal with: the Uscans Union, the kingdom of Redtowers, an army forming under a pesky Warlord or Warlady, And the kingdom of Greentowers. These nations should have taken priority; they posed a more immediate threat, were easier to invade, or had more valuable land and resources to steal. The kingdom of black, which was militarily the strongest but materially the weakest on this list, not only had the terrain advantage, but they had also fortified the heck out of their Nation. Moreover, even if they were successfully conquered, their territories would hardly be worth the struggle.


    Antlatur had conquered it in the first place to open up a trade route to the kingdom of Cestia to circumnavigate the sea routes and existing land Roots as they were infested with Bandits. The region also held several valuable iron and copper mines, although they were insufficient to justify the expense of trying to annex them.  Having spent the last 50 years of their history doing nothing but fortifying themselves against enemies and building a large army. Even if everything went perfectly, there were still casualties in Victory and expenses in war, all for a few iron mines, which weren''t worth all that much.


    It was all a big waste of time and resources if you asked Lena, but no one had asked her, not her idiot son and certainly not the even more idiotic Council. She would have thought less of them if they had asked her, as anyone with a brain could tell, and she would immediately oppose it. But the fact that they managed to grasp that point and go through it anyway meant that they weren''t just idiots; they were downright stupid or even insane. They understood their action was a big waste of time and resources, yet they took it anyway. Which just meant that they were stupid to attempt to invade a kingdom for the sake of Honor and not for national gain.


    She glanced out of the palace balcony which she was currently standing on. Her gaze flitted past the city she''d seen so many times before it went to the great Army assembling beyond the city walls. One of the largest armies they gathered in their history. 120,000 men gathered from their allies and their armies. It was not cheap to assemble or gather them, it was expensive in almost every aspect. For their men, they had to pay them additional bonuses and pay while on campaign especially since they were campaigning against the kingdom of black who were difficult if not downright impossible to plunder. They also had to pay Compensation to the families of the Fallen. As for their allies'' men, although they didn''t have to pay them doubtless explicitly, there would be resentment if they didn''t reward them somehow, which would not be coming from Plunder for the same reason. It also costs political capital to convince the kingdoms to form a subordinate relationship with them. Add on to that food, armor, horses, and all the additional expenses. You had a recipe for bankruptcy if Antlatur failed to make any substantial gain in this war, and that was ignoring the possibility of failure.


    Next, Lena looked at her idiot son, who was trying to shrink and hide from her gaze even though she wasn''t looking at him. ¡°If you knew you were going to get scolded, you could have just not done it,¡± she said coldly. He flinched.


    Andrew Antlatur was, by all means, a young and successful man. He inherited the throne of one of the greatest Nations on the continent at the tender age of 17, with military might and political guile unsuited to his age. He had managed to pull together the fracturing Kingdom, Bring the Allies to heal, and repel foreign invasion. Moreover, he was handsome and tall with a slightly stocky frame. With short copper-blonde hair and emerald eyes, he was practically what most young women dreamed of. Of course, his mother, who knew him the best, saw him as the overconfident, Honorable, and Valiant fool he was. Of course, getting another decade or two of experience under his belt would give Wane overconfidence, and he would learn that honor was just a made-up word to trick simple-minded fools into being convenient puppets. But for now, he was just a fool, but he was her son. Lena wondered where exactly she had gone so wrong in his education.


    ¡°it was probably his father''s influence.¡± She thought a bit Darkly


    She gave one of her famous sniffs before asking, ¡°Do you mind explaining why we should invade that kingdom.¡±


    Instantly brightening, Andrew stated, ¡°Well, their first division has left the Border and was replaced.¡±


    She rubbed her temples and cut him off before he could finish the first part of his spiel. ¡°I don''t need the explanation you gave to the council. I need a compelling motive; otherwise, I won''t let you launch this invasion.¡±


    Andrew paled before exclaiming, ¡°We can''t just launch the Invasion now that we''ve gathered so many soldiers.¡±


    She cut him off again. ¡°If you can''t produce one compelling reason why we should invade the kingdom of black, we will invade a country of my choice, not your choice.¡±


    He looked at her with an ¡°I am the king¡± look, but she completely ignored him, turning back to gazing at the Army and the city. She had the power, even separate from her son, to block the Invasion entirely, and both of them knew it. Both of them also knew that she was not making an empty threat. As a general rule, Lena didn''t make empty threats.


    Lena ignored him while thinking about the real reason why he was so desperate to invade the kingdom of black. She always taught him that national interest comes before personal feelings or honor, and he wasn''t such a big fool, and he didn''t know that. Be it the choice in his marriage or his actions to date, all of them have been in the nation''s interest and not in pursuit of personal feelings. However, this was different; she knew exactly why his pride had been hurt. Andrew had been undefeated since taking to the field as king, defeating numerous enemies on the battlefield. Yet when he led a punitive campaign into the kingdom of black, he suffered defeat at the hands of their bastard Prince Valerius.


    The campaign was a small affair, just a punitive expedition to burn a few Villages down. To show the kingdom of black that Antlatur had a new and powerful King, yet he had been defeated. While outnumbering the opponent by a young man of a similar age and position. This had wounded his self-esteem and ignited a desire for a rematch in him. However, Lena wasn''t just a mother who would play along with her son''s selfish whims, especially now that he was the king. If he couldn''t produce a compelling reason, she would seriously block the Invasion at all costs.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Predictably, he seemed unable to come up with a reason just as she was about to force the issue he spoke about. ¡°The kingdom of Jax is a growing power. They''re already the region''s most powerful force, yet they''re expanding rapidly. Soon a coalition will likely form against them including us and the Kingdom of Cestia. The conquest of blacks would open up a new trade route and roots for Messengers and armies to travel aiding each other. The current Kingdom of black would likely block our Messengers and armies just to spite us. So how are we supposed to Aid our new allies, by going through Uscan Union a nation of Barbarians. or maybe Redtowers a nation that adopted those very same barbaric principles? Even if you married my sister off to them, that does not mean there are allies, even if they''re aiding Us in this invasion. As you say, we can only rely on ourselves. We must conquer the kingdom of black and make more allies to oppose the kingdom of Jax. Don''t deny that the kingdom of Jax is ambitious enough to try to conquer the whole continent. Why else would they have burned down the capital of the Towers Empire?"


    She had thought of all those reasons herself, although she still felt they were weak arguments compared to reasons to invade the other kingdoms. But she was proud that he was able to answer so thoroughly. Maybe he''s not as much of a fool as I thought. Although there were a lot of ifs in there. ¡°All right, I will give you permission to invade them, but you must promise me that you will retreat if your advisors, specifically nuances, tell you to.¡±


    He looked touched. ¡°I believe you have an invasion to get started,¡± she patted his shoulder. ¡°Don''t get overconfident, as you said. The kingdom of Jax is on the rise. The only thing we can do is grow stronger, and failure will either destroy us or at least set our expansion back by several years.¡±


    ¡°so you''re saying failure is not an option,¡± he asked.


    She replied ¡°Basically.¡±


    She hugged him before Whispering in his ear, ¡°All for the glory of Antlatur.¡± He nodded before strolling out confidently. Watching Andrews retreat, her gaze naturally drifted back outside. Her mind was swirling with thoughts of the future, none of which looked good for the kingdom surrounded by enemies.


    ¡°Why do I get stuck with all the s***** jobs.¡± Roderick wondered, not for the first time, but he had recently thought harder about this subject. The primary reason was.


    ¡°Hey, you, their old man, fetch the Prostitutes.¡± Roderick felt his eye twitch as he turned around and glanced at the man who had just addressed him. Roderick normally wouldn''t respond to the call of ¡°old man,¡± considering he was only in his thirties, but it was par for the course for the current brat he was dealing with. The Man Who had addressed him would have been considered handsome if it hadn''t been for his sagging skin. With blonde hair and golden eyes on the subject of his appearance, his only redeeming quality was his eyes. His handsome face was ruined not just by his poor lifestyle habits but seemingly by the air surrounding him. He was Francis Rook Valentinian Black, the first prince of the black Kingdom and the sole legitimate successor to the throne.


    He had another title as well. This one managed to piss Roderick off even more than his title of Prince, and that was Major General of the third division. It almost went without saying that Francis was not a qualified general. Unfortunately, Roderick had been assigned the task of babysitting him. At first, Rodrick thought that all he would need to do was take command of the military, but then he got bored and went home.


    However, it proved to be a more difficult task than initially anticipated, and one of the reasons was that the prince insisted on staffing the army with his men. Once again, it almost went without saying that these were the prince''s sycophants or, as they like to put it, friends. Leaving aside the question of how loyal these people were to the prince or the kingdom, they were not qualified for whatever military position Francis happened to give them. Roderick came up with a countermeasure on the pretext of having his friends advise him. He gathered them all into one Fortress. Specifically, the one farthest away from the front line and thus the least important one and appointed in their Stead maybe not be qualified candidates but at least people who could do at least part of their job without screwing up, hopefully. The second major countermeasure was staying beside the prince to prevent him from doing anything stupid. This was a brilliant solution on paper, but in practice, it meant that Roderick had to witness the prince''s debauchery firsthand.


    The black Army had discipline drilled into the core of its existence. Before even dawning the cloak of a soldier, every Soldier and officer had discipline drilled into their very soul. The fact that Francis could so easily put on the red cloak of an officer and wear the two stars of a Major General made Roderick want to explode. Roderick, who is generally mild-mannered, could have put up with it if the prince had just remained a figurehead, but instead, he acted like the spoiled brat he was. Normally, anyone under Roderick¡¯s command would have been severely whipped for excessive drinking on duty, and that punishment would have been only more severe for officers. Francis the Liberator had decreed that officers should lead by example. As a result, punishments were stricter the higher up the ranks you went. Let alone prostitutes, excessive drinking while on the job from a general should have resulted in immediate execution.


    The prince was in the war chamber surrounded by his friends as they drank to their hearts'' content. ¡°Your Highness,¡± Rodrick started with a smile that probably looked more like a Grimace of pain. I have something urgent to report to you. I''m afraid there''s no time for prostitutes.¡±


    The prince waved his hand, telling Rodrick to continue. Rodrick bowed not out of respect but to hide his face. ¡°Antlatur are on the march, your Highness.¡±


    There was a moment of silence, and neither the prince nor his friends seemed to know how to react. While the Antlatur gathered, Francis insisted that they intended to attack a different Kingdom. Rodrick admitted the possibility, but the fact that they didn''t make any preparations for an invasion was stupid. Of course, Rodrick had ignored the prince''s words and made preparations anyway. After a long pause, Francis said, ¡°You mean they March to the Uscan Union.¡±


    ¡°No, your highness. They march straight here in great numbers.¡± There was another long pause, but before the prince could even finish processing it, Roderick made a suggestion. That was the whole reason he came here while the third division was facing a crisis: ¡°Your Highness, you are the sole heir to the throne of the Kingdom. It''s better to preserve your life than risk dying and the bloodline of the Noble House of Black dying out.¡±


    Of course, that was total b*******. Roderick wasn''t particularly involved in the succession battle but preferred Valerius. A military man who wasn''t an incompetent fool. Also, he knew Francis had children, so even if one only talked about the legitimate bloodline, plenty of successors remained. Prince Francis started with the suggestion


    ¡°Yes preserving the royal family is important I must leave immediately I will return with reinforcements with all due haste.¡± The Prince rose to his feet


    Roderick made another suggestion: ¡°Your Highness, although I would like to send you an ample guard to secure your safety on the road back to the Capitol, at the moment we are quite pressed for troops. So how about you take all of these fine officers and knights with you?¡± he gestured around the room.


    However, the prince, after hesitating for a moment, replied, ¡°No, I need them to command the Army while I''m away.¡± All of his friends looked stunned at that, but none of them dared speak up.


    Roderick cursed internally. He just wanted the prince to take his Idiot Friends away, but he tried again. ¡°Your Highness, it is not safe on the roads, and when I say we cannot spare soldiers, I mean we cannot spare any soldiers. At most, I could provide you with an escort of light Infantry. However, your friends are all knights.¡± well, they weren''t, at least by the laws of the kingdom of black, as you had to experience at least one battle to be knighted.


    The prince stared at Roderick hard with his golden eyes, and for the first time, Roderick felt like the prince was looking at him. Finally, he nodded slowly, ¡°All of you get your weapons and armor, and horses. We leave as soon as we''re able.¡±


    The prince stood up, and all his friends scattered. He approached Roderick and placed his shoulder on his. ¡°I''m counting on you, Roderick, to keep the men loyal and to hold this place until I can bring reinforcements.¡±


    ¡°I will do my absolute best to defend the kingdom, your Highness.¡± the prince departed, and Roderick bowed to his retreating form.


    ¡°Bring reinforcements, my ass.¡± Roderick thought. The only available reinforcements were the second division, and the council likely wouldn''t let them go very easily. Even if they did, Francis would hardly be put in charge of another division after running away so easily. Roderick''s hopes lay in the first division. They were more experienced, and the council wouldn''t block them from departing Fort Francis as soon as they got word of the invasion. If one assumes the enemies'' marching speed from Higgsbury to here and the delay of the Irregulars, they might have 4-6 days to prepare. That should be enough time for the first or second division. With both of them there, Roderick was confident in resisting invasion.


    What Roderick didn''t know was the size of the enemy army. 120,000 could easily break through the resistance of the Irregulars and the defenses of his Black Valley. He also didn''t know that the Redtowers Army would delay the First Division. Roderick picked up one of the goblets of wine and drained it of its contents; he would need it.

 Chapter 5: The Irregulars

    Chapter 5 The Irregulars


    The Month of Ninsum Day 9 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar


    The Scout came riding back and reined up next to John. The Scout didn''t need to say anything he could see it on the man''s face and in his ragged appearance. ¡°The enemy is coming?¡± he questioned the Scout and he nodded without a word. ¡°How far?¡±


    ¡°Five-minute march, I estimate, Captain.¡± John nodded before dismissing him with a wave of the hand. Sergeant Blake approached him. The sergeant was a typical man from the kingdom of Black clean-shaven with short cut hair tall and thin but muscular. Other than a scar that took off half his nose he had no distinguishing features. John didn''t like him all that much. He was too much of a soldier and not enough of an officer even if he was an NCO. He lacked the proper toughness to maintain the Army''s discipline even if he was leading an Irregular unit. But John had to rely on him because he was the most senior NCO of the current forces he''d been given.


    ¡°Should we blow the Bugles, Captain?¡± Blake asked without even giving a salute.


    John ignored that and instead replied, ¡°Not right now the men are already in position, better to let them rest.¡± While saying this John surveyed the defenses of three lines of trenches and Earth walls. These were constructed on a downward slope so the layers higher up looked down on the ones below. Additional fortifications had been built in the form of towers. These fortifications were constructed in the narrowest part of this particular Mountain Pass. Even then it was wide enough for 15 men to pass shoulder to shoulder.


    These three lines of fortifications were meant to delay enemy forces while the Irregulars fired arrows, javelins, stones, and whatever else they happened to find to throw at the enemy. It was a part of the Kingdom of Black¡¯s strategy when dealing with an invasion of the Black Valley. To delay them as long as possible until reinforcements could rally from all corners of the Kingdom. Larger proper fortifications had been built on the wider mountain passes but the smaller ones only had these temporary fortifications.


    Guarded by units of Irregulars, most of them were huntsman or herdsmen barely awakened to Mana and either having already retired from the military or joined for the few extra coins being a reserve soldier offered. As a result, they were required to train at least once a week but usually every month. John only had 865 of these Reserve soldiers facing a proper Army of 60,000. according to messages he''d received, another 60,000 were heading to an unguarded pass. But that was none of John''s concern, his concern was the other Irregulars who had yet to join up with him thanks to the fast-moving enemy. Antlatur had put their men through a grueling Force March and made a journey that should have taken 4-6 days in three. As a result, the kingdom of Black hadn''t been able to properly assemble the Irregulars. More were trickling in every day but John doubted his current forces could hold the enemy off for even an hour, much less a day.


    Currently, all his men were lazing around on the wall, resting for the upcoming battle. They had been properly assembled and equipped but there was no point staying tense all the time. This gave John more faith as his men weren''t just regular Reserve soldiers but had been through this process a dozen times before although not on the same scale. Turning to Blake he said, ¡°Blow the Bugles in approximately 1 minute.¡± Blake nodded rather than properly acknowledging the command. While removing his pocket watch from the inside of his cloak. The two went to a watchtower on the third line and climbed up it had been specifically set aside for this purpose.


    One minute later Blake shouted at the top of his lungs ¡°Bugler''s, prepare for battle.¡± Blake might have been an improper NCO but he did have the proper voice for one. It carried from the Watchtower that they were currently on to the Buglers at the bottom clearly as they blew their Bugles a second later. For the regular army, there were a lot of bugle signals but for these irregulars, there were only 5. Assemble, go to your positions, the enemy is coming, retreat from the line, and retreat fully. The enemy is coming with two sharp bugle blasts a few seconds later the order repeats itself, and the sound conveys the urgent situation without words. The other NCO started shouting but even without them the soldiers were already scrambling to their posts.


    John gripped the banner of the Watchtower tightly as he waited along with the other soldiers for the enemy to show themselves. He started regretting the fact that he didn''t have more troops and the fact that he had no proper soldiers aside from himself and a few others including Mages. ¡°What if the enemy chooses a magic bombardment?¡± he worried. He only had five Mages at his disposal. But before he could worry about it anymore he spotted a dust cloud on the horizon certainly kicked up by the enemy''s approach.


    The Antlatur approached in a column at the front of this column their heavy Infantry was placed. Their heavy infantry differed from the black heavy Infantry in several ways. The first way was their helmet. They had a visored helmet that was flat at the top and only had eye holes. It completely blocked the ears and the mouth. Making it difficult for them to communicate in the middle of battle, it was also difficult to see in that helmet. Underneath their helmets, they wore mail coif.


    The second main way was in the protection of their body - black heavy Infantry wore chainmail covered by light armor. Antlatur¡¯s was chainmail covered by a cuirass to protect their legs they wore grieves rather than mail leggings. This was heavier and less flexible and because it was difficult to hear or speak gave them far less tactical flexibility. But in exchange, they had additional protection. Their weapons were also very different from black weaponry. Their shields were heater Shields and their primary weapon was a spear, not a short sword.


    As they approached, Mages on their side cast anti-magic barriers that protected their columns from the front as well as the left and the right. These barriers were semi-translucent and only visible for a few moments before fading out of visibility. Any magic that passed through these barriers would be immediately erased from existence. Black Mages put up their own magic barriers three for all three layers. This would prevent their walls from being destroyed easily by magic while the enemy put up their barriers to prevent the black Mages from destroying their column with AOE(area of effect) spells.


    They marched with their Shields raised over their chests and their shoulders pressing together, in unison row after row. A man in one of the back rows instead of carrying a spear carried a flag that flapped lazily in the wind making it difficult to tell exactly what was depicted but John knew it all too well. On a green background a golden antler with the words ¡°We are the spears of the people¡± written underneath in gold lettering. John glanced at his own side''s flag; they only had one because the whole plan involved retreating and having your flags captured by the enemy was considered to be shameful. The flag of the Kingdom of Black depicted a Golden Crown dripping blood onto a black field with the words Blood for Blood written underneath in gold lettering. John gripped his sword handle tighter as he glared at the forces of Antlatur wishing his glare could kill them.


    Once their frontline crossed a certain marker it was just a stick stuck into the ground quickly and trampled but to the Archers it was a signal. The archers without a word or command knocked their arrows and raised their bows. Mana started to gather in these arrows every man had his color of Mana which coalesced around the entire shaft, fletching, and tip of the arrow. The Archers once again without a signal fired and the arrows fell like rain among the enemy. The Antlaturs were skilled or experienced enough to raise their Shields above their heads blocking most of the arrows. Some of them still found their way through at which point they collided with Magic barriers which shattered under impact. The archers knocked their second round of arrows and fired. Only two arrows managed to make their way through the shield wall and found magic barriers that had already been broken. One of these arrows harmlessly pinged off the soldier''s cuirass the other found the gap between his greaves and his chainmail - another difference between the black and Antlatur soldiers. The soldier stumbled before falling and hitting his head. The soldiers behind him continued to advance trampling over him. It seemed heartless but in a tightly packed formation like theirs, they couldn''t stop or move around.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The Archers got off two more rounds before the enemy came into Javelin range of the first line. Only two other soldiers had been seriously injured there were other minor injuries but nothing life-threatening so long as the soldier made it back to a healing Mage they''d be fine. On the surface that seemed to be a bad result. But John knew it was rather a good result as at least half of the enemy forces had had their Magic Shields broken making them more vulnerable to the Javelins. In general, regular arrows couldn''t break through the heavy armor and Magic Shields to do real damage to heavy Infantry, but javelins could.


    Once the enemy passed through a certain marker similar to the first, Javelin throwers raise their javelins. Magic swirled around Spears, more Magic than the arrows but the same multicolor. Once they finished, they threw. The spears rained down at different times depending on the soldier''s speed of infusion of magic. John recognized the first javelin that was thrown or rather its magic - it was a deep blood red. Its wielder was Simeon the Quick as his comrades had nicknamed him. He was always the first to throw but his aim didn''t suffer for it. His spear went straight into a shield managing to punch through slightly but not to the person standing behind.


    The first confirmed death of the war happened thanks to one of the NCOS. His own javelin went over the shield and through the throat of one of the enemy soldiers managing to punch through the chainmail. Javelins and arrows continued raining down causing at least 50 deaths and several hundred minor injuries weakening enemy forces. But they only managed to get off a total of three rounds of javelins and six rounds of arrows before the enemy started approaching the first wall.


    The enemy soldiers arrived in front of the trench and finally stopped. The trench was only around 3 ft wide and 3 ft deep but it was lined with spikes covered in fast-acting poison. Unfortunately, they didn''t have enough to place on their arrows and javelins. Even so, it would block their movement and make it difficult for them to even reach the walls much less get through it. The magic barrier was much less daunted by the trench. It continued pushing forward until it smacked into the black¡¯s magic barrier positioned barely one foot in front of the wall. Three soldiers moved along the small pathway which led to the gate. The gate itself was crude and simple, only made of planks of wood nailed together. The soldiers dropped their spears, drew swords and hand axes and started hacking at it to quickly get through. The soldiers in front of the trench, after two of them had died to javelins, finally bolstered their courage and crossed the trench jumping to avoid the spikes.


    John could see all of this from his vantage point on top of the Watchtower. But he couldn''t see the soldiers hacking the gate nor the soldiers who jumped into the trench but he knew what would happen more or less. The soldiers who jumped into the trench would weave around the spikes while taking heavy fire from the arrows and javelins. Finally, they would reach the wall and they would start to climb it by grabbing onto whatever surface they could or climbing on top of each other. The wall was only around 7 ft High adding the 3 ft of the trench it was only around 10 ft, and the average soldier was around 5.7 ft. His assertion was proven correct when one of the soldiers picked up a heavy stone prepared in advance and dropped it over the wall. Gravity and the weight of the stone did its bloody work as it crushed the man who had tried to climb the wall.


    Even with all of this heavy fire, some soldiers still made it to the top. The first one who did immediately slashed to his right with his sword cleanly decapitating one of the javelin throwers. But another javelin thrower immediately drew his short sword and infusing the blade with his magic stabbed it straight toward his opponent''s throat. The Antlaturer had only brought his upper body above the wall so he was unable to dodge or raise his shield in time. The sword plunged into his throat, spurting blood, the man fell off the wall.


    The second soldier who made it to the top of the wall was a bit smarter about it, fully climbing the wall before stabbing his sword toward an archer who attempted to use his arrow as a spear killing him in one blow. After all, both the spear throwers and the archers were almost completely unarmored. After that, the soldier then crouched down covering his body with his heater shield. Behind him, another soldier climbed up this one still wielding his spear and stabbed it toward the javelin thrower who''d been about to throw at his comrade. This breach was short-lived, however. A black mage raised his wand and cast the tier one spell magic Arrow. This magic Arrow easily pierced through the spear wielder''s helmet and killed him instantly. The other Antlaturer was quickly hacked to death by the black Irregulars, however, the Black forces'' triumph was short-lived; an enemy spell that appeared to be the second-tier spell magic lance pierced through their own mage and killed him. The enemy could cast spells as long as they got close enough to the wall and past the anti-magic barrier. However, the Mage who killed their own mage was not long for this world John knew that his own men would target them relentlessly.


    Despite the heavy fire to soldiers hacking at the gate, with at least nine enemies dying trying to take it down, they still managed to breach it by destroying the gate bar and pushing it open. However, three seasoned soldiers, proper regulars of the Black Army in full gear, were waiting to greet them once they got the gate open. They stabbed their 8 ft long Spears toward the soldiers who gleefully ran through the broken gate, caught off guard all two of them were stabbed through the chainmail and died. One managed to block with his shield but the black in front of him and the black to his right both stabbed their Spears straight into him. One spear deflected off his shield but the other spear went under the armpit of his cuirass it went deep and the man fell to the ground with the Spear still stuck in him.


    Despite this John knew that only more soldiers would continue pouring through the gates; his front line would only be able to hold them off for so long and more soldiers continued pouring over the walls. John glanced at Sergeant Blake and said ¡°Pull back to the second line.¡±


    Blake nodded before peering out of the Watchtower and shouting ¡°Retreat to the second line.¡± the Buglers played their tune which rang clearly through the shouts and screams of the front line. But for those who didn''t hear, officers also started shouting and the second-line soldiers raised their weapons over their heads gesturing their comrades over. With all three of these cues, the soldiers of the first line began their retreat. Those on the wall jumped down; it was only a 7 ft drop so they made it easily and started running to the second line. Rather than all cramming through the gate, two paths on either side of the gate crossed the trench At the end of the path ladders were prepared. The soldiers quickly crossed the path and climbed up the ladder.


    Some soldiers stayed behind as rearguards including the three blocking the bridge. One of these men grabbed the torch that had been prepared in advance and placed it in a specially designed socket. The fire quickly spread to the trench and to the various pillars supporting the wall, quickly lighting them on fire including the gate. As the rear guard held off the enemy, the gate and the walls quickly burned. The soldiers on the Watchtower jumped off to the wall and joined the fray. The soldiers of the rear guard had been selected in advance and they knew they were going to die. As a result they had no fear of death and did anything to delay the enemy just a second longer while their comrades made their escape.


    The one minute they delayed bought time allowed for the pillars supporting the Earth the wall to completely burn and finally collapse. Blacks and Antlaturers alike fell and were crushed by the wall; those in the trenches burned alive and those by the gate were shoved into the fire by the two remaining soldiers who were standing there. One had been stabbed. Those two soldiers ran back one supporting the other - they were the last soldiers through the gate before it was forced closed.


    John checked his pocket watch and cursed under his breath. It was only 3:35, several hours till sunset. ¡°it looks like we won''t be holding for a day,¡± John thought with regret. The smoldering Rubble of Earth and wood and the still-burning trench kept the remaining Antlaturs for 30 minutes while they waited for it to cool while the blacks prepared themselves for the renewed assault. The battle for the second line was more or less the same with a lot less time for the blacks to shoot their arrows and fire their javelins.


    After the second line fell, John turned to Blake, ¡°We fire a few rounds and then we retreat as planned.¡± Blake hesitated for a moment checking his pocket watch but he ultimately acquiesced to military orders. John sighed with regret, troubled with his failed mission and the likelihood that he be blamed for this in the future.


    After they got off their few rounds of javelins, the bugles played the full retreat tune. The soldiers hearing this were a bit confused but still followed orders. They set the wall on fire and retreated, but not northward to safety. They split into two and retreated east and west. Into the mountains to hide from their enemies and harass them further. They would also block any small parties or convoys attempting to cross this particular Mountain Pass. John went with a group heading west and Blake went with the group heading east. They only wished each other good luck before they Departed.


    In this battle, the Blacks lost 111 men of their irregular force. The Antlaturs lost just under 300. But it still could be considered a defeat for the blacks as they failed in their objective to hold back the enemy.

 Chapter 6: Black moves

    Chapter 6: Black moves


    The Month of Ninsum Day 11 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar


    On the 10th day of the month, Valerius, the first division, and the Red Towers border regiment departed from Fort Frances. They crossed the Rubily River, which served as the Border between Red Towers and the kingdom of Black. Valerius''s forces totaled 20,000 men but left behind 3,000 men to guard Fort Frances. He had 12,000 heavy Infantry, 5,000 Light Infantry Archers, Javelin throwers, skirmishers, and 3,000 cavalry. Primarily composed of light cavalry, he only had 1200 knights with him. They moved in response to 25,000 Redtowers soldiers slowly marching toward their border. This could be seen as an unprovoked attack without approval from the council. But there was only one nation West of Redtowers, the kingdom of black; therefore, their target could only be them. Valerius got approval from the queen in advance. They only sent one written warning: Redtowers must march their army in a different direction unless they want to go to war. Their envoy was ignored.


    Redtowers had only defended their border with the occasional scattered garrison and small fortress. These forts fell on the same day the invasion began due to the overwhelming power of Valerius''s Army. Redtowers probably hoped for a longer delay and more casualties to be accumulated on the Black side. However, they had overestimated the morale of their garrison, which was completely unwilling to die for their country. They surrendered with very little persuasion, oftentimes killing their garrison commander. As a result, Black forces marched into Ayers, a town east of Fort Francis under the control of Red Towers, completely bloodlessly. Unless you count the garrison commanders. In total, they made 3,000 Redtowers soldiers prisoners, promising to release them without ransom once the war was over.


    The enemy''s low morale resulted from the poor treatment of their entire Army and their border garrisons in general. As it was a punishment within their army to be sent to the Western border, there was frequent skirmishing against the fearsome Black soldiers. But the Black kingdom was poorer, therefore less loot and ransom. These soldiers had no intention of dying for their nation.


    Valerius passed by another village that was looted and burned. He had long grown accustomed to it, and he had even taken part in it himself, so it no longer bothered him at all. He came by once the soldiers were getting into the last part. But he knew what they had done from experience and just by looking at the smoldering ruins of the village.


    The soldiers had dragged the residents outside the village, gathering them up and beating those who resisted. After that, they proceeded to loot the village systematically. Judging by their uniforms, these men of the first division had been through this process hundreds of times. After they were done looting, they proceeded to pile all of the valuables into a spot outside the village.


    Once they were done, they grabbed hay from the stables or barns and spread it around with practiced movements. This was to make the fires burn quicker and ensure that nothing was left behind. Once that was done, they finally set the village on fire. The fire then completely destroyed the village, and the soldiers got to what many of them considered to be the best part.


    An Antlatur prisoner had once commented that the Blacks even engaged in looting and rape in a coordinated manner, which was true. In most armies, when looting, the soldiers race for the best spoils and sometimes even kill each other over the finer pieces. They operated on a first-come, first-serve basis; the same applied to slaves and rape.


    The Blacks did not operate like this at all. Instead, the Blacks secured the city or town they were looting, first gathering the residents and restraining those who posed a potential threat. After that, they systematically loot the place gathering all their spoils together, a portion would go to the families of the fallen and the injured. Whatever was left would then be divided among the remaining troops. Anyone caught stealing from their comrades by not sharing their loot would be hung, and his family would not receive any pension.


    The Blacks even adopted a similar method when engaging in rape. They would gather the residents together, restraining those who might pose a threat before proceeding. Each soldier would take turns, usually on a Squad(10 soldiers) basis. The rest of the soldiers would guard the captives and the loot. Once their comrades were done, they would take their turn. They even generally selected non-virgins to preserve the value of the captives, which did fall into the same category of the profits being divided. Still, the soldiers who brought the slaves would get the remaining percentage, and it wouldn''t be divided among the whole Army. ¡°Rational cruelty.¡± Valerius had once heard Veronica call it that.


    The platoon assigned or allowed, to loot this village was doing exactly that. Their lieutenant was selecting which team would get to go first while her NCO was selecting their victims. Valerius called out to her right as she seemed to finish assigning the teams. ¡°Lieutenant, might I have a word with you.¡±He shouted. Lieutenants of any Black Army were easily recognizable when only with their platoons, as they were the only ones allowed to wear the Red Cloak.


    The moment she heard him, she came running over. The lieutenant was a typical military woman. She cut her hair short. She was on the taller side, with a fair amount of muscle and a Stern face. The moment she arrived, she saluted. ¡°Sir. Is there anything wrong, sir?¡±


    Valerius shook his head. ¡°I was checking to see if you had received the special orders.¡±


    ¡°Sir, me and my platoon were ordered to loot and burn this village. We were told we could do it with residents and that the loot would go to the pile.¡±


    Valerius nodded. ¡°Well, I just made the order. I would like you to select three of the villagers, preferably one of them being the mayor, and hang them. Just leave their bodies after you''re done.¡±


    The woman couldn''t hide her frown, but she still saluted. ¡°Orders received, sir.¡±


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Valerius was about to leave when he decided to ask, just out of curiosity, ¡°Who are you going to take?¡± He gestured at the captives to make his point. She slightly blushed before replying by pointing at a young man still being held in the group. ¡°That one, sir, if you don''t mind. I intend to keep him even after the war.¡±


    He stood in his saddle to get a better look. ¡°Is that a boy or a girl? It''s genuinely hard to tell from here.¡±


    ¡°He is a boy, sir. I confirmed it for myself.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can keep him if you follow regulations.¡± Regulation did exist to allow soldiers to keep slaves, but they had to pay their comrades back for their loss. ¡°But you''re into that type, lieutenant.¡±


    She averted her eyes. ¡°I''m not judging you,¡± he shrugged. ¡°I''m into younger girls myself.¡±


    ¡°Would you like to partake in some of our prizes, sir?¡±


    Valerius shook his head. ¡°I no longer take my pleasures on the battlefield ever since a woman tried to cut my cock off.¡± Valerius lashed the reins of his horse and galloped off satisfied. His companions fell in around him, protecting him from all sides as they rode.


    Companion Cavalry consisted of 20 elite soldiers sworn to protect and die for their charge, generally a general of the army. They did everything together. They slept together. They fought together. They died together. Valerius'' companion cavalry had been constant companions for a while after becoming a major general, but they were still close and loyal.


    The leader of his companions, Michael, rode his horse so that they were side by side. He was a big man¡ª7 feet tall and massive in girth¡ªbut it was all pure muscle. His helmet covered his shaggy black hair but not his smiling black eyes. ¡°General, why didn''t you admit you didn''t want to cheat on Lady Luce again?¡± Michael asked while laughing.


    Valerius shrugged. ¡°It would seem unmanly for me to admit that, like Luce had unmanned me,¡± he replied. The friendly teasing lifted his mood a bit. ¡°Those damned Redtowers, cowards.¡± The source of all his frustration is that bad reports kept coming in from the southern border. But his ability to go to the southern border aid was hampered by the Kingdom of Redtowers. Valerius wanted a swift victory against his enemies so he could march quickly to aid the southern border. But after assembling their army, Redtowers marched incredibly slowly. They probably knew his desire to end the battle quickly and hoped he crossed the Great Alloro River. He would never do something so stupid, but his hand might be forced at the same time.


    As a result, he ordered his men to burn and loot what they could in the hopes that Redtowers would come faster. Unfortunately, it didn''t seem to have much effect, as the enemy still marched at a snail''s pace. ¡°If we don''t get a move on, the southern border will be overrun.¡± He said worriedly to Michael. The whole reason for their trip today was to inspect the bridge crossing the river. If his army were to cross, it would offer a perfect opportunity for the enemy to attack with his men divided by the river.


    Michael Shrugged: ¡°Isn''t that why we''re hanging those people?¡± He gestured behind him. ¡°If we can''t make them come running with burning fields, we will make them come running with hanging nobles,¡± he said while laughing.


    ¡°I hope it all works out that easily,¡± Valerius replied, concerned. Ayers was a small trading town without any defenses. It primarily served as a market town for all of the nearby villages to come and trade their food and goods. At this point, they were put on a ship in the town to sail downriver to Cachexia. It also provided other services to the nearby villages, which had a population of around 3,000. It now served as the main base of operation for Valerius¡¯ Army.


    Just as they were entering the outskirts of town, Charles rode his usual horse, a chestnut charger, straight for Valerius. ¡°What''s up, cuz?¡± Valerius asked, relaxed.


    Charles got straight to the point: ¡°The Irregulars have fallen. Antlatur is now in the Black Valley.¡±


    On the 8th day of the month, the second division departed from the capital, Lapetra, with 11,000 soldiers, including two brigades and the division''s knight battalion. They had been held up by the council''s needless worries about an Uscan Union invasion. Only after the queen stepped in directly were they allowed to get going finally. They marched southward but only made it to Grastide on the 10th day of the month. There they joined up with an additional brigade and Reserve Army Brigade raising their total force to 21,000, although some of those men were unreliable.


    During the conquest of the region by Antlatur, they had put most of the cities to the torch. They needed a new base to rule from. So the city of Grastide was constructed primarily due to its proximity to Antlatur and due to the Black Valley, the most fertile region in the Norost mountain ranges. Grastide was once the largest city in the region thanks to its ideal location and favorable treatment by the first Archduke. But under the incompetent reign of his son, Theamor the Tyrant, the city fell into disrepair, with most people leaving for the city of Lapetra in the North.


    During the rebellion, the city was one of the few that remained loyal to the tyrant because of their long-term favorable treatment by the archdukes. As a result, it had a complicated relationship with the kingdom of Black and was generally treated unfavorably in its politics. It also fell further into disrepair under the kingdom of Black. Not only did its favorable policies end, but the Black Valley became the new frontline in a series of wars, with Antlatur being frequently burned down. Francis''s plane became the new most fertile region, and the second was the Black Knife River. Despite this, the city was still the second-largest city in the Kingdom and an important military base for securing the Black Valley.


    Livia Tallwood was in a dilemma when she arrived; the Antlatur forces had already entered the Black Valley. She could be surrounded and annihilated if she rushed to reinforce the border fortresses. Meanwhile, if she did nothing, the third division would be surrounded by their fortresses and slowly wiped out. Normally, this would be good as she could lead her men to relieve them once the enemy was exhausted, but they had 120,000 soldiers. The third division and her forces were put together and would still have less than 40,000. Even if the first division were to join, they still wouldn''t have half the strength of the Antlatur forces. She also hesitated for another reason, and that was that she understood this war was no mere border skirmish. If they lost it would likely mean the end of the kingdom of Black.


    Livia was not an inexperienced commander; she''d won victories both as a supreme commander and subordinate. But she never felt that the weight of the entire nation was resting on her shoulders; she always felt that someone, even if she failed drastically, would fix the problem. But even if Valerius were a God of War, as some of his men claimed, he would need every sword to drive off this invasion. She couldn''t waste an entire division on a reckless gamble, so she hesitated till the 11th day of the month when the golden stallion decided for her.


    He split off 30,000 of his troops, and they marched for Grastide; they set up camp only a mile away. She was tempted to emerge and fight him but ultimately decided against it, so the stalemate continued. She also decided to send Prince Francis, who had arrived in Grastide before her and had been demanding that she March to the aid of the Black Valley fortresses back to the capital before they were cut off.

 Chapter 7: High tensions

    Chapter 7: High tensions


    <h2 style="text-align: center">The Month of Ninsum Day 12 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar</h2>


    Dominic sat up as usual. He needed to support himself with the cushion looking out the window he squinted his baby eyes against the bright sunlight. He was watching the training of the soldiers as he usually did, but the soldier''s training was unusual. It was unusual in the sense of tension that each man carried it would have been unnoticeable unless he''d seen the training before. It''s like two shades of the same color that you didn''t realize were different until someone put them side by side. The training was the same those training were the same the equipment and even the patch of Muddy grass that they used were all the same and yet it was completely different.


    The soldiers advanced in heavy infantry equipment brandishing wooden swords rather than regular ones. It was two platoons of heavy Infantry who were sparring against each other today. They charged in a formation that was four ranks deep and 10 men wide a few men on both sides remaining close to the rear, mages Dominic knew but he had never seen them actually engage in training it might have been too dangerous for just a training exercise. Once the two formations collided the soldiers running at each other created a huge moment when they collided, and chaos briefly erupted. Some soldiers were hit with swords covered in powder at which point they withdrew from the battlefield and received medical treatment. But both sides quickly stabilized their formations and continued fighting.


    Dominic turned his attention away from it as he''d seen it far too many times for it to be interesting anymore, this was the most common form of training that they engaged in. The entire residence had the same air of tension as the soldiers for some time now. It started ever since that time on the lawn. It had affected everyone, even Luce and Nora had been negatively impacted by it. Making things worse Dominic became sick during this period running one of his familiar high fevers. He had been frequently sick ever since his birth and this time was not particularly different. yet it set already high tensions a blaze within the residence.


    Especially since every time he was sick, Nora would also get worried for a 2-year-old she could be perceptive. Her frequent visits to the nursery became practically living there and she would constantly stare at him with a worried expression like she thought he was going to die. This coupled with whatever was causing the adult stress already and his sickness resulted in the residents falling into a brief state of panic. This panic subsided after he got better but Nora probably picked up on the concern around her and continued her visits.


    Dominic of course didn''t mind since it gave him something to do other than worry. He didn''t fully understand the conversation that Luce had with the soldier, but he was smart enough to know that it wasn''t anything good. The soldiers were training more intensely and with greater ferocity. Dominic had a pretty good guess that it had something to do with war although he didn''t know anything else. Wars were a common occurrence in Dominic''s previous life. But being an American from modern times had blessed him so that he never experienced a nation-scale conflict before, So he couldn''t say for sure having never lived through a real war before.


    ¡°Flick.¡± Dominic turned around to see the only person who called him like that Nora. She was staring at him in the same worried manner she always did or maybe she picked up on his concerns. She called him Flick thanks to her lisp, and shortened his name.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Norw,¡± Dominic called out with his own lisp. Dominic could speak he just rarely chose to although many people were probably under the impression that he was mute. Hearing him speak she gave a relieved smile. She held out a toy soldier for Dominic making noises and gestures that Dominic Easily understood. It wasn''t mind reading it was just that he was used to it. He looked at his maid Jane who knew what he wanted instantly that might have actually been telepathy. She picked him up lifted him from the window seat and placed him on the ground next to Nora who happily pushed over the box of toy soldiers for his perusal.


    The toy soldiers were incredibly intricate in design and numerous in quantity. They were not made of plastic like the soldiers in Dominic''s previous life instead they were made of stone, wood, bone, and Metal. They were painted and some of them even had gemstone eyes. some of them even had attachable weapons, although that was only a few of them. There were three types Dominic had noticed.


    The main difference between the two was the color one was painted green well the other was painted red. The last kind was the type of soldier that Dominic was used to seeing around the residents. These soldiers were more intricately designed they weren''t just painted all black instead they had faces and their shields were painted with golden crowns dripping blood onto their black backgrounds. They were also more worn than their counterparts these were likely hand-me-downs.


    Dominic had once used these toy soldiers to make a replica Battlefield primarily out of boredom. Nora repeatedly asked for him to do it again Dominic generally obliged her. It should have been difficult for a baby like himself to do but Dominic lacked health and stamina but he made up with dexterity, primarily due to his training. This time he chose the red pieces to go against the black. He formed the red pieces into a standard line of archers in the front heavy infantry behind them and Cavalry to the wings. But he formed the black pieces into an oblique formation or formation concentrated on their right-wing with their Heavy horse on their wings. He then made the formations fight each other similar to the ancient Greek battle of Leuctra where the oblique formation originated. He pushed forward the right wing while hanging back the center and left of the black forces.


    Nora happily clapped her hands and even helped Dominic knock over the red pieces as he moved the formation along. Dominic rearranged the formation this time matching the Battle of Cannae before doing it again differently. Nora started arranging her own formations while Dominic watched and helped her.


    Dominic was acting strange for a child but had long given up acting childishly funnily enough no one seemed to mind him acting maturely almost as if it was normal. This strengthened Dominic''s belief about other potential reincarnators, or maybe people in this world were just precocious. Nora seemed to be quite precocious herself so maybe they were just used to babies acting like 20-year-olds. Dominic neither had enough acting ability nor enough desire to act like a baby and at this point, it was also far too late.


    Dominic continued playing with his energetic younger sister for a few hours. Eventually, Nora grew tired, and her maid started trying to take her away but Nora stopped her. She approached Dominic and hugged him it almost felt like she was cuddling with a stuffed animal. Dominic lacked the control capable of reciprocating her hug, so he just sat there. This has become a common occurrence recently which led to Dominic''s continued belief of Nora''s precociousness.


    After she left Dominic looked at Jane who returned him to his window seat and he resumed staring at the world outside. ¡°I wonder if I look like a philosophical baby.¡± Dominic thought distractedly. Dominic smiled self-deprecatingly ¡°And I''m still here powerless as ever.¡±

 Chapter 8: The Siege of Eldon Gate

    Chapter 8: The Siege of Eldon Gate


    <h2 style="text-align: center">The Month of Ninsum Day 14 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar</h2>


    Eldon¡¯s Gate was constructed to guard the most significant mountain pass into the Black Valley. The pass was wide enough that ten wagons could pass side by side simultaneously. In addition, it had little of an incline, making it the most convenient method for marching a large army or supplies into the Norost mountains. This made it a strategic target for anyone seeking to invade the kingdom of Black from the South.


    Contrary to its name, the ¡°Gate,¡± the Fortress was constructed on a cliff overlooking the mountain pass. Anyone attempting to pass through the mountains would be subjected to a hail of arrows and Magic from the castle.


    Eldon¡¯s Gate was surrounded by a massive outer curtain wall, 30 feet tall and 10 feet thick. The wall was constructed of thick black stones that comprised the entirety of Norost mountains. On the side facing the mountain pass, the cliff made it an additional climb of at least 20 feet.


    Eldon''s Gate''s main feature and fortification was on that same side: a massive drum Tower jutting out over the mountain pass like a small mountain itself. The top of the tower was crowned with a conical roof. On top of the pointed roof, the banner of the Kingdom of Black flapped. Smaller towers rimmed the curtain wall on the mountainside and the Cliffside. There was only one gate to the castle.


    Several of these were magic towers built by Tower Mages of the Kingdom. These Tower Mages raised a huge anti-magic barrier over the Fortress, preventing any spells from smashing their walls. Even if a force of Mages a hundred times that of the Defenders bombarded the magic barrier, they wouldn''t be able to break it, thanks to the quality of magic towers.


    The Fortress took three years to build, and according to some whispers among the soldiers, it had also taken the same number of years of the national budget. It stood as a testament to the magnitude of the Kingdom of Black''s desire to keep the invading Antlatur out. Roderick knew that the Fortress had never been taken in Siege before. The Fortress had several large granaries, the largest of which was located in the Drum Tower. This kept the Garrison well supplied for a long Siege; it also kept the Garrison down, only numbering 2000. Roderick had also picked these men himself from the best and bravest of the third division but he still had no confidence in holding the Fortress.


    The Antlatur besiegers had been growing in number for the past few days, starting with only maybe 30,000. However, that number had now ballooned to 90,000. Which meant only one thing- the other fortresses had fallen. The third division only had 12,000 men divided among several small and large fortifications across the border. Although not quite as strong as Eldon''s gate, these fortifications should have bought time and held on for a lot longer than they did. But Roderick still needed more confidence in the men he sent to these fortresses.


    The third division comprised the dregs, both in officers and soldiers. The First or the Second Division didn''t want these soldiers for poor performance or bad behavior. Usually, the soldiers would have been sent to the reserves; however, after raising the third division, they were promoted to full-fledged soldiers. These were hardly men who could be relied upon. In addition, the officers were in the same circumstances. They were people that the first or second divisions, for whatever reason, didn''t want. These garrisons might have surrendered for all he knew, not that he did know since the enemy had cut him off from the outside world.


    He might have one of the most formidable strongholds in the entirety of the Eastern continent, but he didn''t have enough men to defend it against 90,000 soldiers. Of course, this might be a fake-out, as the enemy sets up more tents than they had troops for. But even then, he doubted his ability to defend Eldon''s gate. He glanced up at the blue sky above him, but there weren''t any white clouds; instead, he saw a few dark ones. ¡°I suppose there''s no better time to die for one''s Nation.¡± Roderick had spent the past few days raising the morale of his troops, and even if they were the dregs, most of them would likely fight to the death.


    It was only just past Dawn when the Antlatur attack began. They can only attack from three directions, as one was facing the Mountain Pass. The enemy had brought catapults. Although not as powerful as trebuchets, they still flung heavy rocks at the wall, which primarily smashed harmlessly against the thick walls.


    The main assault came in three waves, starting with the archers, javelin throwers, and finally, the heavy Infantry. Antlatur came in teams of two. The first team carried shields and the second cowered behind the first, holding a heavy sack. The sacks would be used to fill in the trench in front of the curtain wall. The first two waves of archers and javelin throwers were meant to suppress the archers on the wall.


    However, Roderick was an experienced Commander, and he''d already expected the enemy to use such a tactic, so he positioned all his archers in the towers, where they were protected. He equipped his heavy infantry with crossbows. Crossbows were much less dangerous than bows, as they could be infused with a lot less Magic given the smaller size of bolts. They also generally couldn''t be enchanted like arrows. However, crossbows took little training. Roderick trained his men on how to use crossbows just for this moment. So, the enemy archers and Javelin throwers would have a much harder time punching through the heavy equipment of his Infantry.


    The Archers began firing from their towers, protected from enemy fire, while he had the Infantry use their crossbows. The Archers had been told ahead of time to focus on the enemy archers and Javelin throwers. This was for the sole purpose of killing them, killing as many enemies as possible. Roderick no longer cared about winning; he only cared about taking as many enemies as possible to the Grave.


    The archers in Javelin throwers had armor, and the enemy heavy infantry had Shields, but screams would ring whenever a bolt or an arrow found a gap in their defenses. Roderick was on the front line wielding a crossbow. Besides him, his aide-de-camp Frederick Loumire was also wielding a crossbow.


    Frederick fired his crossbow, which streaked red as it traveled through the air. It smashed into an Antlatur magic Shield, shattering it in one blow. Roderick pulled the trigger on his crossbow. He aimed his bolt perfectly. It flew directly for the same Soldier who had just had his Magic Shield broken by Frederick. The boat flew through the air, pulled down by gravity. It went below the man''s heater Shield and pierced directly into his unarmored thigh. He screamed as he fell to the ground.


    After firing, Roderick put his crossbow to the ground and pulled the lever back, successfully cocking the crossbow; after that, he slid a bolt into the stock. The whole process took only 4 seconds. Roderick had been trained on the crossbow for years, although it still wasn''t his weapon of choice.


    Antlatur continued pressing forward despite the casualties. When the men with the sacks reached the trench, they threw them in before running back as fast as they could. Roderick estimated that 1/4 of the enemies had been killed or injured just in this run alone, and judging by the looks of it, they would need at least four more runs before they filled the trench up.


    The enemy Javelin throwers and archers did some damage to his own forces, but the arrows primarily glanced off their armor and only left minor injuries. While the javelin throwers did some damage, they took heavy casualties. Thanks to the black archers. Wave after wave of Infantry crashed against the walls, filling the trenches and retreating as fast as they''d come. They left scattered under the wall, hundreds of injured and dead. A few tried to help their comrades, but most of them didn''t make it back alive.


    Antlatur paid a bloody price, but ultimately, they filled the trench. Their attack then began in earnest as units of soldiers carried Siege ladders to the walls while a battering ram was pushed up against the gate. The mountain prevented heavier Siege equipment like Siege Towers from being brought up against the walls, but a battering ram and ladders were still a threat. So the Blacks responded by firing bolts and arrows, lobbing anything that they could find, especially anything flammable, at the enemy forces.


    They managed to do some damage, but ultimately, the ladder still made it to the wall. Despite their best efforts to push them down in some places, Antlaturs made it to the top of the wall. But time after time, they were driven back. This process repeated itself numerous times, and neither side could gain a definitive advantage.  Infusing his Blade with magic, Roderick stabbed a man who had just finished climbing the ladder. He stabbed from the side, which wasn''t protected by his shield. He aimed for his neck, unprotected by his helmet. The sword plunged through the man''s neck, and he ripped it out. In death, his fingers clutching the ladder loosened, and he slipped from it, falling and colliding with another man behind him.


    But Roderick knew that this was only the beginning. He glanced over the chaotic battlefield, where enemy soldiers were swarming the ladders and raising new ones. His eyes landed on the battering ram approaching the gate. The Gatehouse had two towers full of archers. Despite the heavy fire, the battering ram still reached the gate.


    ¡°Frederick,¡± he shouted. Take any reserve knights and sally out of the sally port. Smash that battering ram.¡± It was a mission on which he would almost certainly die, but Frederick saluted without a word and ran down the steps to the yard below. ¡°May Noel''s Gates open to you.¡± he prayed for Frederick before he died.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Frederick found knights just like he had been ordered to. Some of these knights had yet to go to battle, and some returned because they were injured only to be healed. He managed to scrounge up just under 36 of these knights to join him on his suicide mission. The sally port was wide enough for one man riding a horse the pass. The walls traveling through were lined with murder holes, and two gates blocked their path. The last gate was guarded by a knight, especially a sign to guard this particular gate and open it for any allies.


    Frederick rode in front; usually, this wouldn''t be advisable, but this was a suicide mission with one clearly stated goal. Even if he died, it wouldn''t have affected much. The arrow slits around the sally port prevented any significant concentration of forces. So, the group rode freely outside of the Fortress.


    ¡°On me, on me!¡± Frederick shouted once he reached the no man''s land between the walls and the enemy lines. There was no point in positioning soldiers in this no man''s land as they would get shot for no reason; instead, the reserves would reinforce the assault whenever more troops were needed. As a result, no one was there to stop them from assembling in that no man''s land. Frederick noticed out of his eye that the enemy reserves were moving. He also saw one of the assault captains yelling something, but he didn''t care.


    The enemy Javelin throwers did start throwing at them, but the knights'' heavy armor and high levels of magic prevented them from doing much damage. Knights were nobles who would awaken their magic at a young age, so they had longer to train and grow their magic than ordinary soldiers¡ªmaking it difficult for regular soldiers to do real damage even with heavy weapons.


    Frederick pointed at the man he named Vice Captain. He didn''t even know the man''s name. But he appeared to be in his 40s, so he had just been named Vice Captain because he was the oldest person in the group. He also had the blue turtle of House Seamond. ¡°Take the rear,¡± he shouted to be heard over the noise. I''ll take the front, and if I die.¡±


    ¡°I''ll take command, sir, and smash the battering ram at all costs,¡± the knight of Seamond shouted back.


    ¡°Good man. Let''s go make these Antlatur bastards know the meaning of our words!¡± He shouted loud enough for the whole unit to hear before raising his Lance and screaming at the top of his lungs. ¡°Charge for the battering ram for the kingdom of black.¡±


    ¡°Noel!¡± they shouted back the name of the Kingdom''s Patron God.


    Frederick looked at them and nodded before they''d been scared, but now the adrenaline was pumping through their veins, and their patriotism had been ignited. He felt his own adrenaline pumping through his veins and washing away any remaining doubt or hesitation. Frederick served in the military for 11 years. He had learned how to die a long time ago. ¡°They''re nothing like the gilded Knights of Antlatur. These are brave men. Together, we can make this a battle worth singing about.¡±


    The Cavalry skillfully rode their horses around the curtain wall, avoiding the Infantry assaulting the walls and the javelins thrown at them. As they rounded the bend, the battering ram, which had just reached the wall, came into view. Frederick raised his Lance and lowered it. ¡°Charge!¡±


    ¡°Noel,¡± the Knights of Black screamed out their war cry. The mage Frederick had brought along with him cast an antimagic barrier, protecting the cavalry from any surprise magic attacks. As their Battle Cry rang out, the battering ram crew noticed them hastily grabbing for Shields and swords, trying to get into formation, but it was far too late.


    The distance between the cavalry and the battering ram closed quickly to 200 ft 100 ft. By that time, Frederick could see that they were scared, and rightly so, a knight in full plate could quickly kill five ordinary soldiers. Although the age of knights single-handedly turning the tide of a battlefield had ended, ordinary soldiers were still not their match, especially without a proper formation. One smarter or more cowardly soldier, sometimes it''s hard to tell the difference, dropped his shield and sword, turned, and ran.


    ¡°When one runs, they all run.¡± Frederick thought with savage glee. The quote by countless generals and officers proved its truth once more as more men threw down their swords and ran for the hills.


    Their officer desperately yelled something, trying to get them back into the formation or what formation he had to begin with, but to no avail.


    Frederick''s Cavalry crashed into the few brave enough or the few slow enough not to have fled yet. Frederick thrust his Lance forward at the right man. He blocked it with his shield, but the forces of the blow still broke Lance and sent the man stumbling onto his rear. He thought he heard the snap, but he might have been mistaken. Another soldier in front of him slashed at his horse. Little did he know his horse was a war horse. His horse was trained to kick and bite, and that''s becoming a weapon unto itself. His horse did just that and caved the man''s skull in, Helmet and all.


    Frederick drew his Cavalry saber and rode his horse towards the officer in charge. The Kingdom of Black distinguished its officers and knights simply with red cloaks from the ordinary soldiers'' black cloaks. Although knights and officers were permitted to wear their house emblem, it was confined to a small brooch, and for everything else, they had to wear the banner of the Kingdom. Antlatur Nobles prefer the old feudal style, wearing highly decorated armor suits and gem-encrusted swords. The officer in question wore gold-trimmed armor and a helmet. He had a sword encrusted with a ruby. His house symbol was worn proudly on his breastplate, three white seashells.


    The officer brandished and infused his sword with Mana. Frederick''s sneered under his helmet. His mana was lacking, and he wasn''t a competent officer, as most of his men had fled in fear. ¡°He''s far too green to be my opponent.¡± Frederick moved forward and slashed his sword. The man blocked it with his heater shield and then stabbed his sword toward Frederick, who maneuvered out of the way before slashing again. They continued this deadly dance for five more turns before Frederick broke the man''s mana shield.


    A person can only use about 50% of their Mana. If they used more, most people would faint or even die. A person''s skill was often determined by how they could utilize their Mana most efficiently. The shield was only there to protect someone from being instantly killed, and it was imperfect as a first layer of armor. But this officer wasn''t skilled, as he utilized at least 20% of his total Mana on his shield alone. They were leaving him lacking in physical augmentation or blade infusion. Within three more blows, Frederick''s blade went through the man''s neck, and his body spasmed, spurting out blood before falling to the ground and twitching. Frederick might have kept him for ransom, but if he had taken him hostage, he just would have been released.


    Once the man was dead, whatever troops had stayed around and hadn''t been killed yet quickly fled, leaving only the battering ram. Frederick saw his men go after the fleeing enemies. ¡°don''t pursue!¡± he yelled. Some heard him and came back, but two of the knights kept up their pursuit either because they didn''t hear him or didn''t care. But Frederick had no time to worry about them.


    Frederick yelled at the mage, ¡°Blow that thing up or set it on fire. Take your pick. Just destroy it.¡±


    ¡°I can''t, sir, someone is casting anti-magic.¡± Frederick glanced at the battering ram but saw no one hiding in it.


    However, the knight of Seamond yelled, ¡°The enemy Mage is hiding in the roof of the battering ram.¡± He pointed at 2 of the other knights: ¡°You and you. Get in there and kill him.¡± The two knights pointed out, hastily dismounted and rushed over, peering under the battering ram. Sure enough, they yanked down a mage who attempted to use magic on them, but a gauntlet fist to the face quickly shut him up.


    The knights looked like they were going to take him prisoner, so Frederick quickly yelled, ¡°Don''t bother, just kill him.¡± One of them grunted with dissatisfaction but still drew his dagger and plunged it into the man''s throat. He glanced at the mage. ¡°Blow it up now.¡± the man had raised his wand again before Frederick could even finish speaking.


    ¡°Everyone get back. I''m going to use Fireball.¡± It took him a minute to cast the spell. Mages were generally categorized by the tier of spell they could cast. Typically, one''s actual tier was lower by one for their practical tier as it took them too long to cast, but it only took him about 30 seconds to cast Fireball. This means that his practical ability was close to that of third-tier Magic. Frederick felt terrible about getting such a talented Mage killed.


    After everyone stood back, the mage said, ¡°Fireball!¡± A magic circle, about 3 inches wide with eight glyphs on it, appeared in front of his wand. After a second, a ball of fire about the size of a man''s head appeared and shot towards the battering ram. The fireball exploded, destroying the battering ram and many of the dirtbags they''ve used to cross the trench in front of the drawbridge. The fireball left nothing of the battering ram but charred remains and ashes.


    ¡°Should we return to the sally port?¡± one of the knights asked nervously. Behind them, a unit that had previously assaulted the wall was forming, blocking their path to sally port. They lost one knight in charge 2, running off in pursuit of the enemy, and several others were injured. In addition, their trump card would be useless as Frederick could see that the unit forming up had already put up an anti-magic barrier. If they charge them, they might break through, but it would come with significant casualties, and other units would arrive to reinforce them.


    Frederick shook his head no before speaking and pointing his sword. ¡°Look there, and the golden stallion has dispatched his so-called Antler Knights.¡± A group of knights had been dispatched from the enemy Siege line, presumably to stop Frederick and his men''s rampage. They were still getting into formation, but Frederick, with his enhanced vision, could see their armor clearly¡ªdark green with gold accents and golden antlers off their great helms. Frederick heard rumors about this unit; they were knights that the King Antlatur personally selected. But worse, they were at least 300 strong.


    Frederick looked at all his men. ¡°I won''t blame any of you for surrendering, but we won''t make it back alive. The rest of you, we''re going to charge the antler knights and take as many of them down to the underworld with us as we possibly can.¡± Frederick reined his horse forward and turned around, every single one of them following him. He gave them a single nod. One knight started speaking ¡°it''s an honor to¡­¡± Frederick raised the hand ¡°no more words need to be spoken.¡± He turned back around in his saddle and raised his sword.


    Frederick''s attack bought more time for the Defenders, But ultimately, the delay didn''t last. Another battering ram was brought up, and the assault by ladder continued. By the time the new battering ram had made it to the gate, there were no additional reserves to send to drive it away. The fighting continued into the afternoon until the ram finally bashed down the gate. Even then, Roderick gathered up whatever injured soldiers he could and made a desperate last stand in front of the gate. Those soldiers bought another hour.


    However, the end for the Eldon Gate Defenders came when the catapults destroyed a section of the northern wall. There were no additional reserves to send to stop the oncoming tide of attackers, and what was left of the garrison surrendered, retreated to the Fortress underground, the Drum Tower, or were killed. Roderick himself became a prisoner of the enemy despite his best efforts.

 Chapter 9: The Golden Stallions War Council

    <h2 style="text-align: center">Chapter 9: The Golden Stallions War Council</h2>


    <h2 style="text-align: center">The Month of Ninsum Day 15 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar</h2>


    It took the remainder of the 14th day of the month to clear out the remaining Garrison of Eldon¡¯s gate. The Garrison had fled to portions of the Underground and the Drum Tower, where they held individual rooms and passageways, fearlessly fighting to the death. By sunset on the 14th, the Antlaturs had destroyed these pockets of resistance. All 2000 members of the Garrison were either killed or captured; however, it did come at a cost for the attackers. They lost 5,000 soldiers. Although healing Magic could heal most injuries, a severed limb or a gouged-out eye couldn''t be healed without high-level healing magic, which they didn''t have access to, and nothing could heal death.


    But overall, the casualties could be said to be with an expectation, and with this defeat, all of the fortresses in the Black Valley had fallen to the Antlatur. It could be said that they occupied the entire Valley as they had already occupied all the towns and villages, with many of them being looted before the siege of Eldon¡¯s Gate. Overall, in these sieges, they had lost 15,000 soldiers, primarily at the siege of Eldon''s gate, as most of the other garrisons had only put up a slight resistance. Given that they were attacking several well-fortified positions, this could Considered an excellent victory for them.


    Andrew sank comfortably into the chair''s leather at the Eldon¡¯s gate Chamber Of War. Chambers of War existed in most castles and fortresses across all human lands. They were traditionally built in the days of the first human empire. The one at Eldon''s gate was relatively small and generally could only see a maximum of around 30 people. There were no windows in the rectangular room, and the Chamber was located in the central drum Tower of the gate. Once upon a time, the banner of the Kingdom of Black had hung behind the head of the table, but now it was the banner of the Kingdom of Antlatur. Alongside it was the pennant of Andrew. A pennant was similarly a tradition of the first Empire, first utilized by The Demon King. It had one''s symbol in their Nation''s colors and generally their nickname if they had one. Andrew had emblazoned on his the golden antler of his kingdom on a Green Field, and below it in Gold lettering was written The Golden Stallion. A pennant was generally shaped like a square held up by a long pole, which was held behind the general himself.


    He would have liked to hold this meeting in the Audience Hall, but Eldon¡¯s gate didn''t have one. The officers of his army had gathered except for the first prince of Cabela, Rickard Cabela. Who was a part of the detachment holding down the Garrison at Gratide, which included all the reinforcements sent by the Affiliated Kingdom of Cabela. The detachment number is 30,000 strong. The remaining 75,000 had gathered in a camp outside of Eldon¡¯s Gate. The officers of the Expedition had gathered in the chamber for a meeting to discuss their next moves.


    All of the Kings or Representatives of the Affiliated kingdoms of Antlatur were present and accounted for, except for Cabela¡ªthe sister Nations of Monica and Unica. The two most powerful of the Affiliated kingdoms, both formerly a part of Cygnets Kingdom before its divide. The Emmon Kingdom And the Kingdom of Hayton. Despite their common Origins, the two kingdoms were constantly at each other''s throats, frequently forcing their mother Kingdom to settle their disputes. Finally, in the Kingdom of Esterberg, most people within Antlatur and their alliance view this Kingdom with the most distrust as they frequently switched sides during Antlatur''s war with the kingdom of Triton. Each of these nations had sent reinforcements led by a royal in response to the call of the kingdom of Antlatur. However, each did so more or less unwillingly, as they would gain almost nothing during the conflict. Even if they won, all they could expect for it was dead soldiers and expenses.


    The Army''s composition at initial formation was 10,000 for Cabela, 15,000 each from Emmon and Hayton, 10,000 from Unica, and only 5,000 for Monica. Five thousand came from the kingdom of Esterberg. Esterberg could have sent more troops, but they had to stay on guard against the kingdom of Triton. In total, the Allies provided 50,000 soldiers. They could have provided more, but Antlatur chose not to exhaust them. There was also the simple unwillingness of the Allies to put in their total effort. The remaining 70,000 soldiers came entirely from the kingdom of Antlatur.


    Only the Affiliated Kingdoms generals and their immediate aide-de-camp were allowed to attend the meeting. Antlatur Generals filled the rest of the seats. The kingdom of Monica had sent a young 17-year-old, Stephron, their kingdom''s 31st Prince. The king of Monica was known as a lustful and greedy man, and he was also one of the kings who was initially be opposed to the rule of Andrew. Monica could have sent a lot more soldiers. The fact that they sent such a young and low-ranking prince as their General, as well as so few soldiers, was taken as an insult by the Antlaturs.


    Meanwhile, the kingdom of Unica sent his eldest son, the 33-year-old Prince Jacob, who had a wealth of battlefield experience. The kingdoms of Monica and Unica were branches of the kingdom of Antlatur. Thus, the two princes were related to Andrew and shared his looks: tall with a slightly stocky frame, short copper-blonde hair, and emerald eyes. However, their handsomeness dims in comparison to Andrew.


    The famed Lion of Unica, Anthony Salzburg, was attending the Prince of Unica as his aide. A man in his mid-50s, his gold hair started to turn silver at its roots, but even for all that, his past handsomeness, which had won him the heart of the princess of Unica, was still present. If anything, age had only refined his good looks. But the man''s skill with a sword and commanding armies was legendary. Even the equally famed golden stallion and the equally experienced General Niances respected the Lion of Unica.


    The kings of Emmon and Hayton both decided to attend the campaign personally. But that was only because the king of Emmon, Thomas Emmon, a 23-year-old out of some folly of youth, decided to go personally, and the king of Hayton, Cleos Hayton, had to respond in kind, given their rivalry. Both had the Kingdom of Cygnets'' pale silver hair and blue eyes. Similarly, they were both small and slight with feminine faces, so one would almost mistake them for women.


    Neither was known for their wartime accomplishments, but they received aid from experienced generals.


    The Queen of Esterberg came in person to display her loyalty to her Mother State. She was a woman in her 60s nicknamed Gatehouse Morella for her willingness to open her gates to the enemies she''d been fighting 5 minutes ago and the gates to her bed chambers. It was said that she slept with Andrew''s father when he''d marched into the city and then with the prince of Triton after he defeated the Antlaturs in battle as she surrendered. Tearing up the agreement she had just signed. But her days of beauty were now passed. Her blonde hair was now silver, and her beautiful face was wrinkled. She brought her 20-year-old son; he had all the good looks she''d once possessed, with a long beard and hair like a lion''s mane.


    The generals for Antlatur were superior to all of the affiliate kingdoms'' representatives. The first was Andrew''s younger sister, Linnea Antlatur, general of the first division of Antlatur. She had her family''s gold hair and green eyes and was generally considered a Peerless Beauty, but she was also her brother''s closest and most trusted General.


    Lucius Alvarius, Major General of the Third Division, was a close friend of Andrew. The two men were of similar age, and Lucius was a long-time supporter.


    Philip Westerdale was Major General of the Fourth Division. He was also a representative of the Old Guard, a group that hadn''t been too supportive of Andrew until his victories. Philip looked like he''d aged ten years in a single day, and the main reason was that his nephew had died during The Siege of Eldon¡¯s Gate.


    Herbert Blueline, the commander of the 7th division, was attended by his brother Horace Blueline. Despite not being twins, the two looked so similar that most people mistook them for twins. With black hair, a bluish tint, squarish faces, and thick lips, neither was much to look upon. House Blueline was a long-standing military family, so the two received a strict education and had been close to Andrew and his sister since childhood.


    The 6th division, along with the Brigade from the 7th under the command of the Seasoned General Falcus Ormond, was currently in Camp outside of Grastide, pinning The Garrison in place.


    Zach Pickett was tall and slender, like a knife, but did not lack muscle on top of that; he was handsome in the youthfully manly sort of way, which indicated he probably wouldn''t be that handsome for long. He was Andrew''s trusted Cavalier captain and had already won numerous achievements for himself. Although he was the lowest-ranking man here, he only held the rank of lieutenant colonel.


    Finally, General Niances was taken along this time. He hadn''t been taken along as any particular Commander but instead is more of an advisor to Andrew at his mother''s insistence. Niances and Andrew didn''t get along particularly well. One of the main reasons was Niances conservatism And the fact that he was the leader of the old guards, a group that still hadn''t entirely accepted Andrew as king, primarily for his youth. Andrew felt anger at this group, as he had accomplished more in his short life than most of them had, yet they still dared to look down on him for being young. Even then, Andrew respected the old man.


    The Chamber of War had been rearranged into a temporary audience hall so Andrew could greet the highest-ranking captive, Roderick Brune. Roderick was a man who was supposed to be 35. However, he looked to be 45. His black hair was already beginning to show white caps, and his craggy face didn''t do him any favors. He''d been dragged from the dungeons of the castle he''d only recently commanded for this audience and gave everyone a good look at the injuries he''d sustained during The Siege. His left hand had been cut off, his right eye had similarly been slashed with a sword, and when they found him, he''d been covered in several more minor injuries. Most of these injuries had already been healed, but some injuries, including his hand and eye, couldn''t be healed. He was not much of a looker, but now he could be considered blatantly disfigured. Even with all that, when he was brought into the room still in chains, everyone could feel the aura of the seasoned warrior and battle commander.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Upon seeing Andrew, Roderick sneered, his thin lips twisting mockingly. He was brought down the rows of officers who looked upon him with pitying or scornful eyes. Before he arrived in front of Andrew''s chair, who stared down at him with an interested gaze, he started to understand why the sieges of the Black Valley were so brutal on his troops. ¡°Roderick, House Brune betrayed the kingdom of Antlatur during the Rebellion. However, that was your father''s work. I believe that his son does not inherit the sins of a father, so you may always return to your home country.¡±


    There was a moment of silence in the room as everyone digested what Andrew had just said. He hadn''t discussed it with anyone beforehand. However, he was interested in recruiting Roderick. He had once been the governor of Grastide and was a prominent General in the Black Army. He was skilled in both civil and military arts. Although not particularly famous, most people within and without the Kingdom of Black held his abilities in high regard, and that number included Andrew. The first reaction was Philip Westerdale, who pushed over his chair in his rage. ¡°Are you fucking mad!¡± he jabbed a finger at Roderick. ¡°This man led a garrison that killed 5,000 of our soldiers, some of our best and bravest, including my nephew; he''s the son of a fucking traitor! You''re saying you will not only let this man live but will recruit him!¡±


    Andrew glared at Philip. ¡°I am your king, sir. Not, are you fucking mad? You will not speak to me in such a manner. And to answer your question, yes, I do. Sit down. That''s an order from your king.¡± Phillip gave him a look that could have killed him before doing as he''d been ordered.


    Roderick was the next to react by laughing. His face was off, his mouth was split open, and if it weren''t for the two soldiers holding him, he probably would have started rolling around on the ground. ¡°Ha ha Ha, cough cough.¡± He stared up at Andrew like he was looking at a dumb pig, but otherwise, he wouldn''t say anything.


    ¡°And here I was being serious.¡± Andrew said, disappointed, ¡°I was making you a genuine offer to work for me because I value your ability and wouldn''t send you to die on some border. It''s even the perfect opportunity to save yourself and your family, but you spit in my face.¡± At that, Roderick spit in his face, which landed directly on his cheekbone. Andrew''s mind blanked out for a second before all-consuming rage filled him. Before he knew it, he was up, lifting his fist and punching the man straight across the face. He felt the satisfying crunch and knew he had broken a few teeth.


    Rodrick only laughed, opening his mouth to show his broken teeth. He hacked up a mouthful of blood and continued to laugh. ¡°You will find no easy conquest here, golden stallion, after what your family did the first time. Well, I suppose you forgot, so I''ll remind you. Your cousin Theamor raped my mother and got her pregnant with a bastard. When the baby was born, he drove her out of Grastide with a suckling infant. He said that she lied and was trying to intentionally damage his reputation like his reputation said anything good about him. My bastard half-brother died at the Battle of Hayden''s Ford. Like I''ll even work for you, Antlatur filth.¡± Andrew waved his hand, and the soldiers took Roderick away.


    He sat back down, fuming after wiping his face, and an awkward air hung across the room. Zach was the one who broke it. ¡°Your majesty, I believe you should hang that fool,¡± he said hotly. Andrew could see that his words came from genuine loyalty, which pleased him.


    ¡°No, I still have use for him.¡± Andrew sat back down and gestured for the table, which had been put against the wall, to resume its place so that the Chamber of War could again function as intended. A map of the Kingdom of Black was spread out over the table.


    This is also a signal for the war council to begin in each General to give their advice, but as custom, law, and tradition dictated, only the Supreme Commander could give the command. The officers could only advise the Supreme Commander. Of course, this was only how things were supposed to work and not how things often worked. However, Andrew was the Supreme Commander in both name and form, so he had the right to give the command.


    It was Prince Jacob who gave his advice first. ¡°Your Majesty, we have captured the fortresses of the Black Valley. We are free to invade their Kingdom at our leisure and launch raids into their territory. The Kingdom of Black has fortified its border cities like Grastide, which would prove difficult to capture in a short campaign. Why not retreat, for now, weakening the enemy with raids and punitive expeditions?¡± His intentions were obvious. Being from an Affiliated Kingdom, he gained little from this whole War and wanted to retreat as quickly as possible to preserve his forces.


    King Thomas interjected, ¡°But then we would have to gather our troops again, and gathering them costs money and time. It''s better to march on the capital of Lapetra!¡±


    Cleos Hayton said, ¡°Boy, keep your mouth shut about matters you don''t understand. If we were to march on Lapetra, we could be cut off from the rear by Grastide.¡±


    ¡°We have 30,000 troops pinning them in place. They wouldn''t dare emerge to strike us in the rear, and if they did, we would just take Grastide,¡± Thomas shot back. The two continued to bicker like children; however, no one seemed interested in stopping them. Both were kings. The generals Antlatur were beneath them in status, if not influence, and so couldn''t interfere. The princes of the other two Affiliated Kingdoms had no interest in stopping them.


    Finally, Andrew intervened, and the meeting went on again. However, even with the advice of the other generals and the prince, the discussion continued to revolve around the same three points: retreat, attack Lapetra, or attack Grastide. ¡°We''re like a wolf who found its way into a herd of fat sheep,¡± Andrew reflected. The wolf didn''t know which to attack first, leaving it stumped.


    ¡°Grastide is well-fortified and positioned, so attacking it and taking it quickly would not be easy. While we''re fruitlessly bashing ourselves against the walls, Valerius will defeat Redtowers and hit us in the rear with our forces exhausted from fruitless sieging,¡± Linnea said.


    Most people didn''t react much to such a claim except scorn for their supposed allies. Even though Andrew had married one of his sisters, luckily one of his rivals to the throne, to the king of Redtowers, the two kingdoms'' rivalry continued as Redtower raids did not abate.


    ¡°As you say, Your Majesty, but that only gives us more reason to attack Grastide to prevent future problems,¡± Phillip said. The arguing resumed as each General and Lord stated their different opinions and began arguing for them. Linnea, Herbert, Horace, Zack, and Lucius supported the attack on Lapetra. Stephron joined them. Meanwhile, Jacob continued arguing for a retreat. The only one to join Philip in urging an attack on Grastide was Cleos. Andrew wanted to discuss this with the Lion of Unica. Unfortunately, Prince Jacob had already made his support for a retreat known, and Anthony could hardly oppose his Lord.


    Finally, Andrew turned to the only person who hadn''t made his opinion known: Niances. ¡°And what do you think about this.¡± Everyone else turned their attention as they knew Niance¡¯s opinion would likely sway the king in one direction or the other.


    He responded, ¡°Livia Tallwood is the current general of the second division of the Kingdom of Black. She''s a seasoned and skilled Commander. I faced her once myself.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you win that battle,¡± Linnea interjected, as it seemed this would take a while.


    ¡°Yes, I did, although I would more a skirmish than a proper battle. She''s a tricky opponent, and I might have lost if she had an equal number to me.¡± This statement was made flatly as if it were merely the truth. Andrew himself was shocked to hear it. He knew that Niances didn''t make boasts or overestimate the enemy, a testament to his experience.


    Philip, who looked up, snorted: ¡°But you did win, and you have more men even now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± Niances once again said calmly, ¡°but Tallwood has a fortress. The second division consists of seasoned soldiers who are well-trained. We won''t be able to defeat them as quickly as we did with the third division. In addition, Tallwood is a tricky Commander. She is nicknamed the Witch of the black knife for nothing. We can''t underestimate her. I would have surrounded her and wiped her out if not for her schemes and tricks. With a fortress and an experienced Garrison at her back, we would defeat her in time, but it would come at the cost of time and men we simply don''t have.¡± At this, he turned his attention to Andrew. ¡°Don''t forget, Your Majesty, that the kingdom of Triton is watching. If we take too long or too many casualties, they might just invade, and with our main Army here, we won''t be able to resist them.


    ¡°So what are you suggesting?¡± Andrew asked impatiently. He braced Himself to hear that they should retreat, but instead, he heard the opposite.


    ¡°I believe we should gather whatever soldiers we can and march on Lapetra, and capture it as swiftly as possible.¡± Niances explained his reasoning calmly: ¡°Even if we capture Grastide, it won''t be a major blow to the Kingdom of Black, although it will provide a stage for further invasions. Lapetra, on the other hand, is the center of their economy, and it would be crippling to lose that. In addition, with the second division gone, the Garrison will be reserves, and one of their militia they can scrounge up. Lapetra is also positioned on flat ground and will be easier to capture than Grastide.¡± Noticing Phillips''s look of dismay. He continued, ¡°There is the possibility of being cut off from the rear, but at that time, all we need to do is fall back. We will still hold the Black Valley and have an advantage in numbers. If they meet us in the field, we will crush them.¡±


    Andrew laughed. ¡°Well, it looks like our course of action is decided. The only decision left was how many troops should stay behind to guard the Black fortresses. Given your strong desire to defend these fortresses, I believe the Kingdom of Unica should be handed over to you.¡±


    There was a moment of silence at his proclamation, but Jacob quickly responded, ¡° Yes, Your Majesty, we will certainly defend them with our lives if need be,¡± he said eagerly. The other Affiliated kingdoms didn''t particularly look happy about it but didn''t object to the decision either.


    Some hours later, Andrew smiled as the meeting finally ended, and his Generals filed out. Their plans were in motion, and his finger landed on the capital, Lapetra.

 Interlude: The Kingdom of Triton

    The kingdom of Triton is an old, powerful, and self-absorbed nation. It rarely pays attention to affairs outside of its bubble so long as they do not interfere with the kingdom directly. Some might consider such a geopolitical strategy reasonable, while others think it naive. But the kingdom can only see its long history and immediate gain.


    ~Dominic black


    Interlude: The Kingdom of Triton


    The Month of Ninsum Day 16 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar


    Light from the stained glass windows lining the Hall leaked in, casting the benches and floor of the hall in their luminescent multi-colored glow. Cornelius, Chairman of the Grand Council, required the help of two of his great-grandsons even to stand. An anxious-looking healing mage was watching the moment he was finished. He''d be escorted to have spells and potions cast to preserve his life. After all, he was 98 years old. He hadn''t retired because most people couldn''t remember when he hadn''t been the Chairman of the Grand Council, and it was an essential position that everyone needed to trust.


    Cornelius looked downward at a document in his hand. His voice trembled, but he spoke clearly into the magic microphone. ¡°50 votes, yay. 52 votes, nay. Declaring war on the kingdom of Antlatur fails by two votes,¡±  he announced before raising the scepter and bringing it back down with his frail arms. He only made a slight ¡°clack¡± noise, but two different great-grandsons, as they had been assigned to do, picked up their canes and smashed them against the ground, raising a tremendous noise and ending the discussion.


    The respective Lords of the Grand Council Rose to their feet and raised a clamor with them. Those who supported the bill shouted, raising their fists in the air, while those who opposed it shouted in celebration. Those who were either weak or disinterested did nothing except sit there looking disinterested. It was traditional for the council members to express themselves this way, as the vote was anonymous, but it was optional.


    Marianne rose from her throne and breathed a sigh of relief. She''d been prepared to use her veto to strike the bill down, but luckily, it hadn''t come to that. People would despise her and her power if she used her veto too often. She was exiting the grand Council Hall by the door reserved for the two monarchs of the kingdom of Triton. She was accompanied as ever by her companion cavalry, even though she couldn''t ride a horse and had never even left Leuca, the capital city of the Kingdom, once. More of her companion Cavalry, joined her at the large door and in the hallway.


    ¡°Sister, wait,¡± a voice called out to her.


    ¡°I can''t get used to him calling me that,¡± Marianne thought, irritated. The man calling out to her was no older than 20; she was 40, his elder, not his biological sister. Two monarchs in Triton were from two royal families, the Aszore Family and the Whitehead family. They ruled as partners and co-monarchs, and to symbolize their unity, they called each other brother or sister.  She had served alongside three Whitehead monarchs, and Peter Whitehead was the youngest. Having someone old enough to be her son calling her sister, especially given the fact that all her siblings were dead, was quite uncomfortable.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Brother,¡± she said impassively, ¡°what business do you have with me?¡±


    He glared at her. ¡°You arranged for the declaration of war to be struck down.¡±


    ¡±Yes, I did.¡± she answered, remaining calm. She wouldn''t be angered by such an unadorned accusation hurled at her by a youngster. Maybe that''s why I''m uncomfortable with it, she mused to herself. She looked down her nose at him and couldn''t stand being considered equal. Seeing him stumble at her calm response, she answered his question before he could even ask it. ¡°Right now is not the time to invade. Yes, their armies are busy invading the Kingdom of Black, but we have our problems at home; now, if you will excuse me, brother, I will be taking my leave.¡± She gave him one light curtsy before departing.


    The council chamber and the Royal Palace were connected with the Royal Palace itself, often called the inner Palace. the outer Palace was weregovernment affairs were handled. She headed into the Aszore families section of the palace and to her office. Once there, she could finally sit down and rest for a moment. Her second daughter, who had risen to command her guard, asked her while sipping a cup of tea in front of her, ¡°Mother, why did you strike down the bill.¡±


    Marianne regarded Esther, who had removed her helmet, quizzically. She was certainly beautiful, unlike her elder sister, who brimmed with the nobility and Grace of a princess. The princess Knight, as people called her, brimmed with a masculine charm. She had ashen hair tinged with the dark blue sea of the Aszore family; her eyes were the same color. Her armor was made for ease of movement and out of the strongest metal, the mythical metal Adamantite.


    ¡°The kingdom of Antlatur¡¯s Army is indeed away, but even if we were to conquer something from them, they would return, and we would have to fight a bloody war over what we had taken. Even if we managed to win that war, it would weaken us significantly. Our main profit comes from trade, not from war or conquest, and as long as that''s not threatened, why should we fight a war that does not interest us? Why should the Sons and Daughters of Triton bleed and die for a cause that does not concern them?¡±


    ¡°But does it not concern us, Mother? The Golden Stallion is ambitious. If he wins the Kingdom of Black, he will surely turn his spears on us and threaten our trade monopoly in the Gulf of Leuca,¡± Esther stated passionately.


    Marianne smirked at Riley. ¡°You''ve already given up the Kingdom of Black for dead, and I grant you that their chances are unlikely, but they''ve driven back every invasion before. There is no reason why it should be any different this time.  Even if Antlatur manages to secure victory, they will surely be bloodied after the war, and don''t forget the Unscan Union, the ally of the Kingdom of Black. They will surely oppose the Kingdom of Antlatur, the Kingdom of Jaxs, and the other neighbors who despise the Golden Stallion. He will never be able to focus all his efforts on the Kingdom of Triton, and the only way we would fight a full-scale war is if we were the ones provoking it. I have no intention for us to take the plunge and most of the risk before anyone else. Let someone else dive first.¡±


    ¡°And don''t forget the Hallstatt Alliance. Those savages are our true enemy and our true target of expansion. Why should we fight border skirmishes in a war we can''t win or will leave us vulnerable to our true enemy? Our war with the Kingdom of Antlataur happened because they threatened our trade rights, but so long as they''re not threatened, I see no reason why our war with Antlatur should continue except for the petty grudge of those in the council.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t Uncle John die in that war,¡± Esther asked, confused.


    Marianne let out a sigh. It''s best to keep her in the military sphere moving forward. ¡°And we killed the Golden Stallion brother. Yet he still signed a truce with us. War was merely the final means of negotiation. It''s a state of diplomacy. Don''t take it personally.¡±

 Interlude: Uscan Union

    The Uscan Union is one of the last remnants of feudalism. It exists merely for the sake of existence so that its Nobles can continue pretending like their sun didn''t set 800 years ago.


    ~Dominic Black


    Interlude: Uscan Union


    The Month of Ninsum Day 16 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar


    A mass of men and horses had been gathered around Virgie. The Uscan Union accepted the Call to Arms from their Ally, the kingdom of Graytowers, and raised a massive army in support. The two nations were not particularly close allies. They were old enemies. However, it was in the best interest of the Uscan Union to support the kingdom of Graytowers. This was due to the rising power and ambition of the kingdom of Jax, a nation that threatened the Uscan Union as much as Graytowers.


    So, the Union assembled an army of 90,000 strong to march in support of Graytowers. For a nation still relying on feudalism, assembling an enormous but low-quality army was easy, as they frequently relied on peasant levies¡ªsoldiers who had not awakened to their magic. Meanwhile, the Aszore Kingdoms had long since established standing armies with awakened soldiers who could slaughter feudal armies. But the traditional men at arms and knights of the Union were awakened. They were Superior to the regulars of the Aszore Kingdoms, Having trained for life instead of choosing soldiering as a career. But at the same time, they were more valuable than the regulars.


    Of the army, 30,000 were knights, men at arms, and all the remaining 60,000 were peasant levies or Sell swords. The Union''s High Council had sent Grand Duke Archibald Erickson, the Wolf of Norost. Experienced and dangerous Commander and the most powerful man in the country. the six grand duchies of the Union functionally operated like independent kingdoms; however, thanks to their shared traditions and customs, they unified into one nation. Six grand Dukes and the high priest of Apora, the nation''s Patron God, formed the Council of Seven, the High Council of the Union, which handled domestic disputes between the six grand duchies and foreign affairs. But was notably forbidden from handling the internal affairs of each Grand duchy, which their Grand Duke traditionally handled.


    ¡°The council said what!¡± Archibald glared at the messenger ferociously. ¡°Did you tell them that the Blacks were our in-laws and our allies that we swore to defend?!¡± The messenger was a member of a lesser house, not one of the six great Dukes of families, but the cousin of a Grand Duke, who was a self-declared moderate faction among the council. Archibald called them spineless. Richard Lampard dressed and talked like a typical noble. His beard was kept well groomed, as was his long hair, and his fine green overcoat had the symbol of his house in golden and silver thread, two dancing golden lions, one in gold and one in silver.


    Archibald had always hated long hair on men. It was impractical to maintain and, to his mind, a sign of a feminine nature. The Ericksons and the Lampards had never gotten along; the two were rivals for the most powerful Grand duchy in the nation. They hadn''t gotten along even before they were exiled to the Norost Mountains. Richard''s cousin Michael wasn''t a particular threat as he was relatively stupid and had been one of the reasons for the rise of the Ericksons. However, Richard was a different type of beast altogether, unlike his idiot cousin. Luckily for Archibald, only the six grand Dukes themselves and the high priest of Apora could attend the council meetings.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°I did tell them, Your Grace,¡± Richard said with a respectful bow, ¡°But they consider the matter of defending the kingdom of Graytowers more important than defending your illegitimate son-in-law''s small, insignificant nation.¡± He had an annoying smirk on his face. ¡°Besides, I heard your daughter was back in Ericktown.¡±


    Archibald gritted his teeth so hard he thought they might shatter. He thought about his stupid daughter, who had left such a good man as Valerius over some stupid reason.  He had already forgotten his daughter''s name, but he knew it was some dumb idea his third wife had put in her head, something about the purity of bloodlines, so now the Black family wasn''t up to her standards. The Blacks were a young upstart family, to be sure, but Valerius was a better man than all his 21 sons whose names he''d forgotten despite their supposedly pure blood. Archibald understood this was why he was treated like some outsider among the noble society of the Uscan Union who were bloodline purists. Honestly, he didn''t care about his daughter''s feelings, but he did care about Valerius''s opinion of him and his family.


    ¡°Tell the council just to send any reinforcements or support. It will leave a good impression on our allies and prevent them from cutting ties with us in the future,¡± Archibald said


    ¡°You speak of the future, Your Grace, but the kingdom of Black is on its last legs. An army larger than this one, led by the golden stallion himself, is smashing through their defenses as we speak. You say leave a good impression; believe a good impression on a group of dead people. Besides, the council believes that any troops we send will just get killed,¡±


    Archibald snorted with disgust and looked at Frederick disdainfully. ¡°Don''t speak about matters you don''t understand. Valerius is a better General than you ever will be.¡±


    ¡°And I''m sure he''s such a good General that he can overcome a difference in numbers of over 10 times.¡± Richard sneered back.


    Archibald glared and growled, but ultimately, nothing could be done, and Richard departed with a satisfied smirk on his face. ¡°Our feud with the Lampards must end one way or the other,¡± he said to the son, who is also his Aide.


    ¡°But, father,¡± the Son whose name he''d already forgotten said, ¡°the council and Lord Richard are right in this case.¡±


    He snorted. ¡°What would you know about it? Valerius is twice the man you are.¡±  At his hurt and angry expression, Archibald only scoffed, ¡°Have you ever defeated me in war? Besides, he defeated me while outnumbered, and he defeated the golden stallion before he could surely do it again.¡±


    Archibald scratched his chin while thinking and ignoring his son. The Kingdom of Black was one of the only trade partners of the Uscan Union. This was because of their constant raiding of other nations. The Kingdom of black was isolated due to Antlatur''s blockade of their Kingdom, so the two formed each other''s sole trading partners. Archibald wouldn''t be surprised if the idiots on the council didn''t realize just how important that relationship was. The Kingdom of Black was one of the only places they could buy food from. Although the black stock wasn''t abundant, it was still better than the Uscan Union''s national supply.


    ¡°The council no longer listens to me like they once did. Richard is getting in my way.¡± His son was confused, and so Archibald says, ¡°He''s still in the camp, isn''t he? Go out and kill him.¡±


    ¡°In broad daylight?¡± his son asked, confused.


    ¡°No, you idiot, I want you to kill him in the open, then rape his corpse, then go to the council and confess that you murdered him on my orders.¡° He still didn''t seem to understand until Archibald growled. ¡°He''ll surely stay the night, and even if he doesn''t he will go to a nearby castle or town, he''ll probably stay in an inn. When he''s asleep, send someone to slit his throat, then blame it on a prostitute or something.¡±


    ¡°He has guards, though,¡± he protested weekly.


    ¡°Then kill them or bribe them. I don''t give a shit.¡±


    ¡°But everyone will know we killed him.¡±


    ¡°I don''t give a damn.¡±

 Chapter 10: Antlaturs March

    Chapter 10: Antlaturs March


    The Month of Ninsum Day 20 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar


    Linnea watched with some irritation as her soldiers finally routed the black forces on Howard Bridge. Despite achieving her objective, the anger and irritation didn''t go away. Even with the jubilant shouts around her, she continued to simmer with her quiet irritation. Watching the black forces retreat and her own troops starting to give pursuit did give her relief but not joy. There was only one reason for that: this Victory had come at the cost of far more lives and far more time than was necessary.  There was only one reason for that, Zach Pickett. She knew she couldn''t punish him for it. He was her brother''s favorite.


    Zack had openly objected to her plan of attack, which involved sending in waves of archers and javelin throwers to soften up the enemy before sending in heavy infantry and cavalry in waves to weaken them. He proposed ahead on assault with his cavalry. That wasn''t the problem, but the fact that he had openly and very publicly objected to her right before the attack had weakened the resolve of the Antler Knights. They weren''t usually under her command and failed in the first wave. This stiffened the resolve of the black forces and took two more waves to break them, consuming the rest of the day and significantly delaying their advance.


    She turned to her Aid to Camp, Christopher: ¡°Have the battlefield cleared up. I don''t want our men walking through any more of our own corpses. Take our own dead for proper burial and dump the black bodies in the river.¡± He saluted and went to do what she instructed. At least someone knows how to be respectful, she thought with more irritation.


    Linnea reflected with some irritation on the past few days the Antlatur army had successfully traveled from the Black Valley to the Black Knife River. The March had not been smooth. The villages and towns in front of them had been abandoned by their inhabitants. These weren''t the farming communities of the Black valley, which were quickly taken by surprise and unable to leave their fields. But the hunters and shepherds of the mountains used to dealing with monster attacks and enemy invasions. All they did was move their livestock and hunting grounds elsewhere out of the path of the invasion. Forging parties were sent to gather food from the locals but returned with nothing if they came back at all. They would barely go missing for a day before turning up on the marching route hung up from the treetops.


    They could not adopt Lucas Grimwood''s traditional marching style of dividing their forces and taking separate marching routes due to the fear of a direct assault. However, their fear proved groundless as they were only attacked once, at least directly. Every night, when they tried to sleep, enemy irregulars would come outside their camp and blow war horns, smashing their swords against their shields to keep them awake.


    Dealing with ambushes, the demoralized army could not vent their frustration, and nothing but camp rations overall soured everyone''s mood. They barely had any time to rest before Andrew forced them to attack Howard Bridge, which was held against them by a force of Blacks only a few hundred strong, who used the narrow confines of the bridge to minimize their numbers advantage, fortifying it and laying traps. The main objective seemed to be to slow down and not particularly harm or stop the Antlaturs. They had to cross Howard Bridge to reach Lapetra.


    Still irritated, Linnea followed the first brigade as they crossed the river. They began pitching tents and setting up rudimentary defenses, and the rest of the first division soon joined them. She decided to oversee the construction of trenches personally. This was their Vanguard, and the first division was isolated from the rest of the army. Although she doubted the Garrison at Lapetra would sortie, she still had concerns.


    The first division of Antlatur was similar to the first division of the Kingdom of Black; it was the most experienced and led by some of the best officers in the entire Kingdom. Their mood was jubilant due to their victory and finally reaching their destination. But she knew their morale would quickly improve, which was a definite improvement from the past few days of Doom and Gloom.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Linnea was born a warrior and commander, and she always found leading troops more accessible and entertaining than court politics. She joined in this trench construction; she bet a silver coin that her team would finish first, but they lost it. When she handed over her coin, the soldiers who won teased her about being so high-ranking that she forgot how to dig trenches, and she responded in kind.


    After ensuring the camp was secure, she finally ate dinner with her officers; however, their meal was no different from the soldiers. This was a complete departure from the usual Antlatur custom of giving officers and generals preferential treatment. Many people within and without the army joke that Linnea had become a Black officer since she did not partake in this preferential treatment usually offered to officers of her rank. In reality, she had copied these rules of discipline from the Blacks, although not to the same extent as they did, because she feared backlash. Of course, Zach was not invited.


    Once the meal was over, she looked at the last person left in the room, Christopher. She pushed back her chair before motioning him in front of her. He knew what she wanted without her having to say anything. He got down on his knees after removing her belt and pants. He kissed her pussy without hesitation. Feeling, his tongue started to move, and she started stroking his hair. ¡°Hmm, you like it down there, don''t you.¡± She was quite a sadist at times. She leaned back in her chair and continued stroking his hair.


    After they had sex, she rolled off the mattress that they used to the floor. Other soldiers slept in sleeping bags, and a bed was one of the few luxuries she permitted while on a campaign. Primarily so that she could have sex. Finding a bathrobe and some of the alcohol that was still left out on the table, she started drinking. She stared at him still on the bed. His blonde hair was slick with sweat, and his caramel-colored eyes were still unfocused. He''d been a virgin until he became her Aid, at which point she started fucking him.


    She stared at his handsome face as her pleasure and passion faded, and she was reminded of her troubles. She couldn''t help but sink into a slight depression. Christopher was far from her first lover, but he was the one she cared about the most; all the others were mere bed toys or even one-night stands. Although she couldn''t marry Christopher due to his low social status, she already had no intention of marrying. Growing old with him didn''t sound like such a bad idea, especially since he was open to her having sex with other men.


    But she faced more immediate problems, such as her brother''s growing arrogance. Andrew was the second son of Higgsbury the 4th. Higgsbury the 4th was viewed as an incompetent leader, and most people had faith and a firm belief in his eldest son, also named Higgsbury. Although she didn''t know him that well despite being his sister, he was reportedly handsome, intelligent, and witty. However, he died, and Andrew faced an uphill battle to become king. The nobles hadn''t supported him, the Affiliated kingdoms hadn''t supported him, and the military hadn''t supported him.


    Some Nobles even thought there would be a Dynasty change. He''d even have to deal with rivalries within his family, including their sister Beatrice. However, he overcame these crises with great difficulty, drove off foreign invasion, and brought the Affiliated kingdoms over to his side. All of this had earned him the nickname The Golden Stallion. She believed in his competence, leadership, intelligence, and openness to hear the suggestions of his subordinates.


    But recently, he changed. He had grown arrogant due to the flattery and praise lavished upon him by the people and the Nobles. Now, he has started a pointless war. She had little doubt that they would be able to emerge Victorious, but overall, she felt that there were bigger fish in the sea and better expansion routes for them to take. She decided to express her concerns. ¡°Hey Chris, what do you think of this war?¡±


    He rolled over to look at her. I believe it''s a war between ¡°Antlatur and one of its enemies, the kingdom of Black.¡±


    She asked a vague question and received a vague answer: ¡°I mean, what do you think of it from a military standpoint?¡±


    He thought about it for a long time before answering, ¡°We can win, but it would cost troops and money. What if the kingdom of Jax¡¯s or Triton takes the opportunity to invade? Enemies surround us. We should be making allies where we can and not wasting our time invading one of the most fortified nations on the Western continent. A nation who hates us to the Bone and will fight us to the bitter end.¡±


    ¡°Chris, have I ever told you how smart you were?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so, Your Highness,¡± he responded politely.

 Chapter 11: The Battle of Erinvale Part One

    Chapter 11: The Battle of Erinvale Part One


    <h2 style="text-align: center">The Month of Ninsum Day 20 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar</h2>


    On the 18th Of the month, the Red Towers Army finally crossed the Great Alloro River with 25,000 soldiers. Valerius intentionally allowed them to cross as he didn''t want them to delay further and even had to encourage them by raiding as far south as Cachexia. He grew increasingly worried with ever-worsening reports from the West. With the destruction of the third division and the bottled up of the second division, Lapetra was vulnerable. So, his tactics grew increasingly brutal. He slaughtered entire populations of multiple towns and started hanging enemy officers, something that was against the traditions of War. The King of the Redtowers Army knew that time was on his side, so he delayed as long as possible. But a kingdom had a responsibility to protect citizens, and dead Nobles meant their relatives would finally get off their asses.


    Valerius gathered his forces and awaited the enemy between the Village of Erinvale and the village of Barksdale. He chose this spot because it was completely flat. There were no rivers, no mountains, and no cover. It was an open invitation for a decisive battle, an invitation that the kingdom of Redtowers accepted. They arrived on the 19th and made camp only a few hours away from the black camp.


    On the dawn of the 20th, both armies prepared for battle. Valerius ordered James Tallwood to prepare a hearty breakfast and to give the Soldiers alcohol before the Battle. After completing his battle preparations, the Black Army departed their camp at 8:00 a.m. Valerius''s forces totaled 20,000 men. He had 12,000 heavy Infantry, 5,000 Light Infantry Archers, Javelin throwers, skirmishers, and 3,000 cavalry. But only 1,200 of them were knights.  The Redtowers Army left their camp shortly after Valerius without fully completing their preparations.  The Redtowers Army Was personally commanded by their King and composed of 17,000 Infantry, 4,000 Light Infantry, and 4000 cavalry, 2,000 of which were knights. The kingdom of Redtowers focused quite a bit on heavy Infantry. Overall, Valerius had a numerical disadvantage but maintained the advantage in the overall battle due to the quality of his forces, which was accepted by both sides.


    Valerius arrived at their chosen Battlefield at 8:28. He began setting up formation, kicking up a cloud of dust as they did so, although, to a certain extent, already prearranged, it still took quite some time for them to build a proper formation. The Red Towers Army arrived at 8:42 And began setting up their formation. Their soldiers were not very disciplined and couldn''t finish their breakfast before being sent out.


    Valerius simultaneously set up his Battle formation in a standard and nonstandard way. He positioned one Brigade on the left in the center and on the right, with 4,000 soldiers in each Brigade. He positioned an additional brigade of 5,000 soldiers in reserve. He then positioned all his cavalry except for a small reserve of light cavalry on the left flank. He did one other thing, and that had the reserve Brigade Dawn the uniform of the border regiment despite being made up of the first division. Meanwhile, the actual border regiment was sent to the Left.


    The king of Redtowers knew that his forces were inferior, so he focused on a Brute Force strategy. He sent 4,000 soldiers to mirror the Black forces on the flanks, 8,000 soldiers to his center, and a brigade of 5,000 in reserve. He positioned all his cavalry on his right, on Valerius''s left.


    The Blacks completed their formation at 8:52. Despite only having a 14-minute lead, this would prove decisive as Valerius was not polite enough to allow his enemy to complete their formation before making his move. Dark clouds gathered over the battlefield. The day was quite overcast, and it looked like it could rain.


    Most of the military was comprised of second sons of farmers and tradesmen. They could not inherit their father''s fields or craft and had little choice but to join the military. Ashton Carn was no different. He was 35 this year, having served in the military for almost 20 years. He was a part of the first brigade of the first division, which he took immense pride in. He fought over five full-scale battles throughout his career. He married the daughter of the mayor of the town he grew up in, a woman who his elder brother, despite being the heir to his father''s fields, couldn''t even dream of. He even took the town''s name for his last name, which was only permitted for commoners who joined the military. He now had three daughters and was relatively wealthy from plundering and his salary as a soldier.


    He''s now marched to the kingdom''s eastern border to fight against the kingdom of Redtowers. Despite being at a numerical disadvantage, he had absolute confidence in their victory. For one thing, the first division was seasoned, and countless battles had already been won while at a disadvantage.  Ashton, like most people in the first division, worshiped Valerius, the prince of the storm. He was positioned along with the first brigade on the right flank.


    Ashton felt the same shifting restlessness encompassing the entire black army as they finished forming up. All they could do was stand there in silence. It was against military law to speak in a formation unless absolutely necessary. He jumped up and down to work out the nervous energy that filled his body while moving his fingers up and down his sword, which was already drawn from its sheath, working out the nervous tension that filled his body.


    The light infantry lined up in front of him, unlike the heavy infantry, which lined up in four rows. Instead, they lined up in a single-file line. Ashton realized something was wrong with how the light infantry lined up. Typically, javelin throwers would be in front of archers as they had a shorter range, and the light infantry would advance, hoping to clear out the enemy light infantry and damage their heavy infantry. However, there were no javelin throwers and twice as many archers as usual. Before he could question this deeply, a bugle rang out, one short and one long blast, the tune to start singing the Hymn of Noel.


    Ashton lifted his sword, the archers lifted their bows, and the cavalry lifted their lances. Before the entire army began singing in chorus, ¡°Noel, goddess of death, the afterlife, and judgment, I sing your praises. Oh, Noel, I have come here today to fight your enemies in your name. If I were to die today, when I come into your hall and your gates open for me, and you ask me what I have done all my life, I will answer: I fought with bravery and honor for my nation, for my brothers and sisters back home, and for your glory. Noel, I sing your praises in hopes of your blessings, that you may grant me strength and courage, that you may grant us victory, and me a noble death. Noel!¡±


    The bugle rang again, this time signaling the advance. The officers also started shouting, repeating the order. The flag also moved, signaling that the first brigade would move forward. This was so that even if a soldier missed the bugle or the officer, all they would need to do was look at the flag and know what to do.  The entire first brigade began moving in lockstep. That way, no Soldier moved faster than the other soldiers, and they maintained a coherent formation.


    Ashton felt the familiar rush of the battlefield and the rising bloodlust that always occurred before a battle. He couldn''t see the enemy from where he was standing, but he could see their banners - three red towers on a gray field. He once heard from the vice commander of his company, an educated noble, that their words were ironic because the Towers Empire had collapsed into many fragmented nations due to a civil war. The words on their banner are written in red thread, "We stand together.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    The first brigade continued moving forward steadily. Ashton realized that the left and center were not moving. He thought, "We''ll be isolated." The famous Black discipline and trust in his general kept his feet moving forward. The bugle sounded again: "First brigade, double-quick." The officers took the shout, and the soldiers picked up the pace and jogged.


    The spotter for the light infantry shouted, ¡°Within range in 100 ft.¡± the officers began shouting, ¡°Prepare to stop.¡±


    The message was passed to the buglers, so the bugles played the tune for stop when the spotter shouted to stop.  Ashton watched as the Archers notched their arrows and fired repeated shots. ¡°That''s likely the javelin throwers.¡± After only a few rounds, the tune for Double Quick was played from the bugle again, and they began jogging again.


    They resumed jogging for barely a minute before stopping again to exchange arrows between their archers and the enemies. Their own archers started to take hits, and a three-minute exchange of fire began as the two sides traded arrows. A few of their archers cried out as they were hit, although some got back up again and continued firing. Their archers were more seasoned, so they could fight the pain and get back up. They were also better shots. Finally, there were more of them than there were of the enemy, so only 10% were injured or killed. They started moving. The archers moved to the right and left, splitting down the middle to get out of the way of the charge of the infantry.


    The bugle sounded the double quick again before the Archers were out of the way, and Ashton and his comrades began jogging. The enemy finally came into view. They wore heavy metal cuirasses and visored helmets. They were armed with short spears and round shields. Their shields had the emblem of the kingdom of Red Towers painted on them. With a surge of elation, Ashton realized why the officers had hurried to advance. The enemy archers were retreating and trying to push through the enemy formation.


    The formation was invented and perfected by the Towers Empire. It involved tightly packed units of heavy infantry armed with round shields and spears. They would raise their shields, locking them together while lowering their spears, forming a metal hedgehog. It was challenging to pierce even for heavy cavalry. The Redtowers Army used this very same formation, meaning every soldier was pressed shoulder to shoulder. Retreating or even moving to the side under such conditions was very difficult. The archers struggled to get through the formation under normal circumstances; they would have retreated to the right and the left, but they had already lost all cohesion.


    Ashton saw an enemy Archer with an arrow lodged in his back, trying to push his way through and being shoved back by the heavy Infantry. Best of all, the Archer was right in front of him. He subconsciously picked up the pace, trying to take advantage of this perfect opportunity to attack. ¡°Soldier Ashton, get the fuck back in line.¡± Ashton''s military training kicked in, and before he knew it, he was jogging again in formation.


    The enemy archer finally managed to break through the formation, which closed once more. "Shit," he quietly swore under his breath. Even though no one heard, he thought he saw the Squad Captain glaring at him for breaking the silence. The enemy finally began praying to their own god, Heari, but it was far too late. After a few more paces, the bugle blew again, one prolonged blast delivered in a second. It was the order to charge. Ashton heard the platoon leader, the captain, and the vice-captain all shout at the top of their lungs simultaneously, "Charge!"


    "Noel!" The guttural cry ripped out of his throat. All the soldiers around him were screaming the same thing, combining into one chorus of prayer and agitation. They prayed for strength and courage to live another day, for death to kill the enemy in front of them, and to make themselves feel a little bit less scared.


    He charged headfirst straight towards the enemy. Once Ashton was in striking range, the soldier thrust his spear forward with all his might, the sword glowing with green Mana. A less experienced soldier would have simply blocked the spear with the shield, which would have risked it being pierced or his arm breaking. Instead, Ashton skillfully used the shield to deflect the spear to the right, causing it to slip and the soldier to be dragged along the force of his thrust. Not wasting this opportunity, Ashton brought his sword down as hard as he could, aiming for the gap between the helmet and the cuirasses along the neck. The enemy soldier wasn''t as unskillful as he thought, and he managed to bring the shield up, barely deflecting the blow off the top of his shield.  Ashton quickly corrected his posture after the loud bang and the shock that ran through his arm.


    The enemy soldier dropped his spear, realizing it was now worthless, and moved to draw his sword instead. But Ashton wasn''t about to let him do that. He used his kite Shield like a spear and Bash the point against the enemy''s Shield, knocking him off balance. He then quickly slashed his sword towards his thigh. The kingdom of Antlatur had abandoned wearing mail greaves that protected your thighs. However, the kingdom of Red Towers still wore their chainmail leg protectors. Chainmail wasn''t invulnerable, especially to a mana-infused sword. The round Shield had its disadvantages, but it had a significant advantage, which was to protect the entire body. All one needed to do was move it up and down, protecting the legs or the head depending on where the enemy was aimed. But that depended on one knowing where they would be attacked. The enemy soldier was still off balance and unable to protect his thigh. Ashton''s stab pierced the chainmail and went through the flesh. Ashton then dragged the sword back, widening the wound and making it even deeper.


    The enemy soldier cried out in pain and dropped his sword. Only then did Ashton realize how inexperienced the soldier was. It was likely his and his comrade''s first battle. Ashton felt a momentary flash of pity for them, knowing they were going up against the first division in their first battle, which could only be a stroke of bad luck. They were doomed from the start. Ashton didn''t let his pity get in the way; he feinted towards the other thigh, causing the enemy to lower his shield. Quickly, he brought his sword back up and stabbed towards the enemy''s shoulder, which was only protected by a layer of chainmail. He twisted it and then dragged it back out. The arm that he got was the arm that was holding the shield, which now went limp on the enemy''s side.


    The enemy desperately tried to bring his shield back up, but his shoulder was so severely damaged he only managed to make his wound worse. It was worse because the shield was strapped to his arm, and he couldn''t properly work it. The shield was only weighing it down even more. Ashton wasn''t about to show him any pity. He thrust his sword forward, aiming straight for the unguarded throat. He was so busy trying to work his arm that he didn''t even see the sword coming until it had already come out of his neck. His eyes moved to Ashton''s, and he saw his blue eyes for the first time. As blood started to flow not just from his wound but also from his mouth, he murmured a name, ¡°Emily.¡± Ashton would never known if that were his mother, sister, or wife, but it was his last word on this Earth.


    Ashton kicked his body forward, slamming him into the guy behind him, who was already moving forward to take his place. Right after that, he squeezed into the gap. He turned to the enemy to his right and stabbed him in the thigh before dragging his sword out. His comrade took advantage of this to decapitate the enemy soldier. He turned to the man in front of him, who had finally gotten disentangled and was now trying to stab him with a spear. His attempts were laughable as his spear was far too long to be used in close-quarter combat like this.


    Ashton grabbed his spear with his sword hand and yanked, pulling the man out of formation. He then brought his sword down on his exposed neck. But the slash wasn''t clean, and part of his sword got wedged in his neck, and part of it lodged itself in his helmet. Ashton had no choice but to abandon his sword. But even without his help, the breech was widening. The Enemy to his left had already been killed. He picked up the sword the first guy had dropped and prepared himself for the next enemy.

 Chapter 11: The Battle of Erinvale Part Two

    Chapter 11: The Battle of Erinvale Part Two


    <h2 style="text-align: center">The Month of Ninsum Day 20 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar</h2>


    The Black Army held back its center and left while attacking only with its right. Its center and light infantry were supported by light infantry from the right, which quickly repelled the enemy''s light infantry. They then began to shower the center and enemy right with arrows and javelins. Possibly fearing a flanking maneuver from the Black Army''s right-wing or being momentarily stunned, the enemy did nothing while the fighting on the right wing intensified.


    Within barely 30 minutes after the battle started, the Black Right had already begun driving the enemy forces backward. Charles had sent orders to his captains beforehand, instructing them to stay in the same spot and not to advance to protect their flank from the enemy center. However, the Black momentum was too strong and began pushing forward regardless. With great difficulty, Charles managed to pull his line back and prevent them from being outflanked. The enemy took the opportunity to reorganize and attempt to counter-attack.


    The infantry of the Black soldiers were usually armed with short swords, although some carried long spears. The second line primarily used the long spears to support the front line. They would thrust over the heads of the soldiers in the first line to attack or disrupt the enemy''s front line. Valerius was not fond of this strategy, so he only equipped a quarter of his army¡ªprecisely, the fourth line¡ªwith long spears. However, Charles positioned his Spearman on the third line, and when the enemy reformed, he reorganized his forces so that the first line retreated and the fourth line became the new second line. He adopted Frederick Black''s defensive strategy, known as the Shields and Spears formation. In this formation, the front line crouched and wielded short swords, while the second line used their long Spears. If an enemy got too close, they would be stabbed by the front line, and if they stayed farther away, they could only be stabbed by the second line without being able to inflict any significant damage.


    The Spears and Shields battle formation quickly repelled the counterattack. Charles recognized the right moment to strike, so he ordered his men to abandon their defensive position and launch an offensive. However, his offensive quickly succeeded, causing the enemy forces to lose cohesion and morale, leading some to drop their spears and flee. Observing this, the enemy deployed the Reserve Brigade in assistance. This was precisely what Valerius had been aiming for, and Charles, overjoyed, sent word back to Valerius.


    ¡°The enemy has dispatched the reserves to our right wing, sir.¡± The messenger reported.


    Valerius sat on the back of his favorite horse, a chestnut charger, which he named Victory. "Thank you. You may return," Valerius said, giving a nod of approval to the messenger, who left with his back slightly straighter.


    ¡°It looks like rain,¡± James commented absent-mindedly.


    Valerius stared at him. ¡°Jay, pay attention if you would.¡±


    At his admonishment, James spoke in a bored tone.  ¡°According to your plan, we''re supposed to send our reserves to wrap around our right and hit the enemy''s left from the side and the rear. We''ve already been moving, and our soldiers are in a position to do just that. We should deliver that message to Brigadier General Drake,¡±


    Before looking at an orderly, ¡°You got all that correct.¡± The orderly had been so fixated on paying attention that he had stopped paying attention.


    The orderly snapped to attention, saluted, and said, ¡°Sir, you wish me to deliver orders to Brigadier General Drake regarding attacking the enemy flank effective immediately.¡±


    ¡°Our right and the enemy''s left flank, yes. Now go.¡± Watching the orderly run-off, James looked back at Valerius and said in the same bored tone, ¡°It looks like rain.¡±


    Amused by this entire chain of events, Valerius looked up at the sky. ¡°Indeed, Noel hasn''t abandoned us yet.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe it''s the rain god''s curse,¡± James said absent-mindedly.


    This caused Valerius to laugh. ¡°You''re quite superstitious for a tallwood. The Blacks aren''t descendants of The Demon King; it''s just a rumor.¡±


    ¡°No smoke without fire, sir. Speaking of smoke, I''m surprised your strategy worked out so well. The enemy has yet to move their center or their right.¡±


    Valerius Shrugged. ¡°The king of Redtowers is rather green. After seeing our movements, he''s probably put all his hopes on his left and reserve brigade, and if we dispatch our Reserve Brigade, that will only make his attack easier.¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°What if they send their Reserve Brigade around our flank instead of reinforcing their line.¡±


    ¡°Even if that does happen, it''s not a big deal. Our Reserve Brigade is already moving; they will merely form another battle line. We will break through the original left, and the new battle will probably favor us.¡±


    Valerius felt something hit his head. Glancing up, he felt more hit the top of his head. Confused, he glanced behind him and saw sheets of rain blowing. It started to pour, and a flash of inspiration struck him. ¡°Jay, what direction is the wind blowing?¡±


    ¡°Dead south by last check, sir,¡± James replied, shouting to be heard.


    ¡°Order our center and left to attack at full force and order our archers and javelin throwers to return to camp and resupply.¡±


    James looked confused momentarily before realizing what his General was trying to do and dispatched orderlies to carry out his orders.


    The second brigade of the Black Army encircled the enemy''s right flank, which had just received reinforcements. The reinforcements tried to support the line from behind, but the front line was already in disarray and being pushed back rapidly, resulting in heavy losses and causing a lot of confusion.


    When the Second Brigade came around the flank, it caused even more panic and confusion. The Second Brigade had gained an unexpected advantage due to the rain. Sheets of rain fell into the enemy''s faces and obscured the battlefield, allowing their flanking maneuver to go unnoticed until it was too late. The first company of the First Battalion of the Second Brigade had the honor of being the leftmost part of the line. This meant they would turn and strike the enemy directly in the flank. The rest of the second Brigade continued moving around, closing like a door on the enemy''s rear.


    Being outflanked on the battlefield was a death sentence in the Towers Empire formation. The soldiers at the back struggled to turn and face their enemies, and those who managed to turn were outmatched without support from the second or third line. The Redtowers Army could not retreat or fight back, and it was so tightly packed together that it could hardly move.


    Valerius repeatedly reminded Drake not to go to the front lines personally since he was one of the only people Drake respected. Drake listened to the advice and stayed with a reserved light and heavy infantry brigade. He considered leading the heavy infantry to attack the main camp, but his advisors talked him out of it. In less than 10 minutes, the Redtower''s Left Flank and the Reserve Brigade were either killed or captured.


    The Black army charged forward, catching the Kingdom of Redtowers off guard. Despite being outnumbered, the Black left and center gained the advantage and pinned down the enemy center and right. After defeating the Redtower''s left, the Black right attacked their center from the flank and routed them. Samuel Magyar, leading the Black Knights on the left, Defeated the Numerous knights of the Kingdom of Redtowers and smashed into the enemy''s other flank.


    The Redtowers king realized it was over and ordered a retreat. However, by this point, the Red Towers Army had already lost its cohesion, and their retreat quickly turned into an unorganized rout. The Black Army viciously pursued them, and their main camp was overrun. Samuel continued to pursue them for over five miles before finally returning.


    Valerius walked among the fallen. The smell of death, blood, and shit wafted off the ground. The jubilation of victory in such a crushing victory had long since faded and was replaced by his slightly depressing mood. He felt no sympathy for his enemies. He never had and likely never would, but he did have feelings for his own fallen, and seeing their corpses depressed him. He got off his horse and personally walked among the dead, comforting the survivors and helping to lift the fallen onto the corpse cards. That was what the general should do. These men had died for him, and the least he could do was see them on to the next life.


    He saw a group of soldiers and officers gathering around a single corpse, and so he approached it, wondering which officer had died. When he saw the face of the deceased, his heart almost stopped. It was Frederick Leavenworth; the old officer now had his eyes closed and a gaping wound through his chest.  He and Frederick had not been friends, but he had known the man his entire life and was always as firm as a mountain. Seeing him lie still on the ground seemed impossible, but after a few seconds, he understood it was the truth, and he felt the pillar that he never knew was there collapse inside him.


    ¡°Why was he in the front?¡± Valerius quietly asked a nearby officer.


    Upon seeing him, the officer immediately snapped into a salute. ¡°General Paul became concerned about the front line, so he sent Colonel Frederick to command the front line personally. He was killed by a lieutenant colonel who decided he wanted to die today.¡± The officer pointed to a nearby body, which was riddled with so many stab wounds it was difficult to tell if it had ever been a human.


    He moved over to Paul, who was already kneeling by the body and patted his shoulder. ¡°We shouldn''t just leave him lying here,¡± he whispered. Paul nodded with dead eyes. They lifted the body and wrapped it in a flag of the kingdom of black before placing it on the corpse carts with all the others. Valerius murmured a quiet prayer to Noel as the body was being lifted. As a descendant of Noel, he held the rank of priest in the temple.  He knew the words he had known the words his whole life and had spoken them hundreds of times. But for the first time, he felt he was comforting himself and praying to his goddess for real.


    As the cart rattled off, Paul turned to Valerius. ¡°He should receive a state funeral for his years of service.¡±


    ¡°In this crisis will be difficult to manage, but I''ll see what I can do,¡±  he responded in the same hush tone. Noel¡¯s Gates will surely open for him, and he''ll rest in Noel''s Halls for eternity.¡±


    In this battle, 15,000 Red Tower soldiers, including numerous knights and nobles, were killed or captured, while Black losses were negligible. In addition, they captured the enemy main camp with all its supplies and materials.

 Chapter 12: The Siege of Lapetra

    Chapter 12: The Siege of Lapetra


    <h2 style="text-align: center">The Month of Ninsum Day 24 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar</h2>


    After crossing the Howard Bridge, the Antlatur Army marched towards Lapetra. The city was built on the North Bank of the Black Knife River by Michael Black, who was initially made a noble by the kingdom of Antlatur for his service as a mercenary during the conquest. Lapetra became the largest city in the Kingdom of Black after years of development by the Black family.


    As a central marketplace for the kingdom''s farmers and herders to sell their products, Lapetra became a significant center for the wool trade and various dairy products. However, like the rest of the kingdom, it had fallen on hard times due to the blockade of the Kingdom of Antlatur. One of the city''s key trading partners, the Kingdom of Cestia, had reluctantly cut off trade relations with the Kingdom of Black at the insistence of Antlatur.


    The city was situated on the north side of the Black Knife River, with the river acting as a natural moat. Many people believed this was proof that Michael Black was always plotting against the kingdom of Antlatur despite his outward professed loyalty. The city was heavily fortified with tall, sturdy walls, four thick gates, and large towers. The walls were constructed like a pentagon, with one side facing the river and the others facing outward, each with its gate. The city had a wide moat but wasn''t sheer against the wall. Instead, it was a hundred feet outward. At its furthest point from the wall, the city was almost on an island, with another preliminary fence in front of it. The initial wall was only 7 ft high, but it was challenging to bombard the city''s main wall with magic or conventional siege weapons. The city had survived three sieges in its lifetime, two at the initiation of the kingdom of Antlatur and one by the Uscan Union.


    To fully besiege the city, one needed to invest troops on all of these gates and position a token force across the river to prevent resupply or reinforcements from getting into the city. Andrew left a token force of roughly 12,000 soldiers from the kingdom of Emmon. This was punishment because, during the march, they had fallen into an ambush, which had killed much of their cavalry. Three thousand soldiers had died in the ambush. To add insult to injury, Andrew sent Niances to command the force on the river''s south bank. This could be considered violating the autonomy of a sovereign affiliated kingdom. But, to justify it, he also sent Zach Pickett and his antler knights to the token force on the south bank, making it a mixed army. This happened at his sister''s insistence, who convinced him he wouldn''t be helpful in the siege, given that his forces were primarily composed of cavalry.


    Andrew divided the rest of his army and established two camps, each with 25,000 soldiers. The Antlaturs spent much of the 21st marching and building fortified camps. Standard war protocol would involve creating a series of trenches and walls around the entire city to prevent surprise attacks. But Andrew found this unnecessary, given their complete numerical advantage over the enemy. Morale on his side was already relatively low. There was no point in forcing the soldiers to do hard work for no tangible gain, which would lower morale further.


    On the Kingdom of Black side, they had barely 12,000 soldiers, primarily a reserve Brigade of the second division left behind to defend the capital and the capital garrison, a single Brigade of elite soldiers assigned to protect Lapetra. The kingdom scrambled to scrape together whatever mishmash they could to reinforce the garrison, militia who had yet to wake in their Mana, and veterans who had already retired. The completely out-matched defenders could only watch as their enemies entrenched themselves outside their walls.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Chaos in the city was kept to a minimum despite the massive army outside its walls due to the populace''s familiarity with being besieged. People had already been preparing for this moment when they heard about the invasion beginning. They had already started storing food and supplies in their houses. They quietly went home, blocked themselves into their houses, and waited for the storm to pass.


    Veronica Elia Nora Valerie Black, queen of the Kingdom of Black, had recently taken a backseat in politics and Military Affairs. More accurately, her political influence was severely reduced due to the succession complications. Prince Francis was the only legitimate heir to the kingdom, the son of the only legal husband that she had ever had. However, Prince Francis was a spoiled brat whom no one particularly liked. Under normal circumstances, another one of her children or even one of her relatives would have been chosen as an heir. However, a complication arose due to her own succession. She had an elder brother and sister who many people considered far more competent than her at the time of her succession. Now, people had revised their opinions. The reason why she''d been chosen over her older siblings was the fact that she descended from Francis, the liberator''s fourth wife. Who just happened to be a princess of the kingdom of Antlatur


    Who had been captured and forcibly married by Francis. Because her mother had royal blood in her veins, Francis pushed Veronica to inherit over his other children. Accepting her illegitimate son, Valerius, or another relative as heir would undermine her Legitimacy, as they didn''t have the Royal Blood of Antlatur. Many people had already given up Veronica and started supporting Valerius or one of her other relatives. She was forced to take a back seat in her nation''s politics and Military affairs. Ironically, the only group still supporting her is the traditional conservatives, her long-time political enemies. They had forced through a decision to make Francis the Commander of the third division, resulting in the disaster they were currently faced with.


    However, when the kingdom faced a crisis, all the nobles united to defend it. They were used to facing crises and knew that internal conflict during such an external threat would only result in disaster. So the Council, once entirely opposed to Veronica, unanimously elected her Supreme Commander of the city''s defense. Veronica displayed her talent for warfare, delaying the enemy forces at the Howard Bridge, launching a successful ambush while fortifying the town, and sending word to her son about their current situation. Despite her years of conflict and lack of a proper mother-son relationship with Valerius, she believed in his military abilities and that he would rescue the capital in its hour of need. This was made from a rational and not emotional belief. All she needed to do was hold on until he returned and smashed the enemy.


    The enemy began their attack before they were done with their camps on the 20th, launching a magical barrage against the city''s barrier. To take down a barrier on the scale of Lapetras would typically take weeks. This showed their commitment to a long-term strategy. Veronica had been preparing to build various Siege engines on top of her walls. She had all the alchemists in the city make Mana potions to ensure their mages could maintain the barrier and launch counter-magical attacks if necessary.


    On the 24th, the initial probing attacks began. These attacks always had to happen to anyone attempting to siege Lapetra. They had to take the first steps, crossing the moat and securing a beachhead. Then, they had to bring actual siege equipment against the city walls. They smashed the preliminary walls with ballistas. They crossed the moat by building mobile bridges carried on long poles. The Blacks didn''t just sit there and let them cross the river without paying the price, firing a volley of arrows and spears at these Bridge Crews and then retreating. Once they were across, they began fortifying their bridgeheads, building a dilapidated wall, and securing the permanent bridges the blacks had built across their moat.


    They could bring more extensive siege equipment with the permanent bridges, but only to a certain extent. It was impossible to fit siege towers or trebuchets through the bridges. But they could fit battering rams. They had learned from their past failures one of the main problems was that their battering rams could only be brought against the gate. Funneling their points of attack down to four. They could also bring ladders, but these were ineffective against manned walls and would only work if they had a considerable advantage in numbers and were willing to make massive sacrifices. So, Andrew had commissioned special battering rams that could fit through the gatehouse and still smash through the thick walls of Lapetra. The battering ram required over 100 people to push it and just around 30 people to lift the ram itself. The downside to this battering ram was that it took quite some time to construct. Despite spending two whole days on it, they only completed two.


    Andrew decided to wait to begin his assault until the 25th. By that time, the Bridgehead would be more secure, and he would have completed a third battering ram. He would have also given his soldiers plenty of time for rest. They had no idea the unprecedented disaster that was taking place then.

 Chapter 13: Meanwhile in Grastide

    Livia Tallwood, being a major General, had been appointed commander-in-chief of the Garrison at Grastide. Saying she was in a tough predicament was an understatement. Unexpectedly, the Antlaturs bypassed Grastide and headed to the capital. Livia had expected to stall them or even stop them at Grastide, but instead, she was pinned down by their token Force. Livia''s mother was also a great General and constantly talked about maintaining the initiative. She lost the initiative and was left on the back foot with the clock against her.


    ¡°The situation of our kingdom is quite bleak, isn''t it.¡± The governor of Grastide, Alistair Redmond, commented while leaning back in his chair. The governor of Grastide was the governor of the second-largest city in the Kingdom and was also the most important military base in the nation. Its Governor only served 3-year terms, but just being appointed meant one was a respected and well-connected noble in the Kingdom of Black. Alistair Redmont was no exception to the rule. Like most of the former governors, he had a respectable military and Civic career. Being 45, he was rounding out his military career before retiring to the High Council of the Kingdom to serve the rest of his days as an elder Statesman.


    ¡°Our kingdom has pulled itself out of worse predicaments before,¡± Livia commented, masking her unease. They were in his office in the governor''s mansion at the heart of the City, awaiting an esteemed guest.


    Alistair shrugged, ¡°I don''t know about you, Lady Tallwood, but I am quite concerned this is the largest Invasion our kingdom has ever faced, and yet our main force battles a force which outnumbers them.¡±


    Livia listened silently before asking him, ¡°So you want me to go out and fight as well?¡± Everyone around her had been urging her to do that ever since it became clear that the golden stallion would bypass the city and the enemy token force would ravage the countryside. The population of the countryside had long since abandoned the area. Still, the damage to the fields and houses, or what few of them there were, was severe. In addition, even if one could move their livestock, one couldn¡¯t move their barns or homes, which were also burned. Even her soldiers were agitating her to go out and fight, which probably had more to do with their blood lust than any particular opinion about the economic damage done to the area.


    Alistair slid a cigarette into his mouth. He smoked it in such a way that he almost came across as elegant and refined. ¡°I''m worried about the continued existence of our nation. If we manage to break through their token force, we could cut off their supplies from the rear and at least drive them back to the Black Valley.¡±


    Livia observed him quietly for a moment. ¡°He isn''t wrong, but he doesn''t understand,¡± she thought. Marching out and fighting was the easy part, but winning was hard. The enemy had an advantage in numbers and a fortified encampment. She would also have to leave a part of her Army behind so they couldn''t attack the city in her absence. She saw no reason for them to leave their fortified encampment. Instead, it would be her on the offensive unless the enemy commander was an idiot or had a guaranteed win.


    A knock came at the door before she could respond. After Alistair granted permission to enter, the butler entered and announced, ¡°Lady Elia Sanchez, her younger sister Lady Monica Sanchez, and their cousin Sir Vincent Sanchez have arrived, governor.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Alistair said, ¡°Send them in, and I would say prepare tea, but we don''t have any.¡±


    Three figures entered the room shortly afterward. Leading the group was a girl who appeared to be 17 with long, straight black hair, a small face, and beautiful violet eyes. She was a petite and childish beauty who was the type to invoke protective instincts. Her small stature meant she could pass herself off as someone even younger. But how she dressed, stood, and carried herself displayed elegance. She had a charming and seemingly genuine smile, but anyone who had the slightest idea who this was wouldn''t believe her lovely smile for a second. Livia stood up out of courtesy, and Elia curtsy perfectly. ¡°My name is Elia Sanchez. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± Being unable to curtsy while dressed in a military uniform, Livia Bowed courteously. She was still an aristocrat.


    Eila gestured towards the young man standing beside her. ¡°This is my cousin, Vincent.¡± Unlike his cousin, who seemed to have a permanent graceful smile, he remained utterly expressionless. But he bowed with just as much grace as Elia and shook hands with Livia. Vincent was tall and lean, unlike his cousin''s short and petite frame. They shared the same black hair, violet eyes, and refined disposition, and he was just as much of a heartthrob as his cousin. Under different circumstances, Livia probably would have had sex with him.


    The last member of their family to be introduced was Monica, who seemed to be acting as her sister''s attendant rather than participating in the conversation. Her curtsy was well-practiced, but her handshake was unsteady. She looked like a younger version of her sister and was probably only 12, but she might have been older.


    Despite her young age, Elia Sanchez was undoubtedly the most powerful person in the city and probably one of the most powerful people in the country. The Nobles of Grastide had formed an independent power block due to being estranged from the National Administration. These nobles were primarily the so-called registered Nobles. That is, they had many of the obligations of Nobles but lacked many of the perks. Not being titled was a huge career blow to anyone who saw broader opportunities in the National Administration. They felt they got a raw deal because they served as Knights, the same as the Nobles of Lapetra, but could only share a few perks.


    Elia united them, overcoming local rivals to make House Sanchez the most powerful in the city. Although the governor still held full legal authority, the Sanchez family and their new union formed a power block that threatened the governor. However, many nobles in the city remained loyal. Along the way, many rival nobles mysteriously disappeared while House Sanchez went from poverty to newfound wealth due to her business savvy. She even betrayed House Sanchez''s long-time ally and Patron House Bertrand. According to the rumors, killing its patriarch with her own two hands earned her the nickname Elia ¡°The Serpent¡± Sanchez.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    When Antlaturs were ravaging the countryside, the Noble houses of the city protested, demanding that Livia go out and fight them. But House Sanchez had remained peculiarly silent on the matter. Alastair was convinced that the noble houses would not have dared risk such an action without the serpent''s implicit approval. After a few days in the city, Livia was convinced of the same thing.


    This meeting was called to end the protest. Livia wanted time to consider her options and plan accordingly, not to rush into a foolish battle she had no hope of winning. Fundamentally, she was a military-minded person who didn''t care about the economic or long-term damage to the region so long as the kingdom emerged Victorious. Of course, the local nobility deeply cared about the economic activity of their city, as their own financial status and wealth depended on it. Ever since the Second Empire of Man, almost all Nobles relied more on wealth than military power due to the Advent of national armies. Making money and the ability to earn more money were of paramount concern to all noble families. Currently, their economic interests are being damaged by the war. Alister had already explained the conflict of interest at play. However, the meeting still had to be held to prevent a potential internal conflict from destroying the city''s defense. But what she feared most was that the serpent would open the gate for the enemy.


    Livia didn''t beat around the bush, ¡°I want you to put pressure on the Nobles and the citizens to cease protesting at least for the duration of the war.¡±


    Elia raised an eyebrow. ¡°You must understand that we of House Sanchez are just another Noble family.¡±


    She seemed to want me to continue, so Livia stopped her with a raised hand. ¡°I don''t particularly care how you view yourself. I just want you to tell the Nobles to stop the protests and the citizens from committing treasonous activity.¡±


    ¡°Treasonous activity?¡± Elia had a seemingly genuine look of horror on her face. Livia might have bought it if she hadn''t heard about her beforehand. ¡°General, you must understand that the people are merely protesting their poor living conditions due to having taken refuge in the city and their property being destroyed. I don''t believe that qualifies as treasonous.¡±


    ¡°Interfering with the war effort, which might have the continued sovereignty of the Black Kingdom at stake, is treasonous activity and will remain treasonous,¡± Livia stated flatly. ¡°If you cannot get them under control, then I''ll have no choice but to declare martial law.¡± She had no intention of engaging in a war of words with her opponent because she knew she would lose. Instead, she just flatly stated her demands and gave her ultimatum without giving her conversational opponent a chance to respond.


    Elia''s look of horror happened a second too late to be genuine. But Livia had said she intended to leave her piece with her threat still looming. When the door slammed open, a soldier rushed in behind her, the flustered-looking butler who seemed to be trying to stop her. Livia recognized the face of her Aid Lola Corralo. ¡°General, an urgent messenger from the first division,¡± she said, still panting.


    Elia and her entourage returned to their mansion after Livia was called away. The moment the two were seated, Elia turned to her cousin with a bit of annoyance. ¡°I would have appreciated some support out there, Vic.¡±


    Vincent looked unapologetic. ¡°What was I supposed to say? That General knew she was no match for you in a war of words, so she blatantly delivered her threat and didn''t intend to engage you. You would have lost regardless of my assistance.¡± Although she continued looking annoyed, deep down, she admitted he was entirely right.


    ¡°We got lucky,¡± she finally stated. ¡°Saved by the Bell.¡±


    ¡°Well, this might turn out to be a good thing.¡± Vincent said, ¡°We both know Valarius won his battle against Redtowers. Complying with her demands won''t be a loss for us.¡± They had stationed spies in Valerius''s army. Hence, they knew while Livia remained ignorant, primarily because Valerius had neglected to send a report.


    She nodded in agreement. They''d been secretly planning to open the city gates if the kingdom of Black looked like it would lose. Elia didn''t want to betray the kingdom but did not intend to go down with the ship. They only got involved with the Antlaturs after it became clear that the city of Lepetra was the target. After the capital fell, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the Kingdom folded. To keep House Sanchez''s involvement in the matter silent, she''d used other houses deeply in debt to the Sanchez''s as their go-betweens. The Antlaturs only knew that those families were plotting to betray the city, and they hadn''t heard of the Sanchez name. They would only reveal themselves to their enemies once it was time to betray them. This would keep them safe just in case it was exposed.


    But betraying the kingdom was the last thing that the  House Sanchez wanted. It wasn''t like the Antlaturs were going to reward them with titles. In the Kingdom of Black, Grastide Nobles were treated like second-class Nobles, but they still had a lot of influence, leading the second-largest city in the nation. But the Kingdom of Antlatur''s status would decline further as the city would only be one of many, and the Nobles would be treated like traitors from a foreign nation.


    Even after all that, Elia had made preparations just in case the kingdom went down. She viewed herself as a pragmatist, although others would call her an opportunist. But with Valerius''s victory at Erinvale¡¯s and other news, it looked like the tide was turning in favor of the Kingdom.


    Elia asked Vincent, ¡°What should we do if the Kingdom of Black emerged victorious? ¡°


    Vincent didn''t hesitate for a moment before responding. ¡°We should expose those Houses who were secretly plotting to open the gates for the Antlaturs¡±


    ¡°What if they expose us?¡±


    ¡°The ramblings of traitors. They don''t have any proof of us being involved in their treasonous plots. The governor won''t be able to do anything even if he knows exactly what is happening.¡±


    Elia thought about it for a moment. ¡° All right, we''ll do that but expose them publicly so their accusations will be discredited even more.¡±


    Vincent finally revealed a smile. ¡°That''s why you''re the serpent.¡±


    ¡°Don''t call me that. You know I prefer ¡®Minx.¡¯ It''s more feminine.¡±

 Chapter 14: The Battle of Grastide

    Chapter 14: The Battle of Grastide


    Grastide was constructed on a mountain plateau. As the city''s population expanded and exceeded the plateau area, they expanded off into the slopes. The city''s noble districts were built on the upper part of the mountain. The lower parts of the slopes were built separately as walled-off districts, and they became the city''s slums. The city streets were tangled masses of stairways and slopes crisscrossing against each other in a confusing mess, even people who''ve been residents their whole lives would get lost in. The city had only one gate with a single road leading from the noble district to the foothills of the mountain known as The Golden Road, which was made with Yellowstone quarried from the kingdom of Antlatur.


    Once you reach the foot of the mountain, there are three intersecting valleys with several small streams running through them. These valleys had been turned into agricultural land when the city was first constructed, which was a part of why it had been built there in the first place. The three valleys ran East, north, and west, respectively. The Antlaturs had built their camp in the Western Valley.


    The smell of feces hit Livia''s nose as she rode on the Golden Road. Lining the street were refugees driven out of their homes by The Invasion. As the second division marched down the streets, the crowds shouted. ¡°Kill,¡± ¡°Kill,¡± ¡°kill,¡± ¡°kill.¡±  The refugees had found room for themselves wherever there was room, building camps on the side of the road, on rooftops, in alleyways, or in abandoned buildings. Overnight, the city''s population had temporarily doubled due to the crisis. The city of Grastide had enough room for them as the population had declined ever since the Rebellion. Leaving abandoned houses and empty spaces, but it still wasn''t enough for everyone.


    The second division marched out of the city gate with banners flying. The crowd encouraged them, and they left with Rising bloodlust. Livia was outwardly just as she always was, but internally, she raged with bloodlust even more than the soldiers. If they succeeded in Valerius''s plan, they would win the war in one fell swoop and likely end all Antlatur invasions of their Nation for the foreseeable future.


    ¡°The time to strike is now,¡± said Brigadier General Carmine Leone. Falcus Ormond stared at the map long and hard, thinking Carmine could use his head, but he didn''t use it that much. But thinking that was the old man''s job, the young man¡¯s was to fight, and Falcus was certainly old. He continued staring at the map and wondered what the Witch of the black knife was thinking about.


    Finally, he spoke. ¡°She''s too cunning to be stupid,¡± he told Carmine, the only other person in the tent. Falcone hated most of his counsel; none came up with ideas he hadn''t already, but he seemed to believe he should be grateful for them imparting ideas. The only person he continued to have as his counsel was Carmine. Despite being a hot head, the young man could still think.


    The entire conversation stemmed from that barely 30 minutes ago, the gates of Grastide had opened, and the Black Army had emerged, streaming down the Golden Road like a black tide, 15,000 strong. The scouts had reported back, confused as to what the enemy was doing, and so Falcus had called a meeting with Carmine to decide what to do. The enemy was outnumbered two to one. Falcus had expected they would hide in their City until the war''s end. It was only natural to assume that this was some form of trap. He just couldn''t figure it out.


    ¡°Maybe she realized we were winning the war and decided it was better to go out fighting. Maybe they ran out of food, or the Nobles of Grastide forced her out. There is no point in thinking about it. We know for a certainty that they have 20,000 soldiers. Even if somehow the other 5,000 managed to sneak out a back way, they couldn''t pose any significant threat to us from the flank. We leave a camp guard, keep soldiers in reserve, and crush them in the open field.¡±


    Falcus stared at the map, thinking he was right, but something was off here. He knew he couldn''t use that as an excuse. The soldiers and officers were champing at the bit to seize this golden opportunity for victory. None of them wanted to storm Grastide, the impregnable mountain fortress. Even with contacts from the inside, it would still be a bloody and brutal affair. Destroying their garrison on the open field, however, would be simple. Explaining that they wouldn''t attack because it felt off to him wasn''t an option. ¡°I suppose my choice was made from the beginning.¡± That thought only made him more uncomfortable.


    The Antlatur Army exited their camp. It was built west of the city, and the only way to reach it was to pass through the valley. So, they focused their Camp defenses on building two layers of walls and towers facing westward. Leaving 2000 soldiers from their Cabela allies behind to guard the camp, the Army marched through the gates they had built. Once they arrived on the other side, they marched into the plane where Livia Tallwood was waiting. Livia had set up her formation on the plane and at the mouth of the valley, which would have allowed her to guard her flanks and minimize the enemy''s advantage in numbers.


    Both armies set up their formations facing each other on the plane. Livia had already been setting up her formation when the Antlatur decided to face her, so she finished first. But since if she attacked, the enemy could just Retreat into their camp, she waited, as her goal was to fight a decisive battle and not merely Force the enemy to retreat.


    The Antlatur Army comprised 30,000 soldiers, leaving 2000 soldiers from their Cabela allies behind to guard the camp. They had 28,000, 8,000 of which were from the kingdom of Cabela. The rest of the army was from the 6th division of the kingdom of Antlatur, and a brigade was from the 7th division, totaling 20,000 soldiers. The Army had 21,000 heavy Infantry, 6,000 Light Infantry, and 2000 cavalry. They left behind 500 light and 1500 heavy Infantry from their Cabela contingent.


    ¡°Everything is ready, Your Highness,¡± James reported, speaking in the same bored tone he always used. However, Valerius could detect the tiniest bit of excitement. Smiling wryly at his chief of staff''s consistency, he gave the order.


    ¡°Attack!¡± This time, there were no bugles, and there was no shouting. Flags moved hushed commands, and past whispers got the entire army out of their concealed hiding places. They had gone on a grueling march from the Great Alloro River to the west side of Grastide to get there in a small forest west of the Antlatur camp. Winning a battle and then going on a forced march was difficult for the first division. However, with high morale due to their victory and unshakable faith in their General, they managed to complete it.


    In the aftermath of the battle of Erinvale, the First Division had negligible casualties, but the border regiment''s casualties were more significant. Someone needed to be left behind to guard the flank, so General Paul and the border regiment took on that task after burying their dead and escorting captives back to Fort Frances before the first division set off, delaying them.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Valerius had devised a plan. The first part of the plan was to lure the enemy out of their camp, and the second was to hit them from the rear with a surprise attack. This was possible because the enemy was unfamiliar with the terrain and the Black''s familiarity. Their lighter equipment also makes marching on a mountain feasible for them while impossible for the enemy. In addition, Valerius got incredibly lucky. The King of Redtowers was so busy trying to preserve his army after his defeat at Erinvale that he neglected to send messengers to his allies, informing them of his defeat. As far as they knew, the Redtowers Army was still engaged with the First Division. They defeated them 5 days ago.


    So Falcus relied heavily on his experience and didn''t bother to raise his vigilance for a potential ambush. As far as he knew, all enemy armies were engaged or under siege. He also believed marching through a mountainous region would take a lot of time so long as the Army had a lot of heavy Infantry. That was according to his experience with normal armies. The Black army had heavy infantry, but its heavy infantry was much lighter and more flexible than normal heavy infantry. Meaning they could travel through mountainous regions a lot faster than was normal.  Believing that it was impossible for an enemy forced to be west or south of him, he only sent Scouts out of preliminary caution and focused most of his energy on watching Grastide. This allowed for the first division to sneak around his sentries easily.


    The first division exited the forest like a silent Black Wave rolling straight towards the enemy camp. They had expected some resistance, but the 2000 soldiers left behind didn''t even bother to post sentries, and we''re primarily relishing their good fortune by staying in their tents. After all, they were soldiers from the Affiliated Kingdom; they had no stake in this war and only wanted to go home alive.


    The First Soldiers spotted them as they had exited the camp to play a ball game, only to spot the black Army approaching. They hastily rushed back to their encampment and rang the warning bell. But by then, it was far too late. The Black Army crashed into the camp, moving like packs of wolves among sheep, the unarmored and unprepared camp guards. Most of the soldiers fled in panic, but in a state of confusion, they fled northward, southward into the mountains, where only death awaited them. Some were loyal enough or smart enough to flee eastward towards their allies to warn them. However, the walls and defenses they had set up hindered their efforts, and very few managed to escape before being killed or captured. Although most of the soldiers simply surrendered without a fight.


    Valerius followed behind his army, surrounded by his companion Cavalry and staff officers. Although there was some slight confusion about the enemy prisoners, orders had already been given for who would deal with them and how. So, he currently didn''t have much to do. Hearing the sounds of battle dying, he ordered James Tallwood, ¡°Tell Samuel to enact the plan, and tell Drake I want his brigade to be directly after Samuel and to start forming up on the right side.¡±


    Samuel led his cavalry through the gates, a company of 900 skilled and experienced knights. The gates were already opened, and the enemy had already formed before them. He charged straight for where the highest flag was, the enemy field headquarters. Luckily, it was the closest and not protected by a reserve unit. The moment the enemy saw them coming, they started retreating in a panic. But the prince of the storm didn''t wait for his enemies. It was far too late, with no forewarning, and Samuels Cavalry was already in a Gallup.


    Falcus couldn''t believe his eyes. He received no early warning before the gates of his camp opened, and Cavalry rushed out of it in Black armor with red capes. His companion cavalry didn''t notice until the enemy started the charge. They immediately picked up and tried to retreat to the reserve Brigade but were overtaken and surrounded.


    The first man to lose his life in this battle was a companion Cavalryman who was lanced in the throat and fell off his horse. The companions were outnumbered, surrounded, and defeated one by one. But their loyalty to their General, whom they had served for years, and their honor as companion Cavalry prevented them from surrendering, and so they died one by one. Falcus joined the fray but barely managed to injure an enemy knight Before he was accosted.


    ¡°Are you the general here?¡± the enemy Knight riding a black horse in full black armor yelled, his voice booming out of his helmet. He wore a single star on his pauldrons, probably representing his military rank.


    ¡°That''s me,¡± Falcus said without hesitation. He saw no reason to deny it. He was wearing his full military regalia, which included two stars representing his Major General status.


    ¡°I''ve come to kill you bitch, but if you surrender, I''ll let you live!¡± the enemy knight yelled over the den of The Fray. Although Falcus couldn''t see his eyes, he could see the disdain in them as if he were looking at a dirty bug.


    ¡°I don''t think I will, traitor, " he spat. He had no confidence in winning. Cavalry captains were generally young and chosen for their skill. He was old and at best, was an above-average knight. But a glorious death on the battlefield is better than Inglourious captivity.


    ¡°Well, then, bitch, tell Noel that Samuel Magyar sent you.¡± The man who''d introduced himself as Samuel thrust his Cavalry Lance straight towards Falcus. He could tell nothing was held back in the blow. The lance glowed with blood-red magic and moved so fast he could barely see it. Falcus barely blocked with his shield, but immediately, another thrust came at him. He only blocked three blows before a thrust caught him in the stomach.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Your Majesty, I failed you.¡± He muttered to the king he had parted with only a few weeks ago. Falcus Ormond''s Last sight in this world was of the disdainful eyes of his killer.


    Valerius sent his Cavalry forward to buy time for his main Force to get into formation, which was achieved by the death of Falcus Ormond. This caused the enemy to be thrown into a state of confusion. Neither the first nor the second division engaged the enemy outside of their decapitation strike. But a state of confusion and panic filled the enemy ranks without orders from the top, and the rumor of Falcus''s death spread like wildfire, which shook the Antlatur army before the battle had even begun. Samuel retreated after charging the Cabela Reserve Brigade. It was only a stroke of luck that he''d been able to locate and attack the enemy field headquarters. His original plan had always been to attack their Reserve Brigade, which comprised their Affiliated Kingdom of Cabela, spreading more chaos before retreating.


    Once the first division had finished forming up, they charged the enemy. Only the enemy reserves, a single Brigade, had even turned around to face them.  The second division also began their charge.  Rumors were already flying that Falcus was dead, and with enemies lining up behind them, the soldiers of the Affiliated Kingdom had no intention of dying. They threw down their spears and shields and ran.


    The chaos quickly consumed the entire Army as soldiers fled in all directions. The Reserve Brigade retreated Eastward towards the second division and their oncoming allies. The main line was retreating westward, then northward. Soon, everyone ran in every direction, and shouting and confusion consumed the entire Army. There was no safe way for them. Many soldiers were trampled by their allies in the confusion. So some soldiers charged the enemy line, crashing against it like loose sand, and were easily killed. But most soldiers were either killed or captured, and the entire Army was defeated without much of a fight.


    5000 soldiers fled through the northward valley under Carmine''s command. However, most soldiers were captured, and there were few casualties on the Black side.

 Chapter 15: After the battle

    The battlefield was littered with the dead and dying. There were so many injured that the Black healing Mages had to abandon many enemy soldiers. One of the advantages of winning a battle was that allied soldiers took priority in mana''s usage. Luckily for the soldiers of Antlatur, there was enough mana left over after all of the Black soldiers had been healed. But unluckily, there wasn''t enough for all of them. So many who were not valuable enough or too severely injured were simply left to their fate. The prisoners who were healed or captured uninjured were corralled inside their own camp, split up, and stripped of their armor. They couldn''t be brought inside the city due to the overcrowding of refugees.


    Deciding what to do with the prisoners long-term was a problem, but it was handled in the short term. Accommodations for the first division inside of the city were made. The reserve Brigade took no part in the battle and would be guarding the prisoners. After all, the first division had just completed a grueling march and battle, and Valerius wanted them rested for the battles to come. All of this was arranged quickly but happened slowly. However, the army had an abundance of daylight due to winning the fight before noon, and they so easily spent the rest of the day tending to the wounded and making their post-battle arrangements.


    The first division filed into the city via the gate the reserve Brigade had already left, and the second division had already gone in. They marched in with high spirits, buoyed by Valerius''s victory and promises of one rest-day. Entering the city, James was struck by how different it was from the last time he¡¯d been here. Grastide had always felt like an empty city with too much space. It was quiet and ghostly, but now it was packed, and the streets were lined with refugees. Valerius and James went ahead and met with Livia. However, Valerius claimed it was to discuss important matters with her, which might be true, at least in a certain sense. The real reason was likely a request from Livia.


    James and Livia had different fathers, with a 20-year age gap between them. On top of that, James''s mother had died when he was eight, and his father had proceeded her death, leaving behind James and his younger sister, Jane. He could barely recall his mother; his elder sister had raised him. That being said, James didn''t want to receive preferential treatment, especially from his sister, as he''d already been teased and made the butt of jokes due to her constant maternal attitude when she was around him, which contrasted sharply with her normal behavior.


    They entered the military compound of Grastide, accompanied by Valerius''s companion, Cavalry, who took care of their horses in the yard. Livia''s aide guided them to a meeting room. As soon as the door opened, the three of them stepped inside. Livia approached James, completely ignoring Valerius, with her arms wide open, ready for a hug. James dodged her embrace before closing the door behind him, finally allowing her to hug him.


    Over her shoulder, he saw Valerius''s handsome face twisting into a smirk. Glaring at him, James reluctantly returned the hug, knowing it was the quickest way to escape the situation. After they separated, Livia looked him up and down, and he did the same. It had been approximately a year and a half since he last saw her, as he had been stationed on the southern border and then on the eastern border, which kept him away for a long time. The last time they met was when Valerius had gone to see his daughter and, more importantly, to sire his second child.


    Livia was a handsome woman. She was tall and robust, almost as tall as James, with the black hair and green eyes of the tallwoods. She always dressed impeccably in her military uniform, a black military uniform with gold and red accents and a red cape. Despite being attractive and the matriarch of a powerful noble family in the Kingdom, she''d never been married, although she had many lovers. She''d always insisted that James was her heir and should have children to continue the family line.


    ¡°You look good,¡± she said before affectionately patting him on the shoulder. He was about to say it when he saw Valerius smirking at him and chose not to say anything. He instead chose to stare at the floor. Livia didn''t seem concerned about it and turned to Valerius.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°You look good, General Black.¡±


    ¡°You look good as well, General Tallwood,¡± Valerius said with a mischievous smirk. ¡°I look forward to working with you and the second division as my subordinate.¡± When armies were cooperating, generally, the Monarch would decide which general, if of equal rank, would be in charge. But if it wasn''t specified, then the one from the higher division or brigade would be in charge. In this case, since Valerius commanded the first division, Livia commanded the second, Valerius would be in charge.


    James looked nervously at his sister, expecting the outrage of a senior officer being disrespected. Lola Corralo Looked outraged on her behalf, but Livia had a serene expression instead. ¡°That''s fine,¡± she stated in a calm tone.


    Valerius was flummoxed, and James understood why. Livia had been his superior, his mentor who mocked him when he failed and guided him back to his feet. He still had complicated feelings even if he knew it was all just to make him a better person. He wanted to see her squirm at becoming his subordinate as a fair turnabout. But her willing acceptance ruined his plan. James found, to his surprise, that he was also disappointed. She seemed to know exactly what was happening in their heads, so she smirked.


    The two of them just stood there, feeling awkward. The door busted open, and a messenger came rushing inside. ¡°General,¡± he said, breathless, ¡°the enemy is attacking.¡±


    ¡°Who, where, and how many,¡± Valerius said, the commanding presence of a general snapping back into place.


    ¡°They''re forming up in the valley and attempting a counterattack.  There were only about 2,000 strong. Brigadier Drake and Samuel are already moving to attack them,¡° The messenger reported.


    ¡°Then why are you bothering to tell me.¡± Valerius said, ¡°Tell Rycar to turn around and support them.  Tell Samuel and Drake they have my full permission to run wild.¡± The messenger remained silent momentarily before Valerius snapped at him, ¡°What are you waiting for? A tip?¡± the messenger saluted and ran out, presumably to give the orders.


    Livia looked to Valerius. ¡°Was that wise? I suppose it''s fine since it''s those two mad hounds of yours, but still.¡±


    Valerius looked entirely unbothered. ¡°Drake''s been looking to vent his anger anyway. Samuel''s been  showing him up the whole war, so it''s best to let him vent a little.¡±


    Livia looked at James, baffled. ¡°Is this normal?¡±


    James just smiled; it was normal. Everyone in the first division was utterly insane. He should know; he had to deal with most of the problems they caused.


    ¡°You were in the capital until recently, right? How''re my kids doing, Livia?¡±


    ¡°They''re doing fine. Luce is taking good care of them. Maria is still a bitch, though. I hate her almost as much as I do the fucking Emperor. He was the reason it took so long to get here.¡± The Emperor was the nickname for the king consort Howard Towers, and he was an uncle of the current king of Redtowers. His nickname was derived from the fact that the kingdom of Towers, before its collapse, was called The Towers Empire, even though they never officially claimed the rank of empire.  More important was his overbearing attitude. He had strong support at court but was still broadly disliked.  Livia hated Valerius''s wife and the emperor and wasn''t shy about her opinion.


    ¡°My wife, when is she not a bitch.¡± Valerius commented. ¡°I''m just glad she''s out of my life for good now. As for the Emperor, his precious son fled to the capital and abandoned the third division. On that subject, do we have any idea what happened to Roderick?¡±


    ¡°I believe he was at Eldon''s gate when it got stormed, so either dead or prisoner. We could have used Falcus to trade for him if he was still alive.¡± There was a hint of reproach in her tone.


    Valerius sounded defensive when he responded, ¡°We have plenty of prisoners, including officers. We''ll get Roderick back if he and the rest of our soldiers are still alive, with or without Falcus.¡±


    ¡°We should be more concerned with affairs in the capital,¡± Lola interjected.


    Valerius glanced at her lazily. ¡°We''ll discuss that tomorrow. For now, I''m tired.¡±

 Chapter 16: The Young Knight and the Old Crone

    The ground between the moat in the city was fine black soil. Fertile and rich, its minerals were unburdened with fields, produce, or livestock. So there in the shadow of its walls were fields of flowers. The flowers currently in season were Black lilies and White roses. Andrew recalled that his third wife loved these particular flowers. He tried to recall what they meant in the language of flowers she had told him once, but he''d forgotten.  ¡°Death and Love, maybe.¡± Whatever they meant, seeing the purple and white tapestry was a breathtaking sight that was beautiful and majestic.


    Andrew couldn¡¯t help but admire the sheer magnitude of Lapetra''s defenses. However, he had to admit that Higgsbury''s fortifications seemed rudimentary in comparison. The city¡¯s walls loomed overhead, pressing down on the attackers like ants scattered beneath a giant¡¯s feet. Two Antlatur armies had already smashed against those walls, and thousands of young men from the Antlatur alliance had perished, trying to climb them or batter down the gates. For many soldiers in the Antlatur army, these walls had become a nightmare. After the first Siege of Lapetra, there were so many bodies that the population reportedly survived on human flesh for three years. ¡°I will tear down those walls,¡± Andrew vowed to himself. ¡°I will topple this little Rebel Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°That would be them,¡± called Arthur Eaton, the leader of his companion cavalry and standard bearer for the day. Andrew followed Arthur''s gaze and saw that the city gates had opened, revealing fifty riders. At the front were three figures: a standard bearer, a guard, and a queen. He noted that an equal number of people accompanied him.


    This was a traditional meeting between monarchs during wartime. Monarchs typically never left their countries except for war, so they rarely met despite their ongoing schemes and rivalries. It was only during conflicts that a rare meeting was called to discuss the possibility of peace in a parley. The honor of both kingdoms ensured the validity of the parley; breaking it would bring eternal shame to the betrayer and their nation.


    The Temple of Sia also guaranteed this meeting, as it consistently advocated for peaceful relations among human nations. If anyone violated the terms of a parlay, the Temple of Sia would excommunicate them and declare them an enemy of mankind. All human nations would be honor-bound to attack them and sever relations.


    Although the Temple of Sia had recently declined in influence, Andrew particularly disdained it, especially the high priest in his kingdom, Jonathan Mills. Although it never wielded much power on the Western continent, everyone was still obliged to respect its authority.


    Andrew mounted his stallion, determined not to head to the meeting place until he saw Veronica. This decision stemmed partly from security concerns, as the meeting location was beneath the city''s walls and within the range of fire. However, the main reason was his reluctance to wait for his counterpart. He was the king of a significant power, while she ruled a small Kingdom.


    Despite calling this meeting, Andrew believed she should wait for his convenience, not the other way around. His stallion, a white creature covered in mithril armor painted gold, was the source of his nickname. He himself donned a full adamantine plate adorned in white and green with gold accents.


    He rode forward, trailing him to where his companion cavalry, to his left and right was his standard bearer and the Marshall saint of Antlatur, Rasmus Mortur. He rode within 10 feet of her. His companion cavalry were 10 feet behind him and 10 feet behind her, keeping their distance to avoid accidentally causing a fight. Neither spoke, and they just spent a minute observing each other. This was the first time they were meeting. It was the first time Andrew had ever met anyone from the Black family despite hearing about them and hating them his entire life.


    Veronica''s beauty had faded but was still visible under all the wrinkles and gray hairs. She was of average height and build for a woman. She was 55 years old, and the years showed. She wore a relatively plain Black military uniform. Five stars gleamed on her epaulets, and her Crimson cloak was fastened with a gold brooch flecked with ruby. Her long, pitch-black hair had gray streaks in it. Despite all this, her golden eyes shone with power, and the aura around her dominated. Andrew felt smaller in her presence, reminding him strongly of his mother and Queen Marianne of Triton. Andrew felt small and insignificant in comparison to the mighty Giants of the continent. But he couldn''t look or feel inferior in front of his subordinates, especially to a queen of a small and insignificant nation like the Kingdom of Black. He braced the muscles in his stomach and projected as much confidence and strength as he could.


    On top of her head was the only serious piece of finery she wore. A Golden Crown inlaid with rubies the size of eggs like blood dripping into her black hair. It was a crown that had been worn by Francis the Liberator. At the Battle of Hayden''s Ford, Francis had reportedly ripped the crown off the head of the King of Antlatur. The king''s blood had dripped off the crown and into Francis''s hair, and he''d been hailed King of the newly established Kingdom of Black. It was the birth of its iconic emblem and words, which were given in the form of a promise made by Francis, ¡°Blood for Blood.¡±


    Next to her were a woman and a man. The woman was Veronica''s standard-bearer; Andrew didn''t know who she was. But the man was famous, Luca. No one knew his last name or even if he had a last name. He was a big and ugly man with rust-colored hair that was greasy and unkempt. He was pale, and his skin was saggy. His lips were thick, and his eyes were narrow. But he, despite his appearance and presumed low birth, was the Marshall saint of the Kingdom of Black and a famous one at that.


    ¡°So,¡± the Black queen finally asked. Her voice came off cold and indifferent.


    ¡°So,¡± Andrew was shaken due to her aura and confusingly responded.


    Veronica sighed, and Andrew saw the glimmer of interest in her eye leave. ¡°You called this meeting Golden Stallion, so why don''t you say your peace and stop wasting everyone''s time?¡± She sounded completely disinterested as if he was barely worth her attention. Andrew felt a bubbling hot anger, the same rage as when Roderick had hit him. But he tamped down on it. He couldn''t attack her here.


    Andrew put on a smile. ¡°I have six times the soldiers you do. I have your city completely surrounded. I have Siege engines ready to destroy your precious walls.¡±


    He was about to continue when Veronica interjected, ¡°You have five times the number of soldiers I do, half of your armies on the other side of the Black Knife. You have my city completely surrounded. Nonsense, we can still sail down the Black Knife River unless you magically obtained a river fleet, and we still have complete naval superiority.  You claim to have Siege engines that can smash down my walls. Maybe they can, but a bigger siege engine makes a bigger target, or did no one teach you basic logic.¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Sail down the Black Knife. Don''t make me laugh, even if you have boats. Half the time, the river is completely impassable, and it''s still dangerous the rest of the time. And 50,000 is still larger than 10,000.¡± Andrew responded.


    ¡°Sail down the Black Knife? That wasn''t my intention, merely to ship supplies if you decide to starve us out. That''s very possible. In fact, we do it all the time already, although I doubt you have the means to build a river fleet on the black knife.¡±


    ¡°I''ve already set fire to all of the Black Knife Valley.¡±


    ¡°Then we''ll ship food from Planes of Francis or the Uscan Union. But I''m afraid there''s not enough Provisions for your Army, which is six times the size of mine.¡± She laughed mockingly


    Andrew put on a mask of confidence. ¡°If need be, we will ship food from Cestia or Antlatur Itself.¡± in truth, both options would be difficult. Antlatur was far away and over the mountains. Cestia was recently embroiled in another war with the Kingdom of Goldtowers and the alliance of the Frittigurn. It would be difficult to import food from them or their allies. At the very least, the price would be tripled by the market value. Veronica''s bored expression made it clear she didn''t believe his bluffs for a second. ¡°Besides, did you forget you have an entire population to feed and all those refugees packed into that city? It must be difficult to keep them from rioting, much less feed them all.¡±


    ¡°You''ll have to assault our walls,¡± she stated flatly, ¡°EVEN if you can win, how much blood will you shed? How many soldiers will die? Can your kingdom afford such an expense? So many people want you dead, Golden Stallion, and so many other nations want to see yours destroyed. Don''t forget about my son and his army either, not to mention the second division still held up in Grastide. You have to spend a lot more blood even after Lepetra falls if Lapetra falls.¡±


    Andrew was momentarily tongue-tied, and Veronica took advantage. ¡°Now, once more, why did you call this meeting? This time, don''t try to intimidate me with your large, incompetent army that can''t feed itself.¡±


    ¡°I want you to become an Affiliated Kingdom, disband two of your divisions, and surrender the territory of Grastide. I will choose a suitable local Noble House to become the new royal house of a new Affiliated Kingdom.¡± The Kingdom of Black had an exceptionally large army for its size, as enemies always surrounded them. If they were to become an Affiliated Kingdom, Andrew wanted to weaken them so they could never revolt again. Making Grastide an Affiliated Kingdom wasn''t necessary. Still, it would further weaken them, and it was traditional that when a large country became an affiliated kingdom, some of its territories would be split off and made into new affiliated kingdoms. As for the new royal house, there were a couple of houses within the city that it proposed, betraying the Kingdom of Black. Andrew could use one of them. Veronica would think she was installing one of her own nobles as a royal house, but in reality, it would be Andrew''s ally.


    Veronica openly started laughing at him. Andrew felt his anger rise once more. ¡°You might not want to admit it, but this is reality. This is the only way your kingdom will survive.¡±


    ¡°You mean the only way your kingdom will survive,¡± she laughed. ¡°You''re funny, Golden Stallion.¡±


    ¡°You need peace more than I need peace. Both of our nation''s futures are on the line here.¡± Veronica stated, returning to her indifferent tone.


    ¡°We can destroy your nation and still resist our enemies,¡± Andrew responded angrily.


    ¡°Well, far be it from me to deny the words of such a great monarch as the Golden Stallion,¡± Veronica said with a mocking lilt to her tone. ¡°You may have six times the numbers, but I have two times the experience. You won''t survive, believe me.¡±


    ¡°What do you have in mind then?¡± Andrew asked.


    Veronica didn''t hesitate before responding, ¡°We would be willing to secede over the Lorien and Almerian Silver Mines and all of the land around in exchange for a withdrawal from all of the Black fortresses and a complete withdrawal of your armies from our territory. We will also pay ransoms and compensation to you.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡±  Andrew made a dumbfounded noise. ¡°We already have Lorien and Almerian Silver Mines and all the land around it. Why should we hand over the Black fortresses? We''ve already captured them.¡±


    Veronica''s tone changed again as if she were speaking to a small child: ¡°In exchange for peace, we''re willing to hand over two silver mines.¡±


    ¡°That land is already ours,¡± Andrew growled.


    ¡°No, you occupy it. It is still our land.¡±


    Andrew shook his head. ¡°You''re completely crazy.¡±


    ¡°Well, your mother''s talents don''t include parenting, but we''re all imperfect human beings, right?¡± Veronica laughed.


    ¡°There is an easier way to settle this - a Marshall Saint challenge. Your Marshall Saint versus mine. If you win, we will completely withdraw and even hand over your silver Mines, and if we win, you''ll become an Affiliated Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Single combat. I was wondering when you were going to get to that. But negotiating with oath breakers is like reasoning with a goblin.¡±


    ¡°The Kingdom of Antlatur has always kept its promises. We have never once broken a vow without cause.¡± Andrew roared, ¡°insinuating we''re untrustworthy when you are nothing but oath breakers and rebels. You have quite some gall.¡±


    ¡°You seem to have quite a forgetful memory, King of Antlatur. You forget your grandfather''s vow to mine after the Battle of Hayden''s Ford. He promised never to invade the Kingdom of Black again, but he came up with an excuse and invaded five years later. Let''s not forget the vow your father swore to me - he promised in exchange for the release of hostages, a ten-year truce lasting 10 years, yet the vow is still broken. You always use the excuse that we are nothing but oath-breakers and rebels. Therefore, we are not protected by oaths made to us. So I ask again, how can I trust your words? Even if my Marshall Saint wins, and he assuredly will, you won''t keep your promise. I won''t risk Luca''s life just to kill your Marshall saint.¡±


    Andrew couldn''t deny anything she said, but that only made him angrier. ¡°Is there any actual offer that you would accept?¡±


    ¡°Your original offer: If you allow us to keep the city of Grastide, I can bring it back to the council and come back to you with an answer in time,¡±  Veronica said evenly.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I can''t allow you to delay merely as a negotiation strategy. So I need you to accept my offer. Here and now.¡± His sister warned Andrew that Veronica might try such a strategy.


    Veronica sighed. ¡°I see now you were simply wasting everyone''s time. There''s no way a Monarch can accept an offer as important as becoming an Affiliated Kingdom without discussing it with their counsel. In what world do you think that would even happen?¡±


    ¡°All you need to do is open the gates. I will take them over, and then you can think it over.¡±


    Veronica didn''t bother responding. Instead, she wheeled her horse around Luca and gave Andrew one last hateful glare before riding through the gates.


    Barely 10 minutes later, the storming of Lepetra began.

 Chapter 17: Storming of Lepetra

    The Antlaturer assault began on the 25th of Ninsum, and their first step was to take down the preliminary wall.  Andrew had sent Lucius Alvarius to command the Eastern assault while he commanded the Western. The preliminary wall had a trench in front of it but no guards on top of it. This meant anyone could attack it safely without fearing arrows or magic. The city had two anti-magic barriers, one shear in front of the preliminary wall and the other in front of the main wall. To get through the preliminary wall, one either needed to break it with hammers or go behind it and smash it with magic. The Antlaturs chose to break it with hammers. After passing through a hail of arrows from the wall and getting to the preliminary wall, the Antlatur soldiers who had been given this task smash the wall with their hammers. They only had minor casualties, but more importantly, there was a time delay.


    It took about an hour to dismantle the preliminary wall completely. They also had to remove the rubble to position their battering rams against it properly. But Andrew didn''t wait for that. Instead, he sent the Affiliated kingdom''s archers and heavy infantry to assault the walls. The archers suppressed enemy-range forces while the heavy infantry filled the moat before the wall. The moat went all the way around the wall from the river, protecting four sides of the wall. The river protected the last side; the moat flowed like an ordinary river. They used heavy rocks in boulders collected from the area instead of dirtbags as the dirt would dissolve in the water. They couldn''t use lighter items, as they would flow from the moat. However, they did use parts of the preliminary wall.


    Soldiers from the Affiliated kingdoms tried to protect themselves with their shields or dodge arrows, and their archers attempted to kill as many enemy archers as possible. Still, more and more of their allies died, becoming pincushions with javelins and arrows. Finally, an improvising lieutenant colonel from Monica directed his men to use logs and boulders to block off the moat from the river on the west side. This plan worked, and the Prince of Monica sent word back to Andrew, who ordered the moat to be blocked off from the east side. Whatever the Antlaturs threw in, the moat stopped flowing into the river. They began making progress. Bodies, boulders, bricks from the preliminary wall, and everything else the Antlaturs had thrown into the river began flowing into their dams on either end.


    Once the makeshift bridge was big enough, Andrew ordered a battering ram to be moved and attacked that wall section. The first division of Antlatur managed the battering ram. This was the first time soldiers from the kingdom of Antlatur were personally involved in this battle. The battering ram was pushed to the river bank before being turned with difficulty and finally started rolling towards the wall.


    Linnea and Andrew watched eagerly as the weapon of war approached the wall. But before it could reach it, Andrew spotted something out of the corner of his eye flying towards the Battering Ram. Bang, the noise echoed across the battlefield, momentarily drowning out the sounds. Andrew and Linnea, despite watching closely, were momentarily confused. Before Linea pointed, ¡°elder brother, look.¡± Andrew didn''t need her to point it out. A stone rolled across the ground after it slid off the battering ram''s roof.


    ¡°The enemy has Siege engines.¡± Andrew muttered under his breath, ¡°Fuck.¡±


    ¡°Where did it come from?¡± Linnea asked. Her aide, Charles or something, pointed to the Tower, connecting the river section to where they were attacking. ¡°If it''s just that one siege weapon¡­.¡± Linnea started.  Before another object hurtling through the air this time, there was a thunk, and sprouting from the roof of the battering ram was a Ballista Bolt. The battering ram was continuously attacked with stones and bolts, some rolling off or hitting the ground. Instead of hitting the battering ram, one stone hit the unit of soldiers guarding it from behind, smashing several of them into meat paste. Finally, the inevitable happened - a stone broke through the roof before smashing straight down, breaking one of the axles.


    The Antlatur soldiers retreated from the line of fire. The Blacks continued bombarding the battering ram until it was completely destroyed. Andrew growled in frustration. He only had four machines, and now we only had three. ¡°Tell Lucius to avoid using any battering rams. We assault the walls only with ladders for now.¡±


    Following Andrew''s instructions, the Affiliated Kingdom¡¯s soldiers began swarming up the walls with ladders wherever they could. They swarmed over the walls again and again, and again and again. They were repelled, and casualties started mounting. What little motivation they had quickly faded as they realized they were making almost no progress and they were dying for no reason.


    Lucius located a potential weakness and requested permission to move in a battering ram.  Andrew was also worried about the ever-worsening situation and so gave the green light for the assault.  Lucius chose his spot well; he made sure that he was only in the range of one of the towers, and it was a tower equipped with a bolt thrower and not a stone thrower. The battering ram managed to reach the wall, and Andrew''s theory that large battering rams could take down the thick walls of the Lepetra was proven correct.  For the first time since the city''s construction, an actual breach of its walls was made.


    Theo was a retired soldier. Like most soldiers in the Black Army, he had signed a 20-year-long contract and completed it. However, when the capital was threatened, they drafted him and his comrades back into active duty. Like most of his comrades, he was so influenced by the army that he didn''t even mind being drafted. He was eager to return to doing what he was best at¡ªkilling. Not every soldier was as eager as him to leave their peaceful lives, but their city was under threat, and they knew all too well what happened to a city when it got conquered.


    ¡°My only worry is that I''m still a bit rusty,¡± Rick commented. He was one of the few Theo knew from his time in the army. Many of his comrades had gone off to live in the countryside, primarily The Plains of Francis or the Atlas Hills, a former monster domain that was still quite dangerous but being opened up for livestock grazing. Many retired soldiers moved there due to their skill at Arms and experience in dealing with monsters. Theo sometimes wished he had gone with them but stayed in the capital because his sister still lived there.


    ¡°If you were smart like me, you would have kept up your training,¡± Albert said, snickering.


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Rick said as he adopted a basic form.  The shield in front of him he was slightly hunched, with his sword hidden behind a shield. ¡°Watch me, Theo, tell me if I can still kill some Antlaturer bastards.¡± His sword thrust from behind his shield like a snake striking.


    ¡°You''re a bit slower than you used to be, but you can still kill an Antlaturer. They''re pretty difficult to miss in all that golden armor.¡± There was a round of laughter from all of the gathered soldiers. Due to their lack of ornamentation, Foreign kingdoms often call soldiers of the Kingdom of Black undertakers or funeralgoers. However, the soldiers from the Black Kingdom mocked the ornamentation and individuality expressed by soldiers of foreign kingdoms.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Soldiers from foreign kingdoms would often weigh themselves down with tokens and keepsakes from relatives. They would even weigh down their armor with additional ornamentation. Soldiers in the Kingdom of Black did keep tokens from their relatives, but they were light - a lock of hair or broach to fasten a cloak, and they wore no additional ornamentation. Nothing compared to the weighty tokens and charms of foreign soldiers. Soldiers from foreign kingdoms also habitually painted their shields with myths they liked or their family crest. The Kingdom of Black presented the united front, gold crowns dripping red with blood on a black field. This led to the long-standing joke among the knights, ¡°The Knights of the Golden Spurs.¡± And the joke among the soldiers, ¡°The Infantry from a thousand kingdoms.¡±


    Theo watched an orderly run up to the retired officer captain assigned to this temporary unit. The orderly appeared to be a young noble around the age of 15 with blonde hair and red eyes, considered too young to go to war even by the standards of the Kingdom of Black. ¡°Now they''re drafting kids, " he said to the captain before running off.


    ¡°All right, you old geezers, it''s time for battle.¡± The captain barked out, and the soldier snapped to attention. Rick sheathed his sword and picked up his shield. ¡°The enemy is about to bash down a part of the wall so that we will guard the hole in it till death.  I know peace made your skills rot. But I still expect you to die in the line of duty, or I''ll kill you myself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± they shouted back in chorus.


    The captain nodded approvingly. ¡°Marching formation, please.¡± The soldiers scattered around a small plaza and quickly assembled into three lines on the street, as indicated by the captain. Theo, Rick, and Albert formed one squad and lined up together. Theo was on the left, Rick was in the middle, and Albert was on the right. ¡°On me, double quick, " the captain shouted.  Theo couldn''t see the captain and only saw the man before him. However, the whole column started moving. They only moved at a brisk jog and not a full sprint.


    Theo heard the sound before he saw the battering ram, like a giant fist, repeatedly ramming against the wall. They finally arrived at a section of the wall with spiderweb-like cracks, which quickly spread. They didn''t have to wait long until the wall came crashing down. It fell forward, smashing a portion of the road. The city had no buildings lined up against the wall for structural purposes, and a wide road was in front of every portion of the wall. It was illegal for anyone to go on it or build anything on it without permission. Peacetime was used primarily for soldiers'' training. Still, more time allowed for soldiers to maneuver better in defense of the walls and act to ensure the structural integrity of the walls.


    Theo and his comrades saw the ram and its wooden frame but they don''t only see the front half the air was filled with dust from the wall. ¡°It''s fucking massive,¡± someone muttered, probably Albert. It was several times taller than a man with a ram as thick as a tree trunk with a steel cap. The ram was being pushed back desperately, and the soldiers guarding from behind were swimming up. The Black soldiers hastily got into position, but the broken ground of the hole in the wall covered in stone fragments wasn''t a proper place to form a formation.


    The enemy didn''t wait to get into formation. Instead, they rushed up, climbing over the rubble to attack the Black soldiers as fast as they could, hoping to get them before they were in formation. Dust from the wall got into Theo''s mouth and nose, and he coughed. He could only imagine what he''d be going through if he wore a full-face helmet. An Antlatur Soldier rushed up to him, and he came out of nowhere through the dust. However, Theo hadn''t Slogged through 20 years of hell just to have a bad reaction time. Not even bothering to draw his sword, he used his kite shield like a spear and bashed the enemy in the helmet. He further augmented his physical strength with magic; he hit the helmet so hard that he might have bashed his brains, but he wouldn''t know because the enemy slipped and rolled away, disappearing in the dust.


    An enemy soldier jumped over his comrade and moved towards Theo, cautiously raised to his chest.  Theo drew his sword and hid it behind his shield. He crouched down and lowered the shield so that his chin was unprotected by his shield, leaving only his face exposed while guarding the rest of his body with his shield.  This would naturally draw the enemy''s attention towards his face. Most people would fall for it instinctively, even if they knew it was likely a trap. The Antlatur fell for it, thrusting a spear towards Theo''s face. His sword darted out, deflecting the spear and knocking him off balance. Before he moved into a kicking stance, Rick behind him braced him with his shield as he kicked forward his boot, landing directly on the enemy shield before pushing off, and just like his friend, he was sent rolling in the dust.  But unlike his friend, he didn''t roll down the incline. Theo moved forward and, while he was still on the ground, stabbed him through the throat.


    The enemy attacks died off afterward, but Theo remained guarded until the dust cleared. Once it did, he was greeted with the familiar sight of the idyllic field of black and white flowers, with the beautiful blue sky above it, nearly a cloud in sight, only marred by bodies littered everywhere. The soldiers from the kingdom of Esterberg were dressed in white and blue uniforms. The enemy battling ram had pulled away, attempting to escape, but somehow, it was on fire. Before he can think too deeply about it, he hears the captain shouting and the bugles blaring, ¡°Switch out.¡± This particular order involved the front line falling back to the backline to rest well, and the second line became the new Frontline.


    Theo fell back and took the opportunity to rest and mentally recover. Actual war takes a lot of physical and mental energy out of you. Risking one''s life and using all one''s strength to kill one''s opponent was deeply taxing. Theo was a veteran of 20 years and was largely immune to the mental exhaustion of battle. He was familiar with it and, at this point, did not even fear death. But being old, he wasn''t as physically robust as he once was.


    A wave of Esterberg knights attacked their formation. Knights were trained from age six and awakened at that age. Since magic grew with time, they were more powerful than soldiers who awakened at 15-20.  That being said, knights weren''t always superior to soldiers. One main reason was that most countries required their nobles to serve only 5 years in the army, unlike most soldiers, who served 10 to 20 years. Most nobles from foreign kingdoms got it done when they were around 20 to 25, meaning that a veteran soldier was on par with the average knight. Theo and his comrades were nothing if not veterans and repelled them easily.  Afterward, they shifted the line again, so Theo stood in the third rank.


    Allied reserves arrived, and another attack came, this time of a wave of heavy Infantry who were more prepared than the first. Once again, they were repelled fairly easily, and the line shifted twice more so that Theo was in the front line again. He looked downward and saw Rick''s familiar face; he was dead. He had rolled down the hill to join the Antlaturer and bodies. This didn''t cause him much emotion as he had seen many of his comrades die before, even though Rick was an old comrade who fought with his life and death on many occasions. He only felt the tiniest bit sad, but he''d already vowed to avenge his other comrades who had died upon the Antlaturers, so he felt no reason to swear his vengeance anew.


    Theo saw a new group of riders approaching at first. He thought it was just another group of knights. Although it was difficult to attack this portion of the wall on horseback due to the obstacles, remnants of the walls, and the moat, Knights insisted on traveling everywhere on horseback. They would approach the walls and then dismount, just like the Esterberg knights had done when they attacked. But something felt different about them. Once they arrived, they dismounted, and Theo prepared himself for death. One was wearing green armor, and his helmet sported two large antlers. ¡°Marshall saint,¡± Theo called out a last warning to his comrades.

 Chapter 18: Marshal Saint duel

    One man can''t change the course of a battle, but one man can change the course


    ~Elector ¡°The Demon King¡± Dire At the Battle Of Grshina The Elven calendar year 2156


    Chapter 18: Marshal Saint duel


    A Marshall Saint was a position that existed in almost every human country except the theocracy and countries allied to it. The position was not appointed by the Monarch or even by the council. It was a position that had to be earned generally by defeating the existing Marshal Saint in a duel. A tournament would be held if the Marshall Saint died of natural causes or in battle, and the winner would be declared that nation''s Marshal Saint. The Marshall Saint of a Nation symbolized their power and Military might. They were the aspirations of all warriors from their nations.


    Although a Marshall Saint was not a god, they could still be killed with numbers. Stories of Marshall Saints being killed by being swarmed were not rare. At the end of the day, one individual could not change the course of a battle. For example, if one man was worth 100 soldiers, he was only worth ten skilled knights. So it would be 50/50 if ten skilled knights could kill him. But if he were backed up with an equal number of knights, the tide would turn in his favor


    Rasmus Mortur was the Marshall Saint of the Kingdom of Antlatur. After two humiliating defeats at the hands of the Marshall Saint to the kingdom of Black Luca, the Prestige of the Marshall Saint Antlatur had been tattered. But after defeating the Marshall Saint of the Kingdom of Triton in a Marshall Saint challenge and later winning glory in the following war, he restored some of their prestige. Still, he needed to restore the prestige of his office, and there was only one way to do that. Defeat Luca in a duel.


    He and his chosen band of elite knights push through the Black formation, guarding the breach. Rasmus watched from a safe distance. He was saving his strength for his duel or any other powerful opponents he may face. He had to give the Black soldiers credit for not running away. The soldiers of Triton fled like spiderlings when they saw his distinctive armor; even their knights of noble bloodline only had the courage for one charge before fleeing. However, the commoner soldiers of the Kingdom of Black maintain their reputation for fearlessness and iron discipline. He watched as one of his knights slashed down an enemy soldier and advanced over him, expecting to face the next enemy in formation. Instead, he was stabbed from behind by the soldier on the ground and had his head chopped off by the soldier in front of him. ¡°Even on the brink of death, they exhibit courage.¡± He vaguely wondered how someone managed to raise an army like that. He heard the princess was attempting to copy many of the Kingdom of Black methods. Maybe he would ask her about it someday.


    As Rasmus was lost in his thoughts, he heard a shout, ¡°Lord Rasmus, get down.¡± He ducked instinctually. He heard a shattering sound, and when he looked up, he saw one of his bodyguards had covered him. A javelin was lying harmlessly on the ground next to him. His mana shield had protected him. Most of the knights and soldiers who would attack this section of the wall had their mana shields broken by archers. A part of the reason Rasmus was so confident was that archers who guarded this area were a lot less dangerous than javelin throwers.


    One problem with mana shields was that they protected the entire body, including already armored portions. For example, if an arrow were heading for your head, even if you were wearing an Adamantite helmet and the arrow would do nothing, it would still break your mana shield or at least damage it. He looked up at the walls and saw the same archers. They were still raining arrows on his men for the little damage it did, but he saw one man holding a javelin. Blue and black Mana had already covered it. When he saw Rasmus looking at him, he hurled his javelin straight towards him. The javelin was well-aimed, and the same knight would block with his body, previously logging himself in the path of the javelin with his shield up. The javelin struck the steel-covered heater shield with a clanging noise and bounced off. The soldier who had thrown it already was scampering away, disappearing into the crowd of archers.


    The Black soldiers fought hard, but even these veterans were no match for skilled knights personally trained by a Marshal Saint. In addition, their age had caught up with them. They weren''t as strong as they were in their Prime. So, of course, they were gradually pushed back and killed off one by one. They had courage and willingness to die, but it wasn''t worth much. Their pride would not allow them to retreat. Their death bought 10 minutes, ten measly minutes, but those 10 minutes changed the fate of this battle, The fate of this country, the fate of the Western continent, and the Fate of the entire world, for a reason that none of them even knew.


    Rasmus watched as the last Black soldier attacked a knight, abandoning all defense and attacking with all his might. The knight probably would have died if one of the other knights hadn''t stabbed the soldier at that moment. The attacked knight recovered and thrust his sword toward the Black soldier''s exposed face. Even injured, he raised his shield in time, blocking while giving a thrust of his own. The knight blocked it with his heater shield as the knight who had saved him earlier and another knight both worked together to kill the soldier finally.


    Knight moved through the breach, climbing over the rubble and setting foot on the city of Lepetra. Rasmus was excited, and all of their wars in the kingdom of Antlatur had never gotten a soldier into the city of the Lapetra. He turned to a knight and ordered him, ¡°Return and tell his majesty that we''ve breached the city, although I bet he already knows.¡± The knight saluted and rushed off. He turned to his Vice Commander, his top apprentice. ¡°Have the men reform and move out to attack a gate when reinforcements arrive.¡± The Vice Commander saluted and started shouting orders. Rasmus watched.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Rasmus heard a shout from his men and looked up. He followed the man''s finger and saw something unbelievable. A wall of Black Knights was racing towards them at top speed. The red cloaks flapped behind them, and sunlight glinted off their lances. ¡°There''s no way we would have heard their horses before we saw them.¡± They were shockingly close, maybe only 30 seconds from collision normally; you could hear a charging horse from quite some distance, much less an entire company of charging horses. But then he realized why. ¡°Shit, the den of battle drowned them out.¡± The noises from the rest of the battlefield, the screams and cries, had completely muffled the enemy''s approach. In addition, until recently, his men had been busy dealing with the soldiers guarding the wall.


    Rasmus felt like kicking himself. In terms of skill, he was confident that his knights were on equal terms with just about any knights from the Kingdom of Black. But having a horse made a big difference. His men left behind their horses on the other side of the wall to climb over the rubble. They''d be run down and skewered with lances. Even if they won, the casualties would be immense. But Rasmus was a Marshal Saint who could turn the tide of battle. There was no time to bark orders, so Rasmus raced to the front.


    He saw the Black Knight approaching him and his lance on his right side, so he moved to the left. As the distance between them became negligible, even Rasmus felt a thrill of fear running through his body. The pounding of countless hooves and the awareness of what would happen if even one armored horse hit him set even his heart racing. He felt his Mana coursing through his veins, and he further augmented his physical strength before coating his sword in Mana. He jumped up, swinging his sword straight for his helmet. His Lance was on the other side, so he couldn''t strike back. His blow caught the man in the helmet, and his mana shield was broken with a shattering sound. Mana shields could stop most blows completely, but the blow would continue when the power difference was stark. For example, if a skilled knight hit an average soldier, the shield would break, and the strike would continue. If Rasmus struck an average knight, his blow would continue. However, his sword was stopped.


    The knight raced past him, undoubtedly to spear one of his subordinates. Clicking his tongue, he looked at the second wave. Knights came and waved with each row to avoid accidentally hitting each other, giving each other space. The second row approached swords drawn normally. They would be equipped with lances and charge as the first rank retreated, rotating ranks to maintain the shock and maneuverability. They probably knew they were going up against the Knights, but they hadn''t bothered to do that; instead, the second rank was equipped with swords, knowing it would get bloody. He noticed that among their number is the target. Luca had more black armor than all the other knights; however, theirs was polished and smooth. His was rough and jagged. It almost looked like cursed armor. He rode a war horse with the same cursed armor and carried a war axe. The haft was made of a black material carved with magic glyphs, and the blade was made of Adamantite. The cursed axe was specially crafted just for Luca.


    Luca rode his horse straight for Rasmus. The Black Knights passed around him to join their comrades, but Rasmus didn''t attack them. Every instinct in his body screamed at him not to turn his attention away from Luca. He was likely the most powerful opponent Rasmus had ever faced. ¡°Luca, I assume? I challenge you to a duel,¡± Luca said nothing. He rushed his horse forward and swiped his axe, covered in a dark red Mana, downward. Rasmus blocked, but he felt the power in the blow. ¡°Will you at least dismount so we can fight fair.¡± Luca didn''t respond as he turned his horse around and charged again, attempting to run Rasmus down. Rasmus dodged in and attempted a jumping strike again, but Luca blocked it with his Heater Shield and countered.


    Their exchange of blows continued, and it soon became apparent that Luca had the advantage. In terms of equipment, they were about equal; both had armor on par with Enchant Adamantite. Their weapons were about equal; Rasmus was equipped with an Adamantite Enchanted blade, and Luca had his custom battle axe. Luca had a slight advantage in terms of skill, but it wasn''t enough of an advantage to completely decide the battle. What made it a complete victory for him was that he was mounted on a horse. On horseback, he was taller than Rasmus and could attack from a higher vantage point; he also had extra maneuverability. Rasmus attempted to attack the horse, but the horse itself nimbly dodged, and Luca counter-attacked landing one of the first solid blows of the battle as he found a nick in Rasmus''s armor and gave him a cut. It was far from fatal but proof that Rasmus was losing this battle.


    Rasmus was left with only one option. Rasmus charged up his sword with many Mana and pointed it straight towards Luca. ¡°I''ll end you now, traitor.¡± It was common practice in the Kingdom of Antlatur to call those from the Kingdom Black traitors; most still alive today were children during the Rebellion or were born after it, including Luca. Luca, who would gain some distance, charged him again, similarly coding his Ax with dark red mana. When their two blows collided, it produced a shock wave of Rasmus''s dark green mana and Luca''s dark red mana. It would have blown back lesser men, proof of the transcendence status of the two combatants. Luca prepared another blow, but Rasmus did something strange. Instead of preparing his shield or sword to block, he stabbed straight toward Luca¡¯s horse. Like before, the horse dodged nimbly, sidestepping in a move that seemed impossible for a horse. This caused Luca¡¯s blow to miss. He readied his defenses clearly, expecting this as a prelude to a counter-attack, but instead, Rasmus turned on his heel and ran as fast as he could. It was the dishonorable thing to do, and he knew people would call him a coward, but discretion was the better part of valor.


    Rasmus ran back to the battlefield. His knights were getting the worst of it for the same reasons as him. Many of them were already dead, although they had killed some Black Knights. ¡°Antlatur, withdraw!¡± he yelled in his mana inpowered voice. The Kingdom of Black and the Kingdom of Antlatur shared more or less the same language, both formerly being a part of the Towers Empire. However, the Kingdom of Black had developed a full-scale different dialect partly to differentiate themselves from the Kingdom of Antlatur. He decided to specify to avoid confusion. He hoped Luca would get caught up in the battle and could not pursue him further. He ignored the rest of the battlefield and ran straight for the breach in the wall. A Black knight thrust his lance at him. He blocked it and counter-attacked, slashing his stomach. His Adamantite blade went through his armor like butter. Rasmus didn''t look back and continued running. He hastily climbed over the breach in the wall.


    Finally, he took the opportunity to glance back. Many of his men had disengaged and were running. Those who weren''t engaged were already swarming over behind him. But many of his men had already been stabbed in the back or were now left isolated due to their comrades fleeing. The Black Knights seemed busy dealing with them and not interested in pursuing them. Rasmus clicked his tongue before running to his horse.

 Chapter 19: Determination

    ¡°What the fuck is that?¡± Andrew cursed after a long moment of silence. He shoved the gauntleted finger toward the battering ram, which was on fire. It mysteriously caught on fire a few minutes ago despite the protection of the anti-magic barrier, which should have prevented magical attacks, and its cover from cowhide soaked in water to avoid flaming arrows from lighting it on fire. Despite these facts, the battering ram caught fire shortly after smashing a wall section. There were no Cavalry bearing torches or even attacks from the Infantry. The battering ram had inexplicably just caught on fire out of nowhere. Andrew felt rage and even a bit of fear at the idea that the enemy could just set fire to his siege weapons without magic.


    Anti-magic barriers formed the basis of Modern Warfare. Tightly packed infantry units could only exist because of AOE spells (area of effect) and couldn''t affect an army using anti-magic barriers. Otherwise, a single third-rank magician who could use Fireball could quickly destroy the most tightly packed units of Infantry.  If the Kingdom of Black had figured out a method of countering anti-magic barriers, it would not only revolutionize warfare but would mean almost certain destruction for the Kingdom of Antlatur. But it didn''t take long for Andrew to abandon that idea; if such a thing had existed, they would have attacked his army directly.


    ¡°Do you two have any ideas.¡± He turned to Linnea and her aid, whose name he still couldn''t remember, and asked harshly.


    Linnea immediately glared at him. ¡°You should calm down, elder brother.¡± She said in a tone that oozed forced politeness. He felt his anger flare up, but his little sister glared right back at him. She was brilliant, and he could trust her because they were related, but sometimes she got on his nerves. He took her advice and calmed down.


    Linnea Aid spoke up.  ¡°It was likely some form of alchemical item. It can pass through the barrier since it''s a physical and not a magical object. Similar things have been used in the past.¡±


    Andrew remembered hearing something similar from his history teacher a long time ago. ¡°But  shouldn''t regular fire protection prevent those items from working?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, But certain special kinds of alchemical fire can burn on water, particularly those made by the Fire Alchemy Guild.¡±


    ¡°The Fire Alchemy Guild,¡± Andrew muttered. Due to their strange customs and secrets, they were close to being considered an evil cult even though they didn''t worship any particular God. They were also extremely unpopular with most existing nations in the Western continent due to their belief in absolute monarchy. Nobles in most countries despise them for that reason, and most monarchs weren''t willing to tolerate them due to the Civil Strife they caused, even if they liked the idea of an absolute monarchy. Andrew had gone to great lengths to prevent the Fire Alchemy Guild from continuing its studies in the Kingdom of Antlatur. This was to win support from the nobles and because his father supported the guild.


    ¡°So you''re saying after they fled Higgsbury, they went to the Kingdom of Black,¡± Linnea questioned her aid.


    ¡°I have no idea, Your Highness. It might not even be an alchemical item. That''s just a guess on my part.¡± He lowered his head to Linnea in a show of deference. ¡°He respects her much more than he does me,¡± Andrew mused.


    ¡°I suppose it doesn''t matter much,¡± Andrew said in a relaxed tone. ¡°Now that the walls are down, it''s only a matter of time,¡± Andrew said confidently. A few waves of attackers later, and still, the breach held. Gritting his teeth, Andrew ordered, ¡°Send in Rasmus.¡±


    ¡°Elder brother, are you sure that''s wise,¡± Linnea said, a bit panicked. ¡°We must continue sending heavy infantry rather than risking a Marshall saint.¡±


    ¡°That''s what I created the antler knights for, but thanks to your suggestion, they''re on the South Bank, where they are no help to anybody.¡± Andrew realized he was just taking his anger out on her, so he calmed down but didn''t apologize.


    Shortly after, he received the report that Rasmus had cleared the breach, and he started to feel relieved when he spotted Rasmus running for his life alongside his Knights. There was a moment of silence before Linea matter-of-factly said, ¡°Our Marshall saint has been repelled.¡±  Andrew gave her the look, but she ignored him.


    ¡°So, smart boy. What was your name again?¡± Linnea glared at him, but he ignored her.


    ¡°Christopher Holman, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Well, Christopher Holman, do you have any idea on how we should proceed.¡±


    ¡°We should fall back and regroup, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Even knowing that the enemy would barricade the breach that we made with the lives of our soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, although I''m not entirely sure how the Marshall Saint was repelled. Whatever repelled him will be difficult for us to defeat quickly, and we have no idea how their alchemical items are being used to destroy our battering rams. However, it''s safe to assume they have a limited amount.¡±


    How does he figure they have a limited amount of them? Andrew wondered, deciding to leave that question for later. He was about to order a withdrawal. A member of his companion cavalry rode up to him, ¡°Sir, an urgent message from the 6th division.¡±


    ¡°The 6th from Falcus. Let him through.¡±


    The messenger looked haggard even by messenger standards and traveled multiple miles across hostile countryside standards. ¡°Your majesty, the sixth division has been destroyed.¡± was the first thing out of the man''s mouth.


    Andrew heard nothing for a few seconds but finally croaked out. ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Your majesty, the first division of the Kingdom of Black came from behind us as we engaged the second division and destroyed us,¡± the messenger practically cried. Andrew''s mind raced frantically to reject the messenger''s words to reject even the possibility of them being true.  Thirty thousand men were wiped out in a single battle. It was a crushing defeat, no matter how he looked at it, but it also meant the Kingdom of Redtowers had been defeated, and  Valerius Black was free from dealing with their distraction.


    He heard Linnea start to question the man. ¡°What exactly happened? Explain in detail, " she said in a calm and commanding voice.


    ¡°We went out of our camp to fight the second division, who left the city only for the first division to emerge out of nowhere from behind us. They took us by surprise, and we were wiped out,¡± the man said in a pained voice.


    Linea turned back to him. ¡°Elder brother, we must withdraw back to the Black Valley.¡±


    But Andrew''s mind had gone in the opposite direction of his sisters''. ¡°We have to take this city, " he said.


    ¡°Elder brother, you''re risking the destruction of our army. Even if we were to take the city, we would be cut off from the rear. All we could do would be to starve to death within its walls slowly. And if we fail to take the city, we will not only be forced to retreat but will also be forced to retreat with a diminished army.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    However, Andrew''s mind was already made up. If he were to retreat now, it would be seen as a defeat. Andrew had assembled the largest army in the history of his kingdom. With such an army, he couldn''t be defeated. If he were to negotiate a settlement after capturing the capital, It would be a victory. In a certain sense, this meant he had already lost, and he''d ceded the possibility of complete victory. It was now seeking to secure a half victory merely. Andrew should have noticed the difference. Under normal circumstances, Andrew was quite cunning, but he could be emotional, and now his pride was getting in the way of strategic thinking. ¡°We''re attacking the city with full force.¡± Linea seemed about to object, so he spoke, ¡°We¡¯re going all out, no objections.¡±


    Andrew Antlatur was quite cunning. He had successfully taken advantage of the Kingdom of Black military reshuffling, strategically utilizing the Kingdom of Redtowers as bait to lure their soldiers away from the kingdom. At the same time, he attacked, investing the Kingdom''s two major cities, the Lepetra and Grastide. All of this was a testament to his political ability, strategic brilliance, and the respect his people and foreign countries had for him.  That he managed to assemble the largest armies in the history of the Kingdom of Antlatur was proof of his control over his Affiliated Kingdoms and their desire to get into his good graces.


    However, for all of the good aspects that this showed off about Andrew Antlatur, his tactical brilliance, his political acumen, and his ability to gain the respect of foreign and affiliated kingdoms, the war also showed off his worst aspects. He was like a child who only knew how to smash armies together, lacking experience and being put in a challenging situation quickly after being brought onto the back foot, and his tactics became rudimentary and plain. If Andrew had retreated after the defeat at Grastide to the fortresses of the black Valley, he could have just returned in the year''s time after putting a new army together. Someone with more experience would have retreated or devised a plan in the event of being cut off from the rear.  Someone who had experienced failure would have developed a plan before even attacking the city of Lepetra, which is said to be impregnable. But instead, Andrew had just attacked without a complex plan, hoping subconsciously that an idea would just come to him. In a certain sense, this proved his talent as he''d never failed to overcome problems with said talent, but once he was faced with someone with equal or more talent than himself or someone with more experience, he could only lose.


    Or that was a summary of Veronica''s thoughts on the man named Andrew Antlatur. ¡°But still,¡± giving a mental sigh while outwardly projecting her usual confidence, Veronica couldn''t help but lament that Andrew was attacking with all his might. Veronica knew of the defeat at Grastide even before Andrew. Valerius dispatched messengers who crossed the mountain much more easily than the Antlatur messengers. Unlike the Antlatur, they didn''t have to worry about hostile locals and received support from those who had gone into hiding. Even under siege, the messengers sailed into the city yesterday under the cover of night with a coded message for Veronica. Valerius had marked his letter with a secret only he and she knew. Well, and her husband knew as well, but he would never have told anyone.


    In terms of numbers, the city had roughly 12,000 defenders, while the attackers, after counting casualties from the ambush and their detached unit, had just under 64,000. The Detachment on the South Bank of the Black Knife was useless, so the actual number was close to 50,000. That meant they had an advantage of Four times the amount of troops as the Kingdom of Black.  It was said that a man on a wall was worth ten on the ground, although that was subjective and not objective. Many men she had at her disposal were either unawakened militia or retired veterans. Some were only 40, not too old for active duty, but others were 50 or older. Their lack of training and age had meant they''d gone rusty. Of course, they were still worth at least one Antlatur soldier, given their experience and the overall gap between the skills of soldiers of the Kingdom of black and soldiers of the Kingdom of Antlatur. She had the city''s garrison of 5,000 elite soldiers, leaving her significantly outnumbered and unskilled.


    Veronica would have preferred it if Andrew had retreated like a good little boy, but instead, he was going all out. Even if it was a bad option for the kingdom of Antlatur, it was still a problem for the kingdom of black or specifically for the Garrison of Lepetra, even if Valerius were to crush Andrew in a battle later or come up with a settlement and it really matter to the citizens of Lepetra if they were dead. Putting aside potential damage to the city, the loss of prestige of having their Capital briefly occupied would mar the Kingdom of Black military reputation as a country with few allies. As small as they were, their reputation was critical.


    But Veronica still smirked confidently from a position in the central keep; it was located at the very center of the city. Inside the keep''s walls were the Grand Council chambers, residences made for envoys and the residents of the Royal Family. The minister of military affairs, her aide, and the top generals who weren''t already on the walls surrounded her. More for their benefit than hers, she spoke the following words with all the confidence of a god divining the future. ¡°Andrew Antlatur, you were destined to lose the moment you crossed the borders into my kingdom.¡±


    She turned to an orderly. ¡°Tell Lady Christina to begin the plan.¡± Christina ¡°The Black Witch¡± Storm was even more infamous than Luca because she was a legendary 7th-tier mage. Magic was divided into tiers of spells. Tier one was a novice mage, Tier 9 was the realm of Legends, and Tier 10 was the realm of the Gods. There were only three known tier 8 Mages in the entirety of the western continent and no known to tier 9. Most kingdoms didn''t even have access to a seventh-tier mage, and the fact that the Kingdom of Black had a seemingly immortal tier 7 mage was a mystery to most other countries. Veronica knew why Christina Black had pledged herself to her grandfather Michael, her father Francis, and now to her, but that was a closely guarded Black family secret, and Christina was their trump card. Shortly after Veronica gave the order, a mist began emanating from the Northeast gate, passing through both sides'' anti-magic barriers and enveloping the Antlatur. ¡°Enjoy my little presents, golden stallion.¡±


    James was silently cursing the nobility at this moment. James was a soldier from the Kingdom of Esterberg. He was born in the city of Esterberg but only as the third son of a meddling merchant.  Merchants, especially farmers, rarely split their inheritance, usually giving it to the most competent or eldest child and the other children nothing or tiny amounts. So James, with few options, joined the army. Luckily, he had a talent for magic and awakened within 2 years of joining.  Unluckily, the war with the Kingdom of Black had happened a year later. If he hadn''t awakened so soon, he''d still be safe in the Kingdom of Esterberg.  Like most soldiers, especially those from Affiliated kingdoms, he had no particular patriotism or desire to do anything other than service out his 20-year contract and get his retirement bonus. He made enough money to enjoy a relatively comfortable existence. He saw no reason to take the risk of war, but he was just a soldier, so no one took his opinion seriously.


    The kingdom of Esterberg had 20,000 troops divided into four brigades, and once again, thanks to his poor luck, it was his brigade chosen to accompany the army. Luckily for James, he was valued by his lieutenant due to his merchant upbringing, primarily his ability to read and speak multiple languages. Because of this, his lieutenant and even his captain used him as a pseudo-scribe, and as a result, they had positioned him safely in the rear as a camp guard, far from the main battlefield. Of course, James was grateful, but at the moment, he almost wished he''d been first over the ladders because he was dealing with the wrath of an Antlatur Noble.


    This noble and a group of 300 Riders had suddenly appeared outside the gate. Being meticulous and cautious, James told them to wait momentarily while he sought confirmation from the higher-ups. Unfortunately, the noble didn''t accept that and demanded to be let in immediately, saying he and his men were tired and needed rest. Under normal circumstances, James would have ignored them, but dealing with the noble, especially one from Antlatur, wasn''t an option. As an Affiliated Kingdom, even the captain of the unit he was a part of was inferior to the noble from the Kingdom of Antlatur, and if he later demanded James''s head, his head would roll.


    James was caught between his naturally cautious nature and the pressing emergency of the danger to his life. ¡°I have something urgent to report to the general. I can see you''re trying to do your job well, and normally, I''d be happy to comply, but it''s urgent. If you let me through, I can put in a good word for you.¡± That statement blew away James''s hesitation, and he immediately jumped on the possibility of promotion.


    ¡°Well, if it is urgent, far be it from me to hold you up,¡± he smiled and nodded to his squad. Around the camp, they built a rudimentary barricade.  Calling it rudimentary almost seems to be an understatement as it barely even functioned as an obstacle, and they hadn''t even put trenches in front of it. They built easily movable barricades at set points, which acted as pseudo gates. He led his team, and they respected him, as his presence got them out of the front line. Used to giving up all his thinking to James, he and his teammate work together to move the barricade. The two respectfully set to the side once it was out of the way.


    ¡°I''m sure you won''t regret your choice.¡± Although he couldn''t see the knight''s face under his helmet, he could practically feel his smile. As he moved past, he saw the man make a strange gesture, turning to get a better look when he heard a shattering sound. He turned to see where it came from, only to see one of the knights who were in the man''s company had stabbed him with a lance.  His mana shield had broken, but his confusion was more considerable. A knight from the Kingdom of Antlatur had attacked him without justification. He was still in denial when the knight covered his lance with Mana and brought it down on his throat. He still thinks it was just some cruel joke by the nobles.

 Interlude: The Kingdom of Redtowers

    Of the many factions of the Towers Empire who fought for control during the Civil War, the  Redtower''s branch was the most legitimate. As a result, they had the support of many of the existing nobility who fled the capital after the usurpation of the Blacktowers branch. This was a good thing during the Civil War, but following the Civil War, it became a weakness, especially as the territory of the Kingdom of Redtowers started to decline. This would ultimately result in the Antlatur revolt, and the kingdom of Redtowers would never recover or have a chance of rebuilding the empire.


    ~Dominic Black


    Interlude: The Kingdom of Redtowers


    <h2 style="text-align: center">The Month of Ninsum Day 25 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar</h2>


    Felix lifted his head from the unreasonable documents piled on his desk. Felix Towers was greeted with the unpleasant sight of middle-aged men who hadn''t shaved or slept properly in days. Felix reflected on why women were even attracted to men. ¡°If I were a woman, I''d be a lesbian.¡± That only seemed to sink in more as he looked around. The men around him were Nobles of the highest caliber. They knew how to dress, they knew how to talk, they knew how to perfume themselves before a ball, and yet they all looked like shit. Of course, it might be a bit unfair to judge how they look now.


    He looked down at the following document but couldn''t get his mind to process it. Looking back up, instead of looking at the faces of his subordinates, he looked at their desks. Every single one was covered in documents. He sighed deeply. There was no point forcing themselves to go through work they could hardly do.  He was about to halt their work for the day when a guard entered.


    ¡°Your Highness, Her Majesty is outside and requests an audience with you, " the guard said. If he specifically said Her Majesty, it''s not my mother or one of my stepmothers, meaning it could only be my sister-in-law.


    ¡°You can tell my Honorable sister to come in.¡± He turned to the office workers, ¡°You can all take a short break but be back in 5 hours.¡± At the bitter look he received, he shrugged. ¡°I know you probably need more rest, but this work needs to get done. Of course, I won''t hold it against you if you don''t return, but you can find new employment.¡± They all filed out, still with bitter looks on their faces. Felix wanted to give them a full day of rest, but he couldn''t and knew that they would return anyway; he was sure as he knew that there were two moons in the night sky.


    Once they were done filing out, he noticed the guard entering before he announced, ¡°Her Majesty the Queen of the Towers Kingdom, Beatrice Eliana Crimson Towers.¡± The guard bowed before departing, closing the door behind him. He revealed Beatrice Eliana Antonine Antlatur¡ªthat was who she was. Her name may have changed, but she was Antlatur to her core. Her golden hair fell around her soft-featured face, highlighting her emerald eyes, which glinted sharply in contrast. She was graceful and well-endowed. She wore a full-length dark green gown in the style of the tower''s Empire, which looked strange on her.


    The nobles of the Towers Empire mocked her from behind her back. For the way she looked and acted. A fake princess from a fake kingdom, they would say. But they didn''t understand that the Kingdom of Antlatur was well on its way to becoming a significant power. In comparison, the Kingdom of Redtowers was only known as another remnant of the tower''s Empire. They viewed the Kingdom of Antlatur as the source of many of their problems, and mocking its princess behind her back gave them a sense of emotional satisfaction. This was another problem with the Kingdom of Redtowers that Felix understood but couldn''t stop or fix.


    Bringing himself back from his thoughts, he stood but almost fell over because he''d been sitting too long. Discreetly holding himself up with the desk, he bowed. ¡°Thank you for visiting me, Honorable sister. How may I be of service?¡± Felix made it a point to be polite to everyone but was extra polite with his sister-in-law. A part of this was out of genuine respect, out of fear, and a part just because he didn''t want to get her angry since it was annoying to deal with.


    ¡°Good day to you, Felix,¡± Beatrice said, bobbing her head. Felix felt his eyebrows twitch. Although he was her younger brother by marriage, it would have been polite for her to return his bow with a curtsy, but letting his anger flash and fade, he promptly ignored it and returned to his seat.


    ¡°Have a seat. If you would like some tea, I could ring a maid.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need,¡± Sophia said before gracefully taking her seat.


    ¡°Does she not want anyone to overhear our conversation?¡±  Felix wondered. Sophia would usually be accompanied by at least one hired female bodyguard and attendant. Felix would have expected she would have brought them into the room with her if nothing else than to prevent rumors of infidelity from spreading. But she hadn''t done that, indicating she didn''t trust her guards. Considering they were spies planted by Reginald, the king of Redtowers and Felix''s brother, she had every right to distrust them.


    Sophia looked at him and commented on his rough appearance: ¡°You should take better care of your health. Maybe you should try sleeping sometimes.¡±


    Felix rubbed his jaw. It was an unconscious action copied from the office workers constantly checking their stubble. Felix had no stubble; he couldn''t grow a beard even if he wanted to. This was due to his Noble bloodline and early Age Awakening. Gaining magic prevented physical flaws such as pimples or sleep habits from affecting one''s face. As a result of this, nobles with average-looking facial structures to the commoners appeared quite good-looking. Those with naturally good looks and particularly prominent bloodlines were almost always exceptionally good-looking. Felix had both of these on his side, which were quite popular among the women at court for his so-called Baby Face. That said, even his magic couldn''t hide his lack of sleep.


    ¡°I''ll take a few days'' vacation once this is over. Besides, I know from personal experience that I can go for at least a few days without sleep.¡± Felix smiled at her reassuringly, not that she actually cared, nor did he want to reassure her. ¡°I would rather be sleeping right now,¡± Felix thought.


    Seemingly picking up on his exasperation, Beatrice got to the point: ¡°I wanted to ask about my beloved husband. Is he all right after the battle?¡± The Kingdom of Redtowers had received word of the disastrous defeat only 2 days ago. There was limited information at the moment about loved ones in the army if they''ve been captured or killed during the battle. Of course, Felix knew that Reginald had survived as he''d received a letter from his brother detailing the course of the battle. In war, it was sometimes difficult to tell who died, who''d been captured, and who''d gone Missing. The Kingdom of Black would quickly burn all of the bodies to prevent the disease from spreading or from them reanimating as Undead, excluding obviously high ranking Nobles and generals. However, if it weren''t obvious, they would just burn the body, and all the commoners would just be burned. This meant that the only way to know if someone was dead or alive was if they returned with the army.  If they didn''t, they would be presumed dead. But it wasn''t uncommon for someone to be declared dead and then be found actually to be a prisoner or still alive.


    The Kingdom of Redtowers faced one critical problem: an excess of nobility, specifically titled nobility.  The tower''s Empire had created an ingenious system of managing its nobility. Nobles were crucial to the operation of the state; they served as bureaucrats, military officers, Mages, and knights. Any task involving high levels of education was a task that a noble had to accomplish. The sheer expense of establishing a national education system that gave even commoners access to education was far too much for any country. It would expose the nation to unnecessary danger due to the accessibility of knowledge. The Second Empire of Man, led by Eleanor Lantar, had done away with the feudal system in the central and southern continents. Later, the Aszore Kingdom, fleeing the Lantar empire, had copied their system and conquered parts of the western continent States descending from them, such as the kingdom of Triton, and the Tower''s Empire continued their legacy of denying feudalism.


    The Lanter Empire and its successors created the system of registered nobility to address the need for educated people. A registered noble was required to provide several things to a country, and although that differed from country to country and even from era to era, the principles remained the same. The registered noble would give the government educated people in exchange for status and privileges. The problem the system created was that this registered nobility wasn''t loyal to the crown or existing government.  Kings created parliamentarian systems and oligarchies to prevent them from revolting, but there was still the possibility of betrayal or defection to foreign nations. The Tower''s Empire was the nation that came up with a solution for this, and that was the system of titled nobility. They were nobles who received hereditary titles, allowing them to keep their status and power even if they could no longer fulfill their obligations. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    On a certain level, this took them back to feudalism, but it also created a group of staunch supporters of the crown and the nation that would stand with it and die with it as if the country fell and they would lose their hereditary status. However, this did come with a critical problem that registered nobles were self-enforcing on the number of Nobles that existed. Training and educating their own children or other people''s children costs money. That money came from government jobs or property in a business owned by that family. This artificially kept the number of registered Nobles at an amount the government could handle. However, titled Nobles were hereditary. To maintain their obligation, they required government jobs or another form of money; otherwise, they were just people with fancy titles who offered no value to the country.


    In the days of the Towers Empire, this wasn''t the problem as there were plenty of government jobs to do. If anything, it was the other way around, where there weren''t enough Nobles to give titles to and too many jobs for the Nobles to do. However, that was no longer the case. The tower''s Empire had been reduced to several scattered branches barely clinging on the 10% of its former territory.  During the Civil War, many nobles supported the Redtowers branch as they were the most legitimate, descending from the old emperor''s first cousin through the male line. However, now, it become a severe weakness in their country as the remaining territory couldn''t support the number of title Nobles even after getting rid of wholly registered Nobles.


    In response, the title Nobles used their positions to create more jobs within the government.  As a result, the government ended up spending ridiculous amounts on government salaries for completely unnecessary positions. It was forced to tolerate an absurd amount of embezzlement in those positions so that the Nobles could maintain their lifestyles. This came at the expense of more important things like the military or the development of agricultural land. Even then, this didn''t satisfy the Nobles, and they had to make a big deal about claiming that the kingdom of Redtowers was the kingdom of Towers, pretending they still had all of their territories. This severely limited the Kingdom''s diplomatic options, as essentially all surrounding nations used to be territories of the Kingdom of Towers.


    The prior problems only worsened as the kingdom''s territory continued shrinking. They lost parts of their territory to the Kingdom of Triton. They lost even more after the Antlatur Revolt, which essentially stripped them of all territory outside of the Norost mountains. After the Antlatur invaded the Western portion of their Kingdom 70 years ago, the situation got even worse.


    The Kingdom of Redtowers needed to make peace with its neighbors to develop lands like the Great Alloro River and take advantage of its iron and copper resources through trade. Instead, they engaged in foolish raiding expeditions against their neighbors, and their nobles engaged in strange conspiracies like smuggling drugs into the Kingdom of Antlatur, which not only brought the wrath of that Kingdom down in their heads, the drugs also affected them just as severely. Antlatur and Black also raided the great Alloro River. So, while their self-declared rivals developed fertile land and built their influence and power, the Kingdom of Redtowers remained the same.


    All these problems were why Reginald had married the golden stallion''s sister and started a war with the Kingdom of Black. By gaining foreign connections and hopefully gaining the support of the military through conquest, they hope to purge the nobles finally. Right now, the royal family was too weak to do it, and if they tried, it would most certainly start a civil war, or they would be simply coup d''etat. The plan was after the purge that, they would become the Affiliated Kingdom of Antlatur. The golden stallion promised them that they would receive the eastern part of the Kingdom of Black up to the city of Grastide, which would include Francis''s planes and several iron and copper mines.


    Of course, none of this would happened because they had lost the battle, although assuming that the golden stallion won and kept his promise, they would still receive the land. But glory of conquest that Reginald hoped to receive wouldn''t be theirs. Reginald would just be a man who received a gift from his brother-in-law as a consolation prize. If anything, people would only mock them for it.  Although it is still possible to engage in a purge due to the support of the Kingdom of Antlatur and, if nothing else, gaining additional territory would relieve the pressure on their finances.


    They had to engage in a purge to become an Affiliated Kingdom, the Nobles, in their pride and egos, but they never allowed their country to bow to the rebels of Antlatur. Of course, Felix thought this was nothing but foolishness. Becoming an Affiliated Kingdom would bring many benefits, including trade, protection, and cessation of hostilities between their countries. Although the Kingdom of Redtowers would likely never become a great power, they could at least become a regional player and improve the lives of their people. It was for that Noble purpose that Felix and Reginald acted. They kept their plans so Secret that the only two who knew the full details were Felix and Reginald himself. Some of their closest Aids were aware of part of it, but they were not privy to complete information.


    Felix wasn''t too worried about the Nobles catching on and doing something once something existed for a hundred years. People just assumed it would exist for a hundred more, even if all signs pointed to the opposite. Even if they heard some whispers of an impending purge, sure of their positions and status, they would do nothing about it.  There was only one person he seriously worried about: Beatrice. More than any other noble in the country, she invested in the return of the Towers Empire, and that was to surpass her brother, her former political rival.


    Felix didn''t know all the details but understood the gist of the previous Antlatur succession crisis. Prince Higgsbury, who was her full brother, died.  Polygamy was allowed in most countries, and it was customary for powerful men to take multiple wives. It was similarly acceptable for a powerful woman to take multiple husbands. This was all based on the power between the related parties. For example, Reginald hadn''t married an additional wife out of respect for the kingdom of Antlatur. But if a princess of Redtowers were to marry the king of Antlatur, he would be expected to take additional wives. All that being said, regardless of status, one was still restricted to marrying only four wives, although they could have an unlimited number of concubines. The previous king of Antlatur had married his maximum of four wives and had seven children.


    His first wife had given birth to Higgsbury and Beatrice. With the death of Higgsbury, Beatrice entered the race for the throne. However, she lost to her brother Andrew, who would promptly send her into exile. This primarily comes as Andrew''s mother, despite not being the third wife and not the first wife, had managed to out-influence the first wife, securing her son the throne. He knew Beatrice held a grudge against her brother and her former kingdom. Although Reginald''s marriage was an exile given to her by the golden stallion, she had no intention of accepting it. She took an interest in national politics, particularly the expansion process.  Felix was relieved by the nobles'' attitude, even if it was the same stupidity that plagued the nation at the moment. He was also relieved that Reginald disliked his wife and frequently cheated on her. This caused her pride to be hurt, which caused her to hate Reginald and shun him even more, which caused only further cheating and more hatred. Felix had no intention of allowing his sister-in-law to hijack the State systems to pursue her own personal Vendetta.


    Once again pulling himself out of his thoughts, he responded to his sister: " Yes, he is quite safe. I''ve received a letter from him in his handwriting, but the same cannot be said for many of our soldiers.¡± Felix watched her reaction intently. She barely reacted when he mentioned that Reginald was safe, but her eyes narrowed slightly when he mentioned the fate of their soldiers.


    ¡°How tragic,¡± she said with an expressionless face. ¡°I suppose we''ll do something for the deceased families?¡±


    ¡°What do you think I''m doing?¡± Felix said, gesturing at the pile of documents. In reality, the pile of documents had nothing to do with the families of the deceased soldiers. They hadn''t even figured out who was dead or captured yet. Felix was acting King while his brother was away, and so mostly it was that work plus all of the work of maintaining an army, and now all of the work accompanied by losing a battle.


    ¡°Anyways, honored sister, how''s my niece doing.¡±


    ¡°She''s quite well. Is the war going to continue?¡±


    Felix thought about what he should tell her and decided to tell her the truth. She figured it out anyway, and doing this might build a bit of trust between them. ¡°No, not likely. The battle halved the army, so we''ll just attempt to ransom our prisoners at the earliest opportunity. Of course, if his majesty Andrew were to claim victory, we would aid him in whatever remained of the fighting.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± she said coldly. ¡°May I ask what''s happening in the east?¡±


    ¡°You mean with the army of the dawn?¡± she nodded, and he continued. ¡°Well, we''ve only recently found out that that''s their name, but they''re essentially a group of Bandits Raiders, and tribesmen have all formed a collective.¡± The region east of the Kingdom of Redtowers was a complicated place filled with multiple colliding interests. The region had no valuable resources, but various nations were still interested in controlling it. It was to unite for cultural and religious reasons, primarily for geographical reasons.


    After the fall of the Towers Empire, multiple Regional governors claimed dominion and began feuding over the territory.  However, to this day, their conflict only bred death and destruction, and no one had ever come close to actually unifying the region. A few powerful regional powers, including the Kingdom of Redtowers, had invaded in the past, but they were only met with fierce resistance and gained little for their efforts. However, the region has been unifying recently under a single warlord or warlady known only as The Iron Lady. Little else was known about her or her Army besides that they were unifying the region and named themselves the Army of the Dawn. The Kingdom of Redtowers had sent spies and scouts into the area, but they had yet to discover much.


    ¡°That''s it, nothing else?¡±  Beatrice asked. Unwilling to tell her anymore, Felix shrugged.

 Interlude: League of Hallstatt

    The League of Hallstall is, in many ways, more developed than many Aszore countries. Each of their Nations is a functioning republic. But at the same time, their decentralization is a critical weakness that prevents them from fully utilizing their power and puts them on a back foot on the global stage.


    ~Dominic Black


    Interlude: League of Hallstatt


    <h2 style="text-align: center">The Month of Ninsum Day 27 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar</h2>


    Edmund awoke feeling uncomfortable warmth right next to him. He sighed and set up. Glancing next to him, he saw the woman he had made love with the night before. She had intense body heat. The situation still felt unreal, as he woke up next to a different beauty almost daily. He showed a slight expression of discomfort that he would never show in front of his subordinates. He always had to be strong, confident, and capable, never showing weakness. After all, he was the newly appointed General of Puplona, the leader of their Armed Forces, and he wasn''t permitted weakness or discomfort.


    Such concerns would have been unthinkable 24 years ago when he died and was reincarnated as Edmund Felix Aurelius Acker. Its previous existence was just another office drone in the minutiae of an American corporation. He was 25 and a virgin until he was killed by a truck and spent speeding off to become a Noble in this strange fantasy world. Luckily, he was still shipped to a country quite similar to his own in more than one way. Although each state in the League of Hallstatt had a Prince, in truth, they were democratically elected, although the nobility chose the candidates. They even checked to balance their power by electing ten members to form a council.


    The league operated similarly to the United States of America and its states, although with a lot more Authority given to the states. They would elect a grand Prince every five years to serve as the league''s leader. In addition, each state elected two representatives, one to represent the council and one to represent the people, to form the grand Council of the league. They would meet at Colinium to discuss National policy, primarily foreign policy and state disputes, and the system worked remarkably well.


    This was unlike the hereditary monarchies and oligarchies that surrounded him, making him grateful that he was in a country with politics he still could understand. On top of that, House Acker would not have risen to its current position of power under him without that democratic system. The Ackers owned some small agricultural land inside the Principality of Puplona, but their primary wealth and power came from Edmonds''s father''s position in the military. Edmond himself, with knowledge of strategy from his world and an unexpected talent for strategy and Magic, had quickly risen through the ranks of the military. Although some old school officers were concerned about his young age when the new Prince was elected, one of the people''s demands for him was to make Edmund the new general. So Edmund became the general of the Principality of Puplona.


    The door opened, and a woman entered. Her fiery red hair and eyes matched her military uniform, with red as the base color and silver as the secondary color. Edmond wasn''t sure if you would call her good-looking looking, but she was striking. Of course, that was just Edmund''s standards being thrown out of whack by this world. In this world, all Nobles could be considered above average in appearance due to the lack of physical flaws and good health caused by Magic.


    ¡°Lilia.¡± He murdered the woman''s name with a touch of guilt in his tone, not that she seemed to notice. Lilia was one of his lovers; she didn''t even react to the girl sleeping beside him. Of course, that was only natural, considering she tracked down the brothel for him. That was one of the things he couldn''t get used to about this world, particularly his home nation of Hallstatt. Hallstatt was sexist; although it was close to a World War II level of sexism where women had the right to vote and own property, but we''re still considered the inferior sex. However, what was strange about this country was that men needed to show their libido off.  If one didn''t have multiple lovers, wives, and frequent affairs, they became the subject of mockery. His wives and lovers accepted it, although he didn''t understand why and it didn''t erase his guilt due to his memories.


    ¡°I see you''re already awake, so Sir Edmund.¡± He slid out of bed and grabbed his own military uniform, which was the same color as hers. If an army officer from the United States of America saw the bright colors of the uniform, they would probably die of a seizure. However, camouflage was much less helpful since soldiers were getting up close and personal. ¡°Before you put that on.¡±  She started slightly pulling up her skirt. He got a brief glimpse of her thigh and was somewhat aroused, but he had to stop her.


    ¡°Sorry, Lilia, but there''s a strategy meeting today. I don''t want to be late.¡±


    ¡°But we wouldn''t want you to be distracted during that strategy meeting.¡± She finished pulling up her skirt in the middle of her sentence, revealing her white panties. The white-on-red combination was highly arousing, and she stared directly at the part of him that might get distracted. However, he was still hesitant. While it would be very manly in a certain sense to show up late because he was busy fucking, it wouldn''t be very proper. Seeing this hesitation, Lilia walked directly over to him and kissed him full on the mouth, putting her tongue in. ¡°hm, tastes good,¡± she murmured directly into his ear.


    After pulling out of the kiss, she kneeled in front of him. Opening her mouth, she slid it around his already erect penis. He grunted in pleasure, his remaining hesitation melting away under her tongue and mouth. Her tongue crawled all over his penis as the inside of her cheeks pressed against his rod. Lilia was the type to give blowjobs only with the mouth and tongue. As a result, they were silent in the room except for his moaning and slurping.


    He unconsciously thrust into her mouth as he neared his climax. When he finally exploded, he let out a moan of pleasure. She opened her mouth and tilted back her head to show him the contents before swallowing it all. He felt this dick getting erect again; she smiled triumphantly up at him.


    After they finished, he actually got dressed, and Lilia glanced at the girl on the bed. ¡°She''s sleeping quite soundly. Even after all the noise we made, you must have really given her a workout last night.¡±


    Edmond shrugged, ¡°She''s just a deep sleeper.¡± He glanced in the mirror; he was still sometimes confused when looking at this appearance. Edmund Acker was undeniably handsome, with sand-colored hair and light blue eyes, which complemented his tall and healthy physique with a perfect tan. In his previous life, he''d been average at best, but if he returned to Earth, he would probably be featured in many model magazines.


    The two exited the room, heading down the hallway to the Breakfast Table. They were currently in a mansion in the league capital, Colinium. The capital was small compared to other nations'' capitals. The city of Triton, the capital of the Kingdom of Triton, had an estimated population of 3 million. In comparison, the population of Colinium barely even reached 100,000; however, the city served more of a spiritual and administrative purpose than actually operating as a city. The town was home to the Grand Council chamber and the grand Prince of the league. In addition, it was where their armies gathered when preparing for campaigns. As a result, the city had 12 mansions reserved for the 12 generals of the 12 principalities when they gathered. As well as for their semi-annual meeting, which was held to discuss military strategy and the nation''s future.


    Each nation in the league chose a general or a Supreme Commander to manage its military forces. Those people were collectively known as the 12 generals of Hallstatt. This title could be confusing, as other people held the rank of General within their military. For example, the Principality of Puplona had 20,000 soldiers. They were divided into two divisions: the first and the second divisions. Both of these divisions were commanded by a Major General who a Brigadier General aided. Edmund also had another Brigadier General as his aide. Some of the larger principalities even had lieutenant generals and generals operating under the general.  The title of Grand General could be given to them, but that title was exclusively reserved for those who led Coalition armies. The title of Field Marshal had also been proposed but ultimately failed due to the traditional status and powers given to Field Marshals, which included the right to make War and Peace. So, the title of General stuck, and most people specified the general or one of the 12 generals.


    Guards from Puplona had secured the house. They saluted him as he walked down the hall, and he respectfully returned the gesture. Although the league abandoned feudalism, some feudal Customs remained firmly embedded in their culture in-laws. So, although technically, he didn''t have to salute back, he did partly from the memories of his old life and partly because he depended on the soldiers to die for him. The least he could do was respect them. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    When he arrived at the breakfast table, he saw two people waiting for him. One was a tall man in his fifties with graying hair and sharp eyes. Robert Barnsley was a typical sergeant, which wasn''t his official rank. This world needed to have the concept of NCOs (Non-commissioned officers). Despite not being a military member in his previous life, he understood the importance of NCOs, particularly discipline, due to his general interest in the military. As a result, he created the position of Sergeant at Arms. Due to his father''s allegiance to an outlaw motorcycle club, he understood that the position of Sergeant at Arms was in charge of maintaining the club''s rules. So, he created the position of each Brigade had one and each division had one known as the Senior Sergeant at Arms. This created less friction than building an entire NCO class, thus upstaging the existing commissioned officers, primarily Nobles.


    The other man was Colonel Oswald Morgan. He had permanently tired eyes and a broad expression to match. Almost all Nobles could be described as above average, but Oswald had the unique distinction of being considered below average. But this wasn''t because of his face but his lack of self-grooming. His hair looked like it didn''t even know what a comb was, and he only shaved once a week, giving him what was close to a full beard or 3 o''clock shadow, depending on what day you met him on.


    As he entered, the two men stood up and respected and saluted. Robert gave a full military salute with a grave expression. Two seconds later, Oswald stood up and gave a salute that screamed, ¡°I''m only doing this because I have to.¡± Edmond gestured for the two men to sit down before sitting down at the head of the table himself.  He asked Lilia, ¡°Have you had breakfast?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡±


    ¡°Then please sit down and have breakfast now.¡± She would only sit after he gave her express permission. ¡°So why are you two here? I thought you''d be handling things in the camp.¡± Although Edmond was allowed to stay in the city, that wasn''t true for the armies of the principalities gathered outside. So he had left Oswald, his chief of staff, and Rober, his Sergeant at Arms, to handle Affairs in the camp and his absence.


    ¡°I think the problem of the sergeant in arms is more important than mine,¡± Oswald said and probably started looking towards the door.


    ¡°He''s just hoping to get a free breakfast,¡± Edmond realized. "So what happened, Robert?¡±


    ¡°Our men got into a fight with the principality of Orvieto.¡± Edmond groaned. The principality  Puplona and Orvieto hated each other in a rivalry that extended to the kingdom of Hallstatt when they were feudal territories. This was why Edmund had arranged explicitly for their camps to be on the opposite side of the principality of Orvieto.


    ¡°How did that happen? I thought I made camp on the opposite side from Orvieto.¡±


    ¡°You did, Sir. This fight happened in town. A few of our men went for drinks, and they fought with soldiers from the principality of Orvieto.¡±


    ¡°And who started the fight?¡±  Oswald asked curiously. Robert glared at him furiously. Due to their desperate personalities, the two of them got on like cats and dogs.


    ¡°That''s the wrong question to ask. The fact is that a fight happened.¡±  Edmund more or less silently agreed with Robert.  If the Orvieto men had started provoking his men, the emotionally mature response would be to walk away.  But of course, this world didn''t operate according to Earth''s logic, nor was that generally going to happen, even at most times on Earth. It was solely a modern person''s sensibilities that violence was never the answer, and after a few years in this world, even Edmund thought that that idea was completely wrong. Most people in this world, if provoked, would respond with violence, especially if they were in the trade of violence or Nobles. It was simply that the weak died in this world: Nobles, commoners, soldiers, or entire nations. The weak were destroyed and trampled on, and the strong survived. The only way to show your strength was with violence.


    But from a discipline perspective, this still had to be addressed, so he turned to Robert, ¡°I wouldn''t think you would bother me with such a small matter.¡±  Fights between soldiers happened all the time, and even occasionally, fights involved soldiers from another principality, but it didn''t seem like something that was worth personally bothering The General, the supreme commander of the Armed Forces.


    ¡°The soldiers from the principality of Orvieto insulted you, General.¡±  Edmund sighed, although he wasn''t entirely sure if it was because of exasperation or admiration. Edmond was initially unpopular among the troops due to his harsh discipline, but they could now see him as the principality Guardian deity, they respected him as their Supreme Commander. One of the main reasons was that Edmund won. People liked to win, but soldiers especially wanted to win. Winning meant money in the form of booty and prisoners, which could be ransomed and Glory to brag about. On top of that, in defeat, more soldiers died between a general who brought them victory and a general who didn''t. Even if one were harsher with his discipline, most soldiers would follow the General who brought them victory.


    The principality of Puplona was middling in strength among the League. It neither had great agricultural lands nor wealthy mines and on top of that, it was on the front lines with the league''s sworn enemy, the kingdom of Triton. However, Edmund had changed their situation. He had beaten the kingdom of Triton in several skirmishes and, later, significant battles. His victories had won the respect of the other principalities, allowing Puplona to secure its border for the first time in decades. During the war with the kingdom of Triton a few years ago, Edmund won and pushed to the outskirts of Triton and now infamously burned one of their flags outside their city walls. It was one of the most significant victories that the league had seen in centuries. However, it had its fair share of factors not affected by Edmund, such as the Antlatur invasion of the Kingdom of Triton. The principality was still safer, more prosperous, and more influential for Edmond''s existence, so the soldiers respected him for that.


    If it was confirmed that the soldiers from the principality of Orvieto personally insulted him, which he wouldn''t be surprised about, then his handling he had to be even more careful in his handling of the situation if he punished the soldiers for picking a fight with other soldiers over protecting his honor that would lower the morale of the soldiers and his popularity. But if he didn''t, it might be a diplomatic incident with the principality of Orvieto. Not to mention, it would reduce discipline among the troops, and they would pick a fight every time the soldiers of the principality of Orvieto insulted him, which he had to believe was quite often.


    After silence, Edmond delivered his sentence: ¡°They will fight on the front line in the next battle.¡±


    ¡°Is that even a punishment, General,¡± Robert asked. ¡°These hot-blooded young men want to fight on the front lines.¡±


    Edmund smiled but didn''t reply. If they, instead, were forbidden from fighting on the front lines, suddenly, everyone would be picking fights with the principality of Orvieto or at least the ones who didn''t want to fight on the front lines. But making them fight on the front lines would mean they wouldn''t hold a grudge against him, and they might even thank him for it. Of course, some people might go out of their way to pick fights to be put on the front line, but those sounded like the type of people he wanted to fight.


    After they finished breakfast, Edmund sent Robert on his way. Well, Lilia fetched his armor to finish his last preparations for the war council. The 12 generals had a very particular attire: a black cuirass and a black helmet over a red military uniform with silver adornments. Black, red, and silver were the colors of the state. Although the league recognized its member nations, the military was technically all one big army despite being divided according to its member nations. So, it presented the same flag and uniform to all its soldiers and officers.


    ¡°I noticed you were still here, Oswald.¡± He had eaten the breakfast and just sat there as if he belonged.


    ¡°There were some things I wanted to report to you, such as what you asked about,¡±  Oswald said indifferently.


    Edmund felt guilt in his heart even though he knew it was deserved. Softening his tone, he asked, ¡°So what''s up?¡±


    ¡°Well, regarding the Kingdom of Black and their ongoing War, I have some information that might surprise you. The Kingdom of Redtowers invaded.¡±


    ¡°Antlatur,¡± Edmund said, surprised.


    ¡°No, the Kingdom of Black, even crazier they lost. Although it''s difficult to say the Kingdom of Black is winning, at least at this point, their chances have certainly gone up.¡±


    Edmond sank into thought. ¡°So it''s safe to say the Golden Stallion won''t be coming to our aid this time.¡± Although the league and the kKngdom of Antlatur didn''t officially maintain a diplomatic relationship, they shared a common enemy, the kingdom of Triton. So often intentionally or unintentionally aided each other in their War efforts.


    ¡°Yeah, although the Kingdom of Triton is unfortunately not taking advantage of this golden opportunity to invade. That leaves us holding the dirty bag this time, which brings me to my next point.¡± Pausing for dramatic effect, Oswald delivered his news with theatrical flair: ¡°The kingdom of Triton has assembled 200,000 soldiers.¡±


    Edmund felt his mind go blank before restarting. The kingdom of Triton and its Affiliated allies probably had around 250,000 soldiers collectively. However, they had never raised them in one spot, partly because they had other enemies. On top of that, the front line between the league and the kingdom was quite long. As a result, most wars between them weren''t settled in single battles but rather in a series of skirmishes along the border. Even if there were decisive battles, for the most part, they never exceeded 100,000 soldiers before. Edmond was at least slightly prepared for this result, as early intelligence had indicated that a larger-than-average group was gathering in the Kingdom of Hulon, an Affiliated Kingdom of Triton. However, he took larger than average to mean close to 150,000, not 4/5 of the alliance''s total military capabilities.


    ¡°So they''re going all out, huh,¡± Edmond said to no one in particular.

 Chapter 20: Veronica Black

    Chapter 20: Veronica Black


    <h2 style="text-align: center">The Month of Ninsum Day 25 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar</h2>


    Lucius Alvarius had positioned 10,000 soldiers on the opposite side of the preliminary moat.  Because they couldn''t all fit on the other side without entering archer fire from the walls, there was no need to put themselves in unnecessary danger. He positioned his other 10,000 soldiers on the other side of the preliminary moat. Soldiers primarily from the Kingdom of Estaberg assaulted the walls of the fortress itself. This was common according to standard practices of warfare.  One would send the soldiers of their allies to do stuff like assault the walls of a fortress. It almost always ended in death, so it was better to have the soldiers from the Affiliated kingdoms do it. He left a skeleton crew to guard his camp.


    Lucas commanded from the rear and sent Major General Philip Westerdale to command the assault unit. Of course, they weren''t exactly going to send a major general up the ladder. However, one of the motivations for this decision was that Lucas knew Andrew secretly wanted Philip to die or be disgraced in this war. Philip had been a thorn in the side of the golden stallion for most of his reign, which was made worse because he was left with the defense against the kingdom of Jax while Andrew and the rest of the generals were off earning glory by defeating the Kingdom of Triton.


    Lucas was taken off guard when mist emanated from the Northeast wall. It spread too rapidly for naturally occurring mist, and besides, it was a sunny day, so there shouldn''t have been any mist in the first place. Lucas''s instincts began blaring at him, saying that something was wrong. Lucas didn''t entirely trust his instinct and spent a second thinking about it, realizing what was likely about to happen. The Blacks were trying to attack his men in the mist.


    He ordered his 10,000 soldiers to start crossing the moat, sending a messenger and telling Philip to advance his forces without moving them into the mist. After all, going into the mist would just expand the problem, not make it better. He did have a concern that Philip wouldn''t follow his orders. Lucas was only newly appointed Lieutenant General, while Philip had been a Major General for 10 years. However, he couldn''t worry about that now.


    Lucas sent the three brigades of the third division to start moving across the bridge. The First Brigade was followed by the third, followed by the second. This should have created a logistical nightmare for everyone trying to squeeze through the bridge simultaneously. However, Lucas had arranged this order ahead of time. Although this didn''t entirely remove the commotion, it did make it far easier and safer to cross the moat. Lucas himself crossed after the first brigade.


    As Lucas was crossing the bridge, his Aide to Camp pointed behind them and frantically explained, ¡°General, the camp.¡±


    Lucas turned around and saw that smoke was emerging from his camp. ¡°What the fuck?¡±  Lucas shouted, his mind racing, trying to figure out what was happening. ¡°Is it the Uscan Union?¡± Lucas thought they wouldn''t send reinforcements as they were busy dealing with the Kingdom of Jax. ¡°Turn the second Brigade around and have them reinforce the camp.¡±


    ¡°I''ll send a message to the Colonel immediately, sir,¡± his Aide to Camp said. The orderly he sent first tried to ride his horse through the pressing tide of soldiers on the bridge but found it challenging. The orderly couldn''t walk through either; instead, he desperately tried to push through the crowd of armed soldiers.


    Lucas has realized his mistake far too late. Even if the Third Brigade could get the message and turn around, They were either on the bridge or next to it; meanwhile, the camp was already on fire. The skeleton crew wouldn''t be able to hold off a determined attacker if it was the reinforcements from the Uscan Union. Then, his units would be smashed between the moat and the enemy army. With that fear, Lucas rescinded his order, sending another messenger to the Third Brigade, telling them to continue pressing forward at all costs, effectively abandoning the camp.


    While Lucas was busy worrying, the soldiers continued carrying them across the bridge. Arriving on the other side, he was relieved Philip had followed his orders. Philip advanced his line of soldiers, primarily from the Fourth Division, and positioned them in an inverted crescent, sending their heavy cavalry to either wing. The First Brigade had already arrived and moved into a reserve position to maintain the existing formation.  Philip had set up a new layer of anti-magic barriers. The existing ones were pressed up against Lepetra''s anti-magic barriers.


    Lucas couldn''t help but nod in approval. Philip Westerdale hadn¡¯t been an officer for over twenty years for nothing. The Cavalry would help deal with any attacks from the flanks, and any soldiers stupid enough to dive into the inverted crescent would either need a plan or have a death wish.


    Just then, soldiers emerged from the mist wearing uniforms from the Kingdom of Esterberg. They began retreating toward the Antlatur line. He was somewhat relieved, as the entire assault team had been wiped out. They had probably already taken heavy casualties in the earlier assaults. Although the Kingdom of Esterberg was a former enemy and an Affiliated Kingdom, it was best to save as many troops as possible. About a thousand soldiers entered and passed through the formation fairly quickly; Philip thought the same thing as Lucas.


    But something strange happened after they passed the anti-magic barrier and reached the other side of the line. Lucas saw the faint flash of magic before explosions hit the rear of the Fourth Division. The words false flag flashed in his mind. A false flag was where enemy soldiers dressed in uniforms engaged in sabotage and subterfuge. More explosions hit the rear of the Fourth Division, which slowly turned and started attacking the soldiers from the Kingdom of Esterberg.


    Lucas ordered the First Brigade forward to attack the soldiers not from the Kingdom of Esterberg. Chaos ensued as soldiers from the Kingdom of Esterberg were attacked from two sides. Some fought back, but some threw down their swords without a fight. This confused the soldiers from Antlatur, who thought they were soldiers from the Kingdom of Black. The soldiers from the Kingdom of Esterberg were even killing each other. But the absolute chaos started when a soldier dressed in an Antlatur uniform attacked one of his comrades. Chaos assumed the line as soldiers from the Kingdom of Antlatur began killing each other for seemingly no reason. Although the chaos quickly passed, it didn''t end before the actual soldiers from the Kingdom of Black activated their remaining magic scroll, blowing themselves up and even more soldiers.


    Leonhart felt his sword rip through the body of the soldier without much resistance. The body of the soldier he just killed fell to the ground, the sickening thwack and clanking of armor. ¡°This sword cut well. I need to thank the Captain later.¡± His sword was an enchanted mithril sword, which the Captain had gifted him before this mission. Looking around for his next enemy, he noticed the thin defensive line the Antlaturs had set up in desperation. It had been destroyed, and everyone in it either died or was currently running away.


    ¡°Torches to these tents now!¡± the Lieutenant yelled.


    ¡°Relax, sir, they''re not running anywhere,¡± said the knight,t bearing the torch languidly.


    ¡°Just do it, and don''t talk like that. This is a military outfit, even if you''re not formally a part of the military yet!¡± Shrugging, he did as he was bid and pressed the torch to one of the nearby tents.  The unit needed to move on before the fire spread. The fire smoke would spook the horses even if they were trained Horses, not to mention putting their lives in peril. The detached unit was made up of roughly 900 Apprentice knights. They hadn''t yet received their official Knighthood. Some hadn''t even turned 16, the official age of Adulthood.


    A handful of retired and active-duty knights led them. The unit had hidden themselves in a nearby forest until they received the signal, which was the mist rising from the wall. That was their cue to attack. Initially, Leonhart waited anxiously to receive the signal. He and most of his underage compatriots heard the stories of the legendary Marshall saints of the Black Kingdom, Thomas Oswell, Richard Blank, and Luca. As well as the legendary generals Francis ¡°the Liberator¡± Black, Harwin Tawind, Carolina Magenta, and Veronica Black. They had all envisioned themselves as similar figures taking their place in the pages of history. But now, he was wishing that a signal had never come. His arms hurt from swinging a sword, and the sheer atmosphere of the battlefield and the awareness that this wasn''t a drill started to wear down his mental faculties.


    Things were going quite well despite this being the first battle for most of their soldiers. You can say things were going perfectly. The group had almost no resistance and set fire to most of the camp. The group moved to the next area that had yet to be set on fire. Leonhart felt that the fire would consume the entire camp and that they should withdraw. Their mission was only to set fire to the camp and everything in it, not to kill everyone in it. However, after the Lieutenant snapped at the previous soldier, he didn''t dare to. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Under normal circumstances, a platoon led by a Lieutenant would number roughly 50 soldiers; however, the current platoon only numbered about 20. The reason was that a regular platoons Lieutenant would have several officers to aid him, such as squad captains and team leaders. Even if they weren''t commissioned officers who graduated from the military academy, they could still help him hold the unit together and pass orders. On rare occasions, a non-graduate from the military academy could become an officer. However, the unit didn''t have enough actual knights to do something like that, so instead, they could divide all of their troops into units of 20 and pair them with a knight, even if he wasn''t a military academy graduate.


    As they moved along, they spotted a unit of knights approaching them. But they weren''t wearing the black armor and red capes of the Kingdom of Black and weren''t carrying a flag. ¡°Lance''s,¡± Lieutenant called. Leonhart''s military training kicked, and he subconsciously pulled Lance from its holster. He usually preferred to use the sword, but it was an order. The lieutenant shouted at the top of his lungs, ¡°Charge.¡±


    As they approached, he realized that they were wearing the uniforms of the Kingdom of Esterberg, a light green and blue mix. On top of that, they were worse for wear. Their armor had many dents and scratches, some were still bleeding. They either didn''t have a healing Mage, or their healing Mage had run out of Mana. There were only about 15 of them, while there were 20 from the Kingdom of Black.


    The enemy knights had responded to their charge by drawing their lances and charging, although many were broken. They didn''t have an option but to charge if a Cavalry unit was charging at you, then they had already gained full momentum attempting to retreat, would just resulted in you being stabbed in the rear. Leonhart felt his heart racing as the distance between the two started shrinking. They ran in a gap between the tents, meaning only about five knights could pass shoulder to shoulder. He wasn''t in the front rank, so he could only follow behind the flapping red coat in front of him.


    ¡°I think that''s Jorah Cornelia."  The Cornelias were a titled and noble family. They had a long and prestigious military track record, including their current patriarch, who served as a Brigadier General in the first division. Jorah was the most eager for this mission, as it was an opportunity to earn his Knighthood and prove himself.  The two groups of knights passed each other, hitting each other with their lances. Jorah¡¯s lance missed, passing by the enemy knight. The knight from Esterberg¡¯s lance connected directly with Jorah''s mana shield, destroying it instantly. Jorah reined up his horse. He could not follow the typical knight strategy of wheeling back around due to the lack of space.


    The two passed by each other Jorah heading for the knight behind him and the knight who had attack Jorah heading for Leonhart. The two thrust their lances at each other. Leonhart skillfully deflected Lance off his shield while thrusting his Lance toward the enemy Knight''s skull, shattering his mana shield. He felt the eyes behind the helmet narrow slightly and the atmosphere around the Estaberg knight shifting.  He was unable to identify the shift. The two continuously traded lance strikes, and his mana shield was quickly broken, and he could not land another blow. So he shifted backward and dropped his lance, going for his sword instead. The enemy knight seemed relieved and casually thrust his lance at Leonhart.


    It only made sense, the weapon with more reach had an advantage to the extent that two swordsmen would have to take on a spearman of equal skill. This was common sense, so knights used lances rather than swords. They use swords when they are close or when their lance is broken. The Esterberg knight thrust his lance toward Leonhart. His sword made a hissing noise as it whistled out of his sheath and chopped the head off the lance, knocking it off balance. That was right before the sword slashed straight toward a gap in his armor for his rotator cuff. He slice, Didn''t to take the arm off, but it did severely injure him. Blood pouring out of a gaping wound in his arm, the knight shouted, ¡°I yield,¡±  while dropping the broken remnants of his lance.


    Glancing around, he noticed Jorah was now battling with a particularly fierce knight. ¡°Give me your crest,¡± Leonhart told the captive knight. When taking prisoners, it was traditional to take their crest, marked with their house seal and name. If you lost your crest but came back alive and uncaptured, it was considered a dishonor as you were defeated and handed over your crest but refused to pay Ransom. It wasn''t like it never happened, especially in recent times when honor was valued less, and Nations had deep hatred for one another. When the knight of Esterberg handed over his crest, Leonhart felt relieved until he heard a scream.


    Looking over, he saw Jorah sliding out of his saddle, blood flowing from a wound that punched through his neck. Before he knew what he was doing, his horse was already moving straight towards the knight who had killed him. His Mana flowed into his sword as he rushed forward.  He slashed his sword full force, and the opposing knight casually blocked it with his sword, causing Mana to explode.


    The opposing knight laughed. ¡°You''re stronger than your friend here.¡± He gestured at Jorah¡¯s corpse. ¡°But you''re not as strong as me. I''m the Marshall Saint of Esterberg.¡± Leonhart ignored him and attacked again, only to be easily deflected. ¡°I already told you, boy, you''re no match for me. The difference between our mana and our Skill is just too big.¡±  Although sword duels weren''t just determined by how much Mana one side had, having more mana was an advantage over having less. Also, having more control over one''s Mana meant more options and more things to do. That was why a Marshall Saint stood above everyone else in terms of these things. Leonhart was no match for a Marshall saint. He wasn''t even knighted yet.


    But Leonhart continues to attack anyway with all his might. The Marshall Saint continuously blocked until finally counter-attacking. He deflected the strike with his shield before attacking Lance''s head with his sword. The lance moved like a snake pulling back and striking forward again, making it impossible to hit. Leonhart was slowly worn down from the flurry of lance strikes and eventually started bleeding from multiple minor wounds. He slowly felt his rage cooling and finally felt something click inside his brain.


    His Mana flowed more smoothly, and his attacks got more fluid and quick. Slowly, it wasn''t him. He was being pushed back by the Marshall Saint, who seemed shocked when he received a nick to the arm.  Leonhart could tell the Marshall saint of Esterberg was panicking. What  Leonhart just experienced was the process of a Second Awakening. His life-or-death circumstances forcefully stimulated his Mana. Second Awakenings were sort of like skipping the steps to grow stronger as a warrior. As a result, many noble families intentionally try to stimulate their children to get a second awakening. Many noble children die every year as a result of this.  ¡°Wait, I¨C¡±  his words were cut off when Leonhart''s sword sliced through armor bone and brain, chopping off half of his head.


    ¡°That''s strange. I couldn''t punch through armor before.¡± Leonhart didn''t have time to think about that too much as one Esterberg knight attacked him, although this time, his comrades aided him, and they quickly defeated them together. The battle ended in a bloody victory for the Black Knight. Their platoon had been essentially decimated, losing over half its members, capturing ten enemies, and killing the rest. Among the prisoners were the Queen of Esterberg and her son.


    Andrew had dispatched multiple messengers and aids to understand what was going on. First, the mist began rising from the northeast wall, then an explosion started, and a fire started from the opposite camp. It didn''t take a genius to figure out that they were under attack from two directions, straight on and from behind. Andrew had already dispatched his reserves to the opposing camp to repel whatever lurked there. He thought it was reinforcements from the Uscan Union; however, he needed clarification on whether they were in the northeast. The Uscan Union was in the West.  So we turned the rest of his reserves around and got them into a defensive formation, waiting for an attack from that direction.


    After taking this action, Andrew unleashed a string of curses, including, but not limited to, cursing the Gods, the ancestral spirits, the Dead, the ancient Heroes, and just regular curse words. ¡°I''m impressed, elder brother; your language is as colorful and vibrant as ever,¡± Linnea commented from her horse.


    ¡°I try my best to impress at all times,¡± Andrew said, trying to make a joke out of this fucked up situation. Before he could continue, his instincts warned him of oncoming danger. Subconsciously drawing his sword, he barely deflected a knife hurled straight at his face.


    ¡°Huh, I missed.¡± The indifferent voice of a young girl sounded right next to him. Shocked, he turned to look at her. A few seconds ago, no one had been there; now stood a little girl dressed in a black cloak and wearing a mask. ¡°Whatever.¡± She said before throwing two more knives at him this time. He blocked with ease, having expected it. Linnea and his companion cavalry all drew their swords and charged at the girl.


    ¡°Protect the king!¡± the Companion Cavalry shouted as they rushed forward, intent on killing the girl. Some of them stayed behind to protect him personally.  But as they approached, the girl vanished into thin air.  Andrew heard several clanks from behind him. He turned to see his sister blocking multiple daggers thrown out from nowhere. But before he could even figure out where they were coming from now, he heard a scream as one of his companion cavalry breathed his last where the man used to be. He saw a giant man over 7 feet tall standing on his horse, wearing a cloak and mask similar to the girl''s and carrying a huge sword. The giant brought down his sword on Andrew, and only one of these companions could move into the trajectory with a crunching noise. The man died more crush to death rather than sliced to death.  Andrew was shocked for a different reason than his man''s death, which was that his mana shield seemed to have no effect whatsoever.


    Before the giant could bring his sword down again, he was speared, stabbed, and shot through with spells by the remaining companion cavalry. More knives targeted Andrew, but the remaining companion cavalry all deflected them. The mages of the group also cast a defensive spell around him, protecting him from projectile and physical attacks. The voice of the little girl came out of nowhere, seemingly indifferent to her comrade''s death. ¡°I''ll see you later, Golden Stallion. Try to stay alive until I can kill you.¡± One more knife was thrown at his face as a parting present.

 Chapter 21: Ripple Juice

    Chapter 21: Ripple Juice


    <h2 style="text-align: center">The Month of Ninsum Day 25 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar</h2>


    Dominic watched as the red juice poured into the pitcher on the table. As he let out a sigh, it had come to this. He hadn''t wanted it to, but then again, he was a powerless baby. How is he supposed to stop the tide of a war? He didn''t even know who they were fighting or whose side he was supposed to be on.  Information, really, was King in war, but Dominic could barely speak the language. ¡°At least I could now take that information to my next life.¡±


    Over the past few days, the situation in the Mansion had gone from tense to impossibly tense. The soldiers had been training even more intensely, and he''d seen Luce less and less. Dominic''s predictions that War was happening in the outside world were proven accurate when Luce started to receive war reports. He''d even watch them pouring over a map with figure representations of the various armies moving around. Now, he was sitting in front of a pitcher of Nora''s favorite drink, and everyone gathered around the dining room table with somber expressions and somber clothing. Maybe it wasn''t poisoned, but he hadn''t seen ripple juice since that time on the lawn. It was clear that some rationing was going on, and there was no way at the height of recent tension and with many guards disappearing. There was no way this drink wasn''t poisoned.


    ¡°So we''re killing ourselves?¡± As a history student, Dominic knew that it was generally considered honorable in most societies, from Japan to ancient Rome¡ªa culture of killing yourself rather than becoming a prisoner or allowing your family to be dishonored. Of course, as someone from the modern lower class, he never thought this would happen to him. ¡°But I suppose these past six months, I have been completely out of my expectations for what I thought my life would look like.¡± For better or worse, it had been a wild ride.


    Dominic felt as powerless as he ever had been. As impotent as when his idiot managers had bullied him, as powerless as that time, he got mugged. As powerless as when he watched his mother''s boyfriend break her nose. There was nothing he could do. They were bigger and stronger, they were armed, they had more experience in fighting, and right now, he was only a baby. How could a baby stop a war? He couldn''t even stop himself from drinking the poisoned liquid or stop his sister, who was eagerly awaiting her cup, not even knowing what was in it.


    ********


    Luce also watched as the Ripple juice was poured into the pitcher. Without even thinking about it, she prevented Nora from reaching for it. She mentally chuckled at herself, wondering when she''d become such a mother to two children who weren''t even her children. Valerius, the love of her life, had married a different woman for political reasons, but she stayed with him even though he could never marry her now. She would never have her children of her own. At least as long as she stayed with him, she would raise another woman''s children by the man she loved. Luce wondered why she stayed with him even after he married her. They said love was like a sickness, and if that was true, she was practically dead from the disease.


    She looked at the two children she''d raised. Nora was excited to see her favorite drink and was trying to get it. Dominic watched it with an expressionless face.  He seemed to know that something was going on, But then again, Dominic and Nora had been strange since they were born. They matured strangely quickly and learned things that no child should. Dominic almost seemed like an older man in a child''s body.  Luce wondered if she''d made the same decision if they were her children and not that bitch''s children. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    When both Dominic and Nora were born, Luce was in the room where the birth occurred. Luce heard somewhere that when a commoner gave birth to children, it was a bloody and often deadly affair, but for Nobles trained in Magic from birth and had access to Healing Magic, it was a relatively straightforward process. When both children were born, Maria immediately handed them over without looking at them. She hated her children because of the man who had gotten her pregnant. Luce understood that she was blessed to have loving parents and to have been raised in a relatively safe and comfortable environment.  She had never really hated anyone before, but that was only until she met Maria.


    For as long as she thought about the future, her simple wish was to marry Valerius. They had sometimes fought, and she''d even thought it was over, but that was ultimately what she wanted. Although she never factored children into her life with him vaguely, somewhere deep down, she''d always thought there would be a child in the mix. But that was until Valerius defeated the Wolf of the Norost mountains, who would promptly marry his daughter off to Valerius. When Valerius had tried to refuse, the Wolf of the Norris Mountains directly requested the Black Court to intercede. The woman who would obtain her happiness hated her children because of her husband''s lackluster bloodline. She could say without a shadow of a doubt that she hated Maria.


    Luckily for her, neither Dominic nor Nora had even an inkling of her appearance; both had golden eyes, the same as Valerius''s, and black hair. But she still wondered if she could love them enough because she wasn''t their birth mother, even if their birth mother hadn''t even taken the time to give a name, something that all mothers were traditionally obligated to and had the right to do. It was instead Luce who had given them names. Luce had found the wet nurse for them, and it was Luce who had all the obligations and privileges of parenthood.


    She had ultimately decided to kill her children. This was all to prevent them from becoming hostages that might used against Valerius. It was initially suggested by the other woman she hated, Veronica. It wasn''t like it was out of the question for the Antlatur''s use children as hostages. Francis The Liberator was lured to his death by the Kingdom of Antlatur using his brother as a hostage. She knew that Valerius loved his children. She knew a birth mother wouldn''t do that to her children.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to join us, Jane?¡± Turning to Dominick''s maid, Luce asked this question out of genuine concern. Jane was holding Dominic like one might have a stuffed animal holding him in her lap. But Dominic did look like a stuffed animal. He was as still as a stuffed animal and as cute as one.


    ¡°Of course, I do, my lady. I have a brother and sister fighting, and I can''t become a burden to them.¡± Jane said with the determination. Most of the household staff were planning on joining her in death, and many of them were nobles like Jane, hailing from noble families serving the royal family. Even the ones that weren''t had hatred for Antlatur carved into their bones. When they heard of their lady''s determination to kill herself, they all decided to join her as many of them, too, had members of their family serving in the military.


    ¡°And you, Patrick?¡± Patrick was the captain of the garrison of the detached palace where Valerius lived for specific reasons. He was loyal to Valerius. The entire garrison had been chosen for members of the first division who worshiped the ground he walked on.


    ¡°I would much rather die with Antlatur blood flowing down my sword,¡±  The old man responded.


    A loud sound rang throughout the city before she could even thank him for his service. Slowly, the sound spread, and eventually, they could make it out. It was the sound of cheering and celebration. ¡°Glory to the Kingdom of Black, Glory to Veronica Black, Glory to Noel.¡±


    The soldier she had assigned to tell her of the status of the battle burst in: ¡°Lady Luce, we won, we won. Antlatur is falling back.¡±  Luce prayed for this to happen but was still relieved when she heard this. She grabbed the pitcher on the table and opened the window, and with Nora''s cry in the background, she dumped the contents. ¡°Glory to Veronica Black.¡±

 Chapter 22: The Golden Stallions War Council Part 2

    Chapter 22: The Golden Stallions War Council Part 2


    <h2 style="text-align: center">The Month of Ninsum Day 26 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar</h2>


    Flickering torchlight was the only illumination as the war council gathered again for the second time since the campaign had started. But the atmosphere was very different. The expectation of certain victory and lackadaisical atmosphere had completely vanished. Depression and a desire to retreat were in place. Depression came from the Antlatur officers, and the desire to retreat came from the Affiliated kingdoms. The Affiliated kingdoms had only come to fulfill their contract with Antlatur, and they had no desire to continue the war now that they were losing.


    The council members were also different: Thomas Emmon, Zach Pickett, and Niances Ortomio were all in the southern southern camp. However, the other missing member, the queen of Esterberg, and her son had both gone missing following the attack on the camp. Many bodies had been charred in the attack on the camp, so it was impossible to tell if they''d been captured or killed. The fate of Rickard Cabela and the Cabela forces currently unknown, and with the Kingdom of Unica currently guarding the Black Valley fortresses, it left only Stephron Monica and Cleos Hayton representing the Affiliated Kingdoms in attendance.


    In hindsight, leaving behind 10,000 soldiers to guard the Black fortresses was a mistake. It could have been done by 5,000, and we would have had those extra 5,000 soldiers. Linnea thought bitterly, but that was only in the power of hindsight. Despite the fate of every invasion of the Kingdom of Black always ending in failure, regardless of the difference in numbers, they had somehow thought that they were different, they were special, and that they would succeed where everyone else had failed despite having no proof to back that up. ¡°I suppose that''s the folly of youth.¡±


    In hindsight, everything felt obvious, and both Linnea and Andrew felt like complete idiots. The ambushing knights that attacked their Camp from the rear had been hiding in a small copse of trees. Like most plants and vegetation in the Black Knife River Valley, saying that it was a copse of trees was a bit of an understatement.  In reality, it was closer to a couple of scraggly branches connected by trees without much green on them at all. Linnea genuinely wondered how anything in the Black Knife River Valley even grew.  Sending a single soldier to poke around would have been sufficient to drive off any knights.


    It was a by-the-book tactic during sieges if you had enough soldiers to send them to hide and attack the enemy from behind during a crucial point in the siege. Linea and Andrew had simply not thought of it. It was so by the book that this was the first time anyone had tried it in years.  They never thought the Kingdom of Black would have tried something like that, leaving them completely defenseless when it did happen.


    Although they were still piecing together exactly what happened, it became clear with a bit of investigation. The soldiers in the mist had worn Esterberg uniforms and then repelled down ropes or came out of portcullises. They mixed in with the Esterberg soldiers, and once they had infiltrated the formation, they''d blown themselves up with magic scrolls. Magic Scrolls stored single spells. Although they were one-use items, they were useful for people who couldn''t use magic, as anyone could use a magic scroll. The one problem was their price tag. Not only would you need to have a mage put a spell into it, but the higher the tier of the spell, the higher the scroll material you would need.


    Although this tactic succeeded, Linea and Andrew were disgusted by it. All commanders would have to order a soldier to face almost certain death, which was simply a part of being a general.  However, sending a soldier to face almost certain death and face certain death or two different things.  Veronica Black had sent her soldiers on a literal suicide mission. The whole purpose was to die blowing themselves up just to kill a few enemy soldiers and cause chaos in the ranks. Although they were discussed, it was still a successful strategy in the camp battle, the assault on the walls, and the false flag strategy. Over 20,000 soldiers from the alliance had been killed.  It was, to say the least, a devastating loss.


    Andrew would put his elbows on the table and thumbs under his chin, staring at everyone around the table. This war council had been called so that Andrew could justify to himself for retreating. It was their only option. They''d been cut off from their supply lines. Most of the half of their existing supplies had been burned in their camp, and 20,000 soldiers had died. Even if they wanted to take Lapetra by storm, they couldn''t, as most of their battering rams had been destroyed. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    However, Andrew still didn''t want to hear that they had to retreat, so he called the war council so that they could all tell him the exact thing: that they needed to retreat immediately. The Affiliated Kingdoms just wanted to get out with what soldiers they could, and the remaining officers weren''t stupid enough to advise him to continue attacking. Even Philip Westedale, who was burning with the desire to avenge his nephew, had already advised Andrew to withdraw. That''s what they had spent the past half hour trying to do.  Linea honestly just wanted this day to end. She had to watch the deaths of countless soldiers, save her brother from an attempted assassination attempt, and just go through a roller coaster of emotions, feelings, and surprises.  She didn''t even want to fuck before she went to sleep which had never happened in the past 5 years ever since she flowered.


    She stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray without missing a beat. Christopher offered her a new one but politely didn''t put it in her mouth for her. When she took it, he lit it without missing a beat.  She started puffing away on her cigarette as the tent remained eerily silent, with only the occasional popping from the torches. Everyone had already made their arguments. Andrew was just sitting in silence, stewing about the reality of the situation. This is getting seriously pathetic, and Linea decided to interject to save her brother''s image and the minds of the Affiliated Kingdoms. After all a king wasn''t supposed to be so small-minded that after hearing the truth, he sat in silence for an hour.


    ¡°Elder brother, everyone here wants to sleep, and we need to start preparing to withdraw, so give your orders and dismiss the council.¡±  She felt the wordless looks of gratitude from everyone else there. They couldn''t exactly say that to his face as they would risk his wrath, but she could as they were family.


    ¡°Oh, I didn''t know you were appointed the Supreme Commander. I must have missed the memo,¡± he said sarcastically.  ¡°Only I can give the order to withdraw. Not you, me.¡±


    She didn''t waste a second in firing back. ¡°Well, if you want to order us to assault the city instead, I''ll just go ahead and kill myself. I don''t want to give Veronica Black the pleasure of doing it.¡±


    Andrew ground his teeth for a minute before finally dismissing the council. She stood up, eager to leave, until Andrew stopped her. ¡°Not you, Linea. You stay as well, Lucas.¡± She sat down bitterly and grabbed Christopher before he could leave, and he gave her a questioning look.


    ¡°You''re fine with him staying right, Elder brother.¡±


    ¡°Him, sure, why not,¡±  he responded casually. She was slightly relieved that if he allowed Christopher to stay, then that meant it wasn''t anything too important, and hopefully, she''d get to sleep in the next hour.


    After a long moment of silence, he finally started talking. ¡°You''re going to need to take responsibility, Lucas.¡± He just nodded at his head. After the crushing defeat of his wing, anything less would have the soldiers'' families up in arms. He would need to take responsibility for all, partly to cover for Andrew.


    ¡°All right, good. Now, on to the next matter, Linea. I need you to leave the Vanguard on the retreat.¡±


    ¡°Why are you specifically mentioning that.¡±


    ¡°You saw their behavior in here today. I mean me, the Kings of the Affiliated Kingdoms, who knows how many of them are already planning to betray us, especially when the news gets back to their Homeland. They don''t follow us out of loyalty. They follow us because they fear us and respect us appropriately. But now we''ve been defeated. How do you think that they''ll react.¡±


    She took another drag on her cigarette before responding. ¡°Start plotting to betray us if it comes down, but the Kingdom of Jax is busy, so the only real threat is Triton.¡±


    ¡°You''re forgetting the Kingdom of Green Towers to the east. But what I am most worried about is the Kingdom of Esterberg and the Kingdom of Cabela. That old bastard of Monica held out on us in this war, and he probably will celebrate when he hears of our defeat.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose that''s true, but still, it doesn''t explain why you want me to lead the vanguard.¡±


    ¡°You need to gain achievements.¡± He said simply, ¡°If you show off your military prowess, people will start to look at you and fear you. Previously, I held that role, but now that we have lost, a lot of my military prestige will vanish.¡± That was, sadly, how people operated, especially ignorant ones.  They wouldn''t look how Andrew had gone further in his conquest of the kingdom of black than any of his forbearers had. They would only see the fact that he''d failed. Linea couldn''t help but be inwardly impressed by her brother''s cunning. He intended to put her up on the pedestal to make her the stick that keeps the Affiliated Kingdoms in line.


    ¡°Sure, I''ll try my best, but for all we know, the kingdom of black will just let us run away.¡±


    ¡°That will never happen. Valerius Black will surely come from us, and we''ll get revenge at that time.¡±

 Chapter 23: The Embodiment of a Nation

    Chapter 23: The Embodiment of a Nation


    The Month of Ninsum Day 26 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar


    In the afternoon of the 26th, the Antlatur Army packed up and retreated from their siege camps. Behind them, the Garrison of the Lapetra let out a tremendous cheer. Although the victory celebration had technically already started, the soldiers with a little more tact and experience were relieved by the enemy''s withdrawal. The war was never over until it was over, or as the demon king would say, "The victor is not victorious if the vanquished does not consider himself so."


    In the evening, the expeditionary party returned with two pieces of good news.  One was that the Marshall Saint of Esterberg had been killed. Although he lacked any major renown, he was still the Marshall Saint of the country. If such a skilled combatant had been killed, it would have been a morale booster, if nothing else. The second was that the Queen of Esterberg had been captured. Veronica was most relieved by this piece of news.  A prisoner Queen was valuable regardless of whether she sold back to her home country for a mountain of gold or used it in negotiations with the Kingdom of Antlatur. It would greatly help the Kingdom of Black either way. Veronica was also interested in the man who killed the Marshall Saint, who was just some apprentice knight until he had been drafted for this mission.


    The damage they had suffered in this war was not light, although it was yet to be assessed. Much of the Black Knife Valley had been destroyed. Although the area was blessed with water from the river, the soil was rocky and unsuitable for agriculture. After quite some time, the Black Kingdom built several irrigation canals. They used a combination of magic and regular old terraforming to make some of the soil able to sustain agricultural activity. However, the area had been severely damaged due to the war, partly due to the refugees fleeing to the city and partly due to the fires that the Golden Stallion, and had politely been left behind.


    The refugees were all crowded into the city; however, this didn''t cause much confusion or panic. At this point, Lapetra was so used to being sieged that they had prepared individual refugee camps. The villages were also used to fleeing and having their everyday lives interrupted by enemy armies attacking their nation. With none of their population being killed or enslaved by the enemy, they could resume regular activity outside when everything was repaired.  Luckily, the month of Ninsum was only early summer, so they should have enough time to get another harvest, assuming everything went according to plan. This would prevent starvation in the kingdom, one of Veronica''s most significant concerns for the immediate future.


    However, Veronica''s most significant concern following the war was securing her internal political power.  Her political enemies had previously suppressed her due to the succession issue, and now she intended to gain revenge, specifically on her husband, who was currently facing the backlash of his faction due to Francis''s idiotic retreat from the Black Valley, thus exposing the entire Kingdom to danger. Although Francis was also her son, she never particularly cared for either of her children and had no intention of starting now. She would use this time to consolidate her political power, although the succession issue would soon rear its ugly head, which was a problem for her future.


    She had one of her political allies leak the details about Francis''s retreat from the Black Valley to the public. The jubilation of the population quickly turned to outrage against Francis. She also leaked the information that the council forced her to accept his appointment as Division Commander of the Third. She intentionally chose to do this while the refugees were still in town, as they had lost the most in this war, with protesters demanding bloody vengeance and that Francis be held to account. Veronica leisurely retreated to her office and enjoyed the fire she had started.


    She enjoyed the comforts of her Dragon leather chair, her 300-gold-coin bottle of wine, and a premium cigar. She didn''t have her creature comforts publicly. She displayed modesty and frugality, but like most things that were complete for the charade, she lived a quiet life of luxury. Of course, this was her in her office. Her outer office, where she worked and greeted nobles, was far more frugal. A queen deserved her creature comforts. After all, she had to deal with the stress of running a country and dealing with her backstabbing husband daily.


    Elise Nordland, the leader of her companion cavalry, was one of the few people she trusted, including with the secret of her inner sanctum. She approached, ¡°Harwin Tawind is without,Your Majesty, and requests an audience with you.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°He probably wants to talk about something boring and important things like the war or the aftermath of the war or fixing the burnt ruins of our territory.¡± She said in a light-hearted tone, ¡°It''s best you not let him in, or else it would ruin the taste of my wine.¡± Saying that, she took another sip.


    ¡°If that is your desire, your majesty, then of course I, your humble servant, will only obey,¡± she said without missing a beat.


    ¡°Sia''s light, you can''t take a joke. Let him in.¡± Elise left and soon returned, bringing a man in tow. Harwin Tawind was one of the oldest men in the Kingdom. The kingdom had a mere 50 years of History. Veronica was almost as old as the kingdom itself. But even then, she liked to imagine that Harwin was old even when the kingdom was new, although he would have only been 33 then. Despite turning 83 this year, he walked with the straight-backed confidence you would expect of a far younger soldier. In his craggy features, one could see the experience of wisdom and being the oldest General in the Kingdom.


    Harwin Tawind was the minister of military affairs and the last surviving general of Francis the Liberator. Both were feats, as all of Francis''s generals had died either in his victories or defeats. Maintaining his power as minister of military affairs despite the younger generals emerging. It was proof of his military ability and political. He was also one of the only other people she could trust. His loyalty lay not in a political faction but to the kingdom itself, which is why she''d been expecting this visit.


    He gave a standing salute, ¡°Hail your majesty.¡±


    ¡°Harwin, have a seat to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit.¡±  She took another puff on her cigar before putting it back in the ashtray.


    ¡°I bought you the casualty report,¡±  he said, placing it on the desk before sitting down.  Veronica casually glanced over it. More or less, I had already figured out most of the casualties.  She had intentionally used the garrison soldiers sparingly, and relying primarily on the militia soldiers and retired veterans who have been drafted. The garrison soldiers were the most combat-ready and valuable soldiers, the retired soldiers did nothing but eat up money due to their pensions. Militia men were just commoners, although losing too many of them at once would cause problems in the short term. Even if all of the militia she drafted died, it wouldn''t cause too many problems due to their new influx of slaves from the war.


    The outcomes was as expected. The primary figure she was interested in was the Apprentice knights who had died. Knights were children of the nobility, and losing too many of them would be a loss that would take years to recover from, as it took decades to train a knight. The casualties of that group were lower than anticipated, far lower actually; they''d only lost around 30.  She pointed to the number, silently asking the question.


    ¡°Resistance in the camp was lower than anticipated. The Antlaturs had already deployed most of their knights elsewhere; even the number of soldiers in the camp was practically nothing, and the false flag strategy worked wonders. Confusing them tremendously, at least in the early stages of the fight. By the way, excellent work coming up with those strategies. Your father would be proud.¡±


    Veronica sneered in her heart while outwardly expressing sincere gratitude. ¡°Anyways, I''m sure you didn''t come here just to flatter me and deliver a casualty report.¡±


    ¡°I came to question you about that,¡± he pointed to the door.


    ¡°Ah, you mean the protests.¡±


    ¡°Going after Howard, I understand, but this is a very unlike you move.¡±


    A monarch was supposed to represent the nation itself. Those were some pretty words that weren''t really followed by most monarchs; they were merely abused by them. In that sense Veronica was the truest monarch on the entire Western continent. She didn''t deliberately get involved in politics or pick a side in the political struggles. She merely acted in the nation''s best interest, always in the best interest of the nation. Sometimes, the council shot down her proposal for one reason or another, but she never tried to force the issue, and she rarely used political backroom dealings to get her way. That was a part of why her political position was so weak.


    All that hadn''t changed; she merely decided to destroy her son''s chances of the throne and, hopefully, weaken her or destroy her husband''s political faction. It wasn''t personal, even though she hated her husband; it was merely that she was acting in the nation''s best interest as she saw it. The Traditionalist faction, as they called themselves, had become little more than a shitpile that didn''t understand the reality of the world. As a result, they needed to be destroyed.


    Of course, she would need to explain that to her political allies to prevent them from getting the wrong idea. A part of the reason why the prime minister,  Cane Magenta, and Harwin Tawind supported her regime was the fact that she was the neutral arbiter of the nation. But she had actually decided to shift tack a little bit and consolidate more political power in her own hands rather than suffer the fate of being isolated again and forced to watch as the nation around her burned. ¡°I decided that it would be the best for the nation,¡± she said simply. ¡°We will suppress the Traditionalist faction to prevent a disaster like this from occurring again.¡±

 Chapter 24: Antlaturs Retreat

    Chapter 24: Antlaturs Retreat


    <h2 style="text-align: center">The Month of Ninsum Day 29 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar</h2>


    The Antlaturs marched to the Howard Bridge on the 26th, deciding to Camp there for the night and completing their Crossing on the 27th. There, they joined the Southern token detachment, bringing their numbers up to 42,000. They marched throughout the 27th, making it to the mountains by midday. They chose March on the route that took them further away from Grastide. This meant a rougher March than the main road of the Kingdom was built, connecting Grastide to the Black Knight Valley. However, it was worth it to avoid passing under that City. They continued marching throughout the 28th, making for a reasonably good time considering.


    Christopher reflected on how much things could change in a matter of days. Before, the golden stallions'' rule had seemed Rock Solid, and his victory inevitable. But now, its rule was shaky as quicksand, and his victory had turned into defeat, with the Antlatur army was retreating with its tail between its legs. He recalled a quote from Lucas Grimwood: ¡°As is the fate of Nations. For the strong to consume the weak until the weak consume the strong and become strong to be consumed by the weak.¡± It was the weak nation''s fate to be oppressed by a strong nation and ultimately be conquered by them, while the strong nation-state became weak and ultimately suffered the fate of the week.


    The kingdom of Antlatur had been there since he was born. He always thought it was a strong Nation and believed it from the bottom of his heart. They were a Major power in the region of Calamise and a regional power on the western continent. But now he wondered if that strength was only an illusion or reality. A nation''s strength was determined by its army. Anyone who said otherwise was deluding themselves. A nation without an army was a nation without protection, which a nation with an army could merely exploit with an army. Christopher had had the Misfortune or maybe the fortune of being a Junior Envoy during peace negotiations with the kingdom of Triton.


    Despite severely losing the war militarily, that nation was proud of its economic and trade influence. They were still arrogant and held their heads high. Even though the process was annoying and confusing, it caught Linnea''s attention, so it wasn''t all bad. He thought back to his time in the great Port of Triton. Like many Antlatur, he underestimated the importance of trade, focusing instead on agriculture and Mining, but that was until he saw the great port. Triton wasn''t located on any significant trading route; however, merchants still flocked to the city as it was a trade center and a considerable repair hub for ships in the Western continent. Unlike the port of Higgsbury, Triton''s seaport was always busy and bustling with activity, and its trade activity brought the city great wealth.


    Christopher was brought back from his thoughts when one of the companions Cavalry Linnea had sent to guard him nudged him slightly. Linnea tended to be a worrywart and so would constantly would send him everywhere with guards. However, in another way, it was just a projection of power that reminded people of his station as her right hand. Christopher couldn''t help but groan when he saw the problem he''d been called out for. One of the wagon wheels had broken. An army marched at the speed of its slowest unit; for most armies, that was its Logistics. Christopher was very intimate with this process as he had been a staff officer for most of his military career. As its hero, Lucas Grimwood would have said. ¡°Logistics Logistics Logistics.¡± An army marched on its stomach; after all, every boot and every tent pole needed to be calculated to ensure as few wagons traveled with the Army as possible. Every wagon was a potential problem, a potential breakdown, and a potential Target.


    However, an army needed all these things to survive and fight in a war, although some were things were unnecessary, such as the bed frame for every Monarch who traveled with the army. He understood that it was required to preserve their dignity, but a small part of him wished they didn''t follow the Army instead, because everyone else could get by with bed rolls and mattresses. Either way, someone had to transport that primarily on wagons, and these wagons tended to break down, especially on bad roads.  The entirety of the Norris Mountains only had one good road. Besides the great Alloro River, it was a Super Highway that connected the areas north and south of the mountain range, and it was built by the tower''s empire before the Kingdom of black even existed¡ªthe Kingdom of black invested solely in their military expenses. The only good road in the kingdom was one built back before the Rebellion, connecting Grastide to the black knife Valley. As a result, their wagons continuously broke down without fail and on repeat due to the bad roads.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Christopher wondered how to handle the wagon breakdown situation. Glancing inside, he was relieved to see a bedpost, a chair, a writing desk, and a couple of other pieces of furniture. He turned to these nearby soldiers. ¡°Abandon this wagon completely.¡±


    The staff officer who arrived earlier on the scene looked relieved but simultaneously hesitant.  Christopher realized why he was reluctant when a soldier approached him a few seconds later. ¡°You can''t dump this wagon. It contains the personal effects of Lieutenant Colonel Andermont.¡±


    Christopher glanced at the soldier who wore the lieutenant badge, and he sighed. He didn''t particularly care about offending a lieutenant colonel. The problem was that he didn''t recognize that name. He was probably from a different division, and that division was likely the 4th division, which had also been positioned in the Vanguard the same as the first. Although they were technically under the command of Linea, that was separate from her command of the first division. The Fourth division, General Philip Westerdale, didn''t get along with Linea. Forcing the issue could cause problems for Linea. He was a conservative who believed that women shouldn''t be generals and had told her so to her face multiple times.


    Christopher followed Linea as her aide to camp and lover for nearly a year. By now, he understood her personality. She was confident, arrogant, proud, cunning, deceitful, and cruel.  It was scary how she could simultaneously embody complete narcissism well, being cunning and vicious at the same time. Their hatred and disdain were mutual. But Christopher didn''t want to start any problems at the moment. He agonized over what to do for a second before making up his mind. He ignored the lieutenant and turned back to the staff officer. ¡°Dump it on the side of the road, and if the lieutenant colonel wants it or causes a fuss, he can claim it and carry it himself.¡±


    He rode off before receiving a reply. He headed back toward his post by Linea''s side. Once there, he found her doing what she had been for the past few days: chainsmoking. ¡°Your Highness, I have something to report to you.¡± She waved her hand in a continued gesture without even taking the cigarette out of her mouth, and he reported everything that had happened to her.


    ¡°That''s fine. I''ll Deal with the consequences, so you don''t have to worry about it.¡± She said, finally removing her cigarette from her mouth.


    Christopher sighed as he knew what to say next, knowing it would offend her. ¡°Your Highness maybe¡­ you should cut back on the smoking.¡± She looked at him through squinted emerald eyes without saying anything. At times like this, it was difficult to know what she was thinking. ¡°you''ve been chain smoking for the past few days, and I feel it is starting to become a problem.¡±


    ¡°So what? You don''t like girls who smoke now.¡± She asked him light-heartedly, but he could feel the murderous intent underneath.


    ¡°That''s not it, Your Highness,¡±  he said hastily. Due to Magic, smoking wasn''t a problem for most Nobles. It barely caused any adverse effect on them at all. However, it was still considered by many Nobles to be a dirty habit that especially applied to women.  Although Christopher didn''t personally care, he felt like it was his duty to keep his General at least somewhat in line with Noble habits and tendencies. ¡°I was merely thinking you should cut back a little bit.¡±


    She breathed in deeply in response and then started puffing out Smoke rings. Before tossing her cigarette aside, she said nothing; that was how he knew she agreed. Her pride would never allow her to say that, so instead, she just stared at the sky, and he breathed a sigh of relief. They rode along in comfortable silence for a time. Some people think all silence is uncomfortable, but Christopher disagreed. There were silences in which you needed to pause conversations to give the other person space and sometimes just to enjoy companionship.


    But they couldn''t enjoy themselves for much longer as a messenger came riding up. ¡°General, the enemy, they''re waiting before us.¡±


    ¡°They''re waiting for us. That''s rather polite of them,¡± Linea said.


    The messenger hesitated to say something. ¡°Just spit it out. As long as it''s an honest report, I''m not going to punish you for it,¡± Linea said, and he finally continued.


    ¡°General, it''s General Falcus Ormond.¡±


    The two of them move to the front line, where soldiers are just starting to spill into a valley, and waiting for them at the mouth of the other end is a line of black soldiers. Their black armor was uniform, and their Spears pointed directly into the sky as they stood silently, waiting. They were merely a group of statues wearing similar clothing. Directly above them, on a post, hung a singular body. The body wore an Antlatur uniform with two stars on the epaulets, and the body had a sign nailed to it with words burned into the wood. ¡°Falcus Ormond.¡±

 Chapter 25: Into the Valley

    Chapter 25: Into the Valley


    The Month of Ninsum Day 29 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar


    The Antlatur took two hours to prepare their forces, with their attack commencing at 1 PM. Despite having the option to go around, they felt compelled to confront the situation. The provocation of hanging a general was too significant for both their soldiers and their national honor to withstand. If they retreated without avenging Falcus, the morale of their soldiers would suffer due to the lack of retribution for the popular general, and their prestige among foreign nations and affiliated kingdoms would decline sharply.


    An assault on the Black forces was organized. The Black troops had positioned themselves between two hills and quickly took cover in the cliffs. Only about 5,000 soldiers could stand shoulder to shoulder in the valley between them. The first division of the Antlatur army readied for the assault. Having sustained very few casualties in the earlier war, they were nearly at full strength, with 15,000 soldiers. These were also the best and most motivated troops in the army.


    After preparing anti-magic barriers for protection, the troops marched forward to confront the black soldiers. Their front line consisted entirely of heavy infantry, organized in the traditional formation of the Empire Shield, standing shoulder to shoulder. Equipped with helmets and greaves, their shields covered their midsections and upper legs, creating a formidable wall of copper and iron to withstand any frontal assault. Usually, the army would place light infantry at the front to engage enemy light forces, but they opted for a different strategy this time. The Black troops occupied a slightly elevated position, and their primary objective was to dislodge the enemy from that advantageous spot.


    As they approached, the Black light infantry began to rain hell and fire down upon them. Starting with the archers who continuously shot their arrows like rain, which fell amongst them and did just as much damage. A fully armored soldier wouldn''t be severely injured or killed by an arrow unless it was an arrow shot from a mighty mage or found in a vulnerable place. So long as it didn''t hit them in the eye hole of their helmet or somehow managed to find their hands or thigh, which didn''t have armor, they wouldn''t be hurt by the arrow. However, it would break their mana shield, exposing them during any sword fight or the later hail of javelins.


    The javelin throwers were next. When the Antlatur entered their range, they readied their javelins and threw them. The javelins caused significantly more damage than the earlier rain of arrows. They were capable of piercing even heavy armor. If a soldier''s helmet or greaves were struck after their mana shield had been broken, that soldier would be doomed to a swift journey to the underworld. Even if they survived the initial hit, their fate was bleak; they would be trampled by their comrades behind them without mercy. This wasn¡¯t due to cruelty among allies but a matter of necessity: if they stopped, they would risk being run over by their side and meet a similar fate.


    Soldiers from the Norris Mountains were renowned among all the nations of the Western continent as some of the finest fighters. Life in the mountains was difficult, and survival depended on cooperation among villagers to fend off bandits, enemy nations, and monsters. As a result, most residents, including women and children, had a basic understanding of weapon operations. Every soldier from the Norris Mountains was akin to a knight, having received combat training from an early age.


    However, they were not entirely equal to knights, as many only awaken their abilities once they later joined the army. In terms of Mana, they remained unable to compete with true knights, placing them on par with soldiers from other countries. Yet, in terms of skill and courage, Norris Mountain soldiers were deemed fearless¡ªor foolish, depending on who you asked.


    The javelin throwers waited until the last moment, when the enemy was nearly upon them, to launch their javelins one final time before retreating. Throwing at point-blank range, their javelins achieved high accuracy and caused significantly more damage than their earlier volleys. After completing their attack, the javelin throwers retreated quickly and in relatively good order, making better progress than the heavily armored infantry of Antlatur, who were weighed down by their equipment.


    Meanwhile, the archers completed a few more volleys before retreating. The gaps between the lines of the Black heavy infantry were considerably more significant than those between the tower formations, allowing both the archers and javelin throwers to withdraw with relative ease. The Antlatur and the Black Infantry finally clashed after the Antlatur had taken significant casualties to get there, and most of their mana shields were already broken, giving the Black forces a considerable advantage.


    Hours passed as the battle raged on unabated. Initially, the Black forces held an advantage due to the casualties inflicted by their light infantry and the benefit of having mana shields. Additionally, the Antlatur forces were exhausted from days of marching, while the Black troops, having rested, were only slightly fatigued from standing by.


    This allowed the Black forces to gain the upper hand, but the tide shifted toward the Antlatur side over time. The first division of the Antlatur army was not easily trifled with; they were experienced warriors and well-trained. The second division of the Black army, which had taken this defensive position, could have matched them but did not surpass them. In terms of numbers, the Antlatur soon dropped the weight of their reinforcements onto the black forces.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    For every soldier the Black forces killed, another would take their place, creating a relentless cycle. As this continued, the second division of the black army began to exhaust its resources. The battle shifted from the Black forces'' advantage to a stalemate, and ultimately, the Black troops were left with no choice but to yield ground to the enemy.


    When two lines of heavy infantry clashed, the side that would be pushed back was typically the one that was losing steadily. This was because the second line would gradually move forward as the front line fell while the front line attempted to regroup. This dynamic could affect the entire line, even those far from the initial breach, as companies would be compelled to retreat to remain next to their comrades. A line that couldn''t fall back would struggle to relieve the pressure on its front line and would ultimately be forced to break rather than bend.


    Livia Tallwood was not foolish; retreating suited her strategy, so she allowed the withdrawal to happen without trying to hold their ground. After three hours of intense fighting, the Antlaturs finally began to push the Black forces out of the valley. Once they achieved this, they could use their numerical advantage to surround the Black army and wipe them out.


    This realization made Linea aware that the enemy had to fall back. They could either stand their ground or retreat before it became too late, yet they did neither. Her mind buzzed with questions as she rode her horse slightly behind the front line. The enemy wasn''t attempting to hold their position nor launching a counter-attack; instead, they were gradually losing ground without resisting. Her suspicion intensified, but it seemed unlikely that this was a trap. They had fought fiercely before beginning to yield. Why wouldn''t they have retreated from the start if it were a trap?   As she wondered about this she recalled the time she''d been trapped in a similar situation during the war with the kingdom of Triton although she fought their way out of that due to the weakness of their soldiers it was still an unpleasant memory.


    ¡°Everyone stop! Stop right now! Cease the advance and pull back immediately!¡± Linea shouted; Christopher, looking confused, quickly sprang into action and sounded the trumpets to halt the advance. The bewildered soldiers obeyed, driven by their military training and trust in their General. They created some distance from the Black forces, causing a sudden stillness on the battlefield where the fighting had been brutal, bloody, and intense just moments before. Yet, in that silence, all of her suspicions were confirmed. If the Black forces had been genuinely invested in this battle, they would have attacked instead of stopping the fight entirely. This showed that they were trying to lure the Antlaturs into a trap.


    There was a long pause in the battle, with neither side moving or taking any action. The Antlatur and their black-clad enemies, sworn rivals who had just been killing each other moments before, stared at one another from a gap only a few feet wide. Weapons were gripped tightly in their hands, blood still coating their swords. Linea briefly contemplated what to do but didn¡¯t have much time to think. Suddenly, trumpets sounded from the cliffs on either side, and soldiers were dressed in black uniforms began emerging. In their hands, they carried javelins and bows.


    ¡°Full retreat!¡± she shouted, and the entire army began to move just moments after the trumpets blared. However, the enemy was not about to let them escape; arrows and javelins started to rain down, mainly targeting the soldiers in the back line who had yet to engage in any actual combat, primarily to avoid damaging their forces. Meanwhile, the second division charged forward, attacking the enemy as they attempted to retreat. The javelin throwers¡¯ effectiveness increased exponentially from the preliminary battle. Previously, most of their javelins had struck the shields, doing little damage aside from the minor annoyance of having a javelin stuck to one''s shield. However, they were launching their javelins from above, and the shields offered little protection against the damage inflicted.


    The first division desperately tried to retreat while being pursued by the second division and facing Javelin fire from all directions. With many lives lost and bloodshed surrounding them, their retreat continued. Once they were out of range of the cliffs, Linea launched a fierce counterattack against the pursuing second division. Livia, unwilling to engage now that their plan had been uncovered, retreated quickly, holding on to the hope that the first division would break their discipline and pursue her forces. However, that did not happen.


    *****


    Valerius bitterly watched as the Antlatur successfully retreated from his trap. Linea had guessed successfully what his plan was waiting for at the end of the valley: the first division on either side, the second would take the center, and the first division would attack them from either wing, surrounding the Vanguard and killing them. Retreat would be rugged; even if they received reinforcements, they would only throw themselves into the meat grinder. Formations were built to face forward and not from the sides, although they could fight from that direction depending on the formation. The formation of the tower''s Empire was not one such formation. They were built solely for forward combat and were almost unbeatable. But if they were flanked from the sides or behind, they would quickly crumble, and any soldier with the tactical ability, even right now, would fight from that direction much less. ¡°Well, I guess it was a long shot, to begin with; it would have been nice if they''d fallen for it.¡±


    Shrugging his shoulders, he began thinking about more important matters, such as what wine would go best with the deer his men had caught in the woods for dinner. He was enjoying the hospitality of a local village, and the mayor had a pretty fine selection of wine. He no longer put the Golden Dtallion or his army in his eyes; it was only a matter of time before they were all dead. He would have plenty of more chances to destroy them.


    In this battle, later known as the Battle of the Green Blood Valley, the valley''s name was changed to follow the battle.  Would result in the death of 1200 black soldiers. While the resulting in the death of 2,200 Antlatur soldiers and the imprisonment of another 1000.

 Chapter 26: Back Tent Dealings

    Chapter 26: Back Tent Dealings


    The Month of Ninsum Day 31 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar


    Andrew left his campfires burning overnight as he retreated from the battlefield. This caught Valerius off guard, as he had expected Andrew to continue the fight instead of making a stubborn tactical withdrawal. Valerius had only sent soldiers to monitor Andrew¡¯s camp, anticipating a nighttime assault from Antlatur. The soldiers were deceived by Andrew''s choice to leave most of his tents standing and his campfires lit, leading them to believe his soldiers were still present.


    Andrew had already abandoned much of his heavy baggage, including many tents, to facilitate a faster escape. This decision made sense, as tents primarily served to ensure the soldiers'' comfort and maintain morale; however, morale was already at rock bottom. Furthermore, each soldier was now considered a precious commodity. Andrew''s main goal was to escape with as many lives as possible.


    Due to this situation, Valerius was aware of his retreat the following morning when he had already made good progress on a different route. Valerius wasted no time; he quickly organized his forces and began his pursuit. His initial objective was to trap the Antlatur forces, but that plan failed. He had hoped to block them within the Norost Mountains, starving them out or forcing them into an unfavorable battle. However, with Andrew getting ahead, Valerius needed to outpace his opponent and set up a blockade to achieve his goal. Linnea countered that challenge by sending cavalry units ahead to seize the valley entrances and any strategic points where Valerius might attempt to make a stand. Valerius faced a numerical disadvantage despite all the fighting and was unwilling to engage in a fair fight on an open field.


    Valerius''s army shadowed Andrews as he continued to retreat, leading to a series of skirmishes between the two forces wherever they marched. Valerius focused on eliminating all of Andrew''s scouts and began to succeed, aided by his scouts'' terrain advantage. He also attempted to provoke Andrew into an unfavorable battle on multiple occasions, including Linnea Vanguard. He would hang the corpses of dead Antlatur in front of them and have his men shout insults at them as they marched; nothing worked.


    Valerius''s alternative plan to ambush Andrew''s army while they marched seemed unlikely to succeed due to Andrew''s commitment to maintaining an extensive network of scouts for intelligence gathering. Even after losing hundreds of his scouts, Andrew insisted on sending them out to gather information about Valerius''s army''s movements. Consequently, Valerius''s attempt to ambush Andrew''s forces while they were stretched out along the road failed. The situation became so dire for the Antlatur scouts that Andrew dispatched knights to assist them in hopes of reducing their casualties. This pattern of dead Scouts and the two armies following each other continued for two days. On the evening of the 31st, the Antlaturs set Camp on a small rocky plane next to a stream. The Black forces set their camp on a nearby hill barely one mile from the Antlatur and were within sight of each other. This was Valerius''s last attempt at baiting Andrew into a battle, but it seemed his gambit had failed.


    *****


    Stephron Monica felt a familiar cool mountain breeze reminiscent of his homeland. As it touched his skin, he experienced a moment of peace. He quickened his pace towards the meeting spot at the urging of his trusted bodyguard, his only companion that day. The Antlatur had constructed a proper camp for the night, digging trenches and establishing rudimentary walls. Andrew likely feared he might meet the same fate as Falcus Ormond, and even Stephron could recognize that building walls were the safer choice despite being almost a novice in matters of warfare.


    He arrived at the meeting place, one of the few tents they had left after discarding many during the retreat. Even Stephron had to do without many of his creature comforts due to their hasty withdrawal. Usually, he would knock, but there was no door. Since this was a secret meeting, announcing his presence might have been better. While he was lost in thought, the tent flapped open, and someone gestured for him to enter. He and his bodyguard stepped inside. The tent was simple, furnished with only a few magical lamps and mats on the floor. Most of their heavy baggage had already been removed, leaving no tables or chairs except for the war council table.


    Zack Pickett looked at him with a snarky smile that Stephron found all too familiar. Many young people who had yet to learn to mask their arrogance and emotions often disdained royalty, especially royalty like him. He was the 31st Prince of the Kingdom, counting all his brothers and sisters. The likelihood of inheriting the throne¡ªor anything else¡ªwas practically nonexistent. He held almost no value, even in a political marriage. The most likely outcome for his future was to become a minor knight captain if he was lucky. Of course, Zack was already a knight captain with a king''s trust and was more potent than Stephron''s father. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t regard them as equals. He had achieved his position purely based on ability.


    Zack and several other antler knights were gathered around, seated on mats on the floor. He recognized only Zach from their time in the war council. Stephron politely lowered his head to the group but did not bow, maintaining his status as royalty. Zach stood up, and his subordinate stood up more reluctantly. ¡°I hope I''m not late,¡± he asked politely.


    ¡°No, you''re fine,¡± Zach said, waving him off. It was rude to address a prince that way, but he had no intention of saying anything else. After sitting down, Zach and his subordinates followed suit, and the group remained silent momentarily. They knew why they had gathered, but no one wanted to speak it aloud. Depending on one¡¯s interpretation, even this meeting could be considered treason, and what they planned would get them court-martialed.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Stephron also felt nervous about their plan, but his training in royalty helped him hide his feelings more effectively than the rest of the group. However, as the silence dragged on, even he began to show signs of anxiety. He had always been in the background, never competing with his siblings for the throne and deliberately avoiding his mother¡¯s attention. His father¡¯s wives and concubines acted like hyenas, fiercely competing over which of their children would inherit the throne.


    Stephron knew he would be thrust into that world if his mother harbored any interest in him or believed he had a slight chance of becoming a contender. For years, he had avoided attention, kept a low profile, and maintained his place in line. That strategy had allowed him to survive for so long, but it was likely what had led him to this precarious situation.


    His father was notorious for his drinking and womanizing. He cared little for anything other than his pleasures and ruled the Kingdom of Monica as a tyrant. He wasn''t just a common hedonist but an exceptionally skilled tyrant and politician, as evidenced by his nearly 50-year reign over the kingdom. While it could be said that the kingdom had prospered under his rule, it certainly endured rather than thrived. The kingdom was experiencing a decline, primarily due to their overlord, the Kingdom of Antlatur, facing its general decline rather than any specific failures of Monica. Additionally, they lost several gold and silver mines to the Uscan Union.


    The kingdom''s politics had become increasingly complex due to several factors. One of the main issues was the presence of gold and silver mines. The Kingdoms of Monica and Unica were rich in these resources, and most of their territories initially belonged to the Uscan Union, which the Kingdom of Antlatur conquered. When Antlatur sought to establish Affiliated kingdoms, the gold and silver mines became a central point of contention.


    Typically, a kingdom would welcome the creation of affiliated kingdoms. Nobles in the new kingdom would predominantly come from the motherland, and many of their citizens would be relocated. This arrangement would temporarily mitigate overpopulation issues and create a loyal affiliated kingdom that would provide taxes and troops without the burdens of ongoing maintenance costs.


    The situation with the Kingdoms of Monica and Unica was different. The Nobles of Antlatur were reluctant to relinquish control of the gold and silver mines and the wealth they brought. As a result, a compromise was reached: both kingdoms would be granted their independence, but in exchange, they would have to surrender 80% of the ore produced by the mines and cover the costs associated with running them.


    This arrangement worked well initially because the nobles were related, and the kingdoms were starting to establish themselves. However, over time, the kingdoms of Monica and Unica began to see themselves as separate identities rather than part of Antlatur. They started to resent the requirement to hand over 80% of their gold and silver, especially as Antlatur failed to protect them and their mines.


    At the same time, the influence of Antlatur remained strong due to its power, and the Kingdom of Monica held the status of an Affiliated Kingdom. Many nobles were interconnected through family ties, with longstanding relationships between relatives from both kingdoms. The main factions in the two kingdoms formed around their positions on Antlatur: the pro-Antlatur faction and the anti-Antlatur faction. The King of Monica was certainly anti-Antlatur. Initially, the anti-Antlatur faction held the upper hand in the Kingdom of Monica, mainly due to the weakness and incompetence of Higgsbury IV. However, with the rise of the "Golden Stallion," the situation began to shift in favor of the pro-Antlatur faction. The King¡¯s father had been reluctant to send reinforcements but felt obligated to do so because of their alliance contract and the growing influence of the pro-Antlatur supporters. He decided to send Stephron to command the army, as it was necessary for a royal to lead, and it made sense to choose a royal of seemingly lesser value.


    Of course, this didn''t matter to him as he wasn''t particularly involved or interested in politics. Still, he was aware enough of the situation to realize that his father was probably celebrating at this moment as he had dutifully sent a war report to him. He probably held a private banquet with many pretty young girls as long as that report reached him.


    ¡°Are we going to do?¡± this one young knight asked.


    Zach nodded. ¡°We need to show those Rebels the pride of Antlatur. We must also show the Golden Stallion that Princess Linea is just a coward.¡± Stephron regarded his words. Linea had retreated from a battle where she and the first division had had the upper hand because she said it felt like a trap. Ultimately, it turned out to be a trap, but many officers, including Zach, criticized her for it, saying that if she''d only pressed the advantage, they would have emerged victorious. ¡°It should be us, the proud knights of Antlatur, who take the lead, but instead, we were relegated to the river detachment. The Siege, if we''d been there, we would have broken Luca, and he merely would have become another notch on my spear.¡±


    ¡°The first division still has Samuel Magyar. He''s cut down dozens of skilled knights, even a few Marshall Saints,¡± one older knight commented.


    Zack scoffed. ¡°He''s a relic of the past. What is he, like, 60 now? His spear is rusted, and his wits have no doubt dulled over time, just like Falcus Ormond. And don''t forget that I have a trump card.¡± Zach reached into space. A few seconds later, a fog emanated where his hand was. The mist was red and light blue, and a bright light emanated at the center. A Phase weapon could disappear into space and be summoned by the intent of their wielder. Stephron had never seen one before, which made sense. It took an exceptionally powerful enchanter to create one. For the most part, they were relics passed down through the generations and not weapons one made, and the kingdom of Monica, which lacked a long history, obviously lacked Phase weapons.


    Although he knew about the weapon in question, who was the lance claimed from a Triton Noble during the war. The lance was named ¡°Lafox alsairs.¡± The Lance of the Valiant. One of the King of the Azore''s top generals used it during the conquest of Sapphire and Jade Island. Eventually, after the collapse of the Azores Kingdom, it passed, as many artifacts did, to the Kingdom of Triton. ¡°With this Lance, I''m invincible. Let Samuel Magyar come at me, and I''ll claim his head; so are you in?¡± He turned to Stephron. He felt the breath catching his throat, and his heart began to race. But he felt backed into a corner if he returned now with no accomplishments. Although he likely wouldn''t be criticized, he wouldn''t be praised either. Nothing would happen, nothing would change; everything would remain the same. He would merely return to being another Prince among 31 others.


    ¡°I''m in.¡±

 Chapter 27: The Foolish and the Valiant

    Chapter 27: The Foolish and the Valiant


    The Month of Ninsum Day 31 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar


    The armies had set up their camp in the Philatrox Basin. This area was relatively small and held little significance for the Kingdom of Black, as the soil quality was so poor that it was unsuitable even for grazing animals. The noble family that owned the basin had considered converting it into agricultural land. However, doing so would require an enormous investment. Typically, the kingdom would offer a subsidy as long as the family sold the food at cost, but they refused to provide assistance for the Philatrox Basin. This was due to its proximity to the Uscan Union, which had recently been the enemy of the Kingdom. They were concerned that any developments in the area would simply be seized, leading to their refusal of the subsidy. As a result, the basin remained almost entirely uninhabited, with only a few stonemasons residing there.


    Valerius set up his camp on a hill at the entrance to the basin, while Andrew established his camp in the middle of the basin. Both camps signaled their respect for each other''s intentions. Valerius aimed for Andrew to attack uphill, which would place him at a disadvantage. Conversely, Andrew wanted Valerius to come down and confront him in the basin, where Andrew''s more significant numbers could effectively be utilized. This situation resulted in a stalemate, as neither side was willing to give the upper hand to the other. However, this stalemate was about to be abruptly broken.


    Zach Pickett and his Antler Knights quickly left the Antlatur camp. Zach informed the camp gate guard that he had been ordered to launch an attack at night. The guard, somewhat familiar with Zach and knowing he supported the Golden Stallion, had no reason to suspect Zach disobeyed orders. Therefore, he opened the gate without hesitation.


    It didn''t take long for either army''s commander to learn of Zach''s movements. After being caught off guard, Valerius had become extra vigilant and practically stationed soldiers on top of the camp. Meanwhile, Andrew was also cautious about a night attack. However, unlike Valerius, who had access to strong light cavalry, Andrew¡¯s light cavalry had been severely depleted.


    Andrew wanted to allow his light cavalry at least one night of rest, so he built several watchtowers surrounding his camp. Like the camp guard, most watchtower guards believed this movement was sanctioned and, not wanting to disturb their general, did not send him a report. However, one perceptive lieutenant colonel from the Kingdom of Monica found the military movement suspicious and decided to alert Andrew about it.


    Zach Pickett had 500 Antler knights and, after recruiting the prince of Monica, added 300 knights to his forces for the assault. With 800 knights, he commanded a formidable cavalry, representing most of the remaining heavy cavalry in the entire army. The kingdoms of Esterberg and Emmon had both seen their heavy cavalry destroyed, and most of the knights from Antlatur were killed during the siege. Thanks to strict orders from the king of Monica, the knights were instructed not to engage in battle unless necessary, and Stephron had effectively preserved their numbers thus far. This force assembled under the camp walls before charging across the field.


    As they approached the Black Camp, they were illuminated by the moonlight and substantial magical spotlights. This was expected, so it did not come as a shock to any of the members. Any army that fails to protect their camp with magical spotlights against potential night raids is foolish.


    Emerging from the camp was a line of 900 black-clad cavalry bearing the bloody crown flag of the Kingdom of Black. A voice boomed from one of the knights, magically enhanced so everyone on the battlefield could hear it. ¡°Just when I thought you were all getting rusty, some knights of the Golden Spurs have offered themselves as training dummies.¡±


    The Black Knights often mocked knights from other kingdoms by calling them the knights of the Golden Spurs. This insult stemmed from the fact that Black Knights proved themselves on the battlefield to earn their knighthood. In contrast, knighthood was generally a hereditary privilege granted to most nobles from foreign kingdoms.


    Knowing he needed to respond to the insult to maintain the morale of his troops, Zach similarly enhanced his vocal cords with Mana before shouting. ¡°The old knight of the Kingdom of Black has made an appearance, and now is the time to win eternal glory for yourselves and your family.¡±


    The Black Knights charged down the hill, while the Antlatur quickly reorganized their formation to meet their opponents with full strength. As the Black Knights reached the bottom, they adjusted their ranks. The two groups of knights approached each other at a trot, lances raised and filled with bloodlust. Zach focused on the presumed leader, Samuel Magyar, easily identifiable by the gleaming star on his pauldron, which indicated his rank as a Brigadier General. It was evident that Samuel was also aiming for him, and they moved directly toward each other. Zach summoned his lance, ¡°Lafox Alsairs,¡± with intent. He could almost envision holding the weapon in his hand, and after a brief display of mist and light, it materialized.


    Samuel Magyar was the stuff of nightmares in the Kingdom of Antlatur. His infamy and legendary cruelty had been so stamped into the public consciousness that mothers warned their children of him when they misbehaved. He would descend from the Norris mountains burning, pillaging, and raping as he went. His capriciousness was such that one never knew if he was going to burn down an entire village or kill its inhabitants, or merely rape and murder the women and leave both the men and children alive. Such was his cruelty that he had once impaled 1,000 babies on Spears in front of their mothers and a part of the reason why the Kingdom of Black was seen as nothing more than barbarians. What turned him into such a sick and twisted monster remained unknown. Still, it was rumored in the Kingdom of Antlatur that all his sons were murdered during the Rebellion or perhaps during the occupation, and the Archduke raped his wife. No one seemed quite sure, but all Zach cared about was that many good knights had fallen to him during his raiding parties and wars. This earned him the nickname ¡°the Sneering Slaughter.¡±


    ¡°Old man your rather swift to come to his death,¡± Zach shouted.


    ¡°Humf, I was merely bored when I heard there might be some entertainment, so I came out, try hard, whoever the fuck you are. If you''re lucky, you can survive for 5 minutes,¡±  Samuel called back mockingly.


    ¡°You''re quite noisy for a relic of the past,¡± He retorted.


    ¡°And you''re quite noisy for someone I''ve never heard of before. I heard your kingdom got a new Marshall saint, Balthy, or something.¡±  Zach initially thought it was a lousy insult, but then he realized that Samuel was being utterly genuine. He didn''t even know the name of his greatest rival, Marshall Saint.


    ¡°You old bastard!¡±


    The Antler knights and the Bloody Knights'' orders approached each other. Both knight orders had reinforcements, and they chose to fight each other, with the kingdom of Monica lining up against the knight company from the first division. Zach attacked Samuel with all his might, plunging his lance straight for the man. Samuel blocked the blow with his own Mithril Lance quickly.  Zack couldn''t read his opponent''s expression under the helmet but felt Samuel''s sinister sneer and disdain. ¡°You have a nice lance, but you don''t have much skill to go with it.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zach responded agitatedly before trusting his lance consecutively. One advantage of ¡°Lafox Alsairs¡± was that it had weight reduction Magic cast on it. This was not as rare as phase Magic, but it was still relatively rare. This resulted in his lance being lighter and faster; he used that advantage to deadly effect, launching a series of swift strikes, hoping to catch his opponents off guard and slowly destroy his defense. Zach''s abundant talent for magic training and general skill with the Lance had always resulted in a swift victory.


    ¡°You should improve of your horsemanship,¡± Samuel said almost appreciatively. ¡°It would improve your ability as a knight exponentially.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. I know you''re at your limit. If you surrender, I''ll spare your life.¡± He could feel that he was at an advantage. He had the edge in terms of skill. He knew that he was faster and stronger than his opponent. He also had more magic and a better weapon; victory was only a matter of time.


    A light chuckle escaped Samuel''s mouth. ¡°You have a phase weapon. I''d never seen one before, so I was curious. I wanted to see what all it could do, but I suppose I''ll figure that out after I kill you and claim it for myself.¡± Before Zach could adequately respond, he felt the gaze behind the helmet shift, and the aura around Samuel changed. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Zach attacked, although he wasn''t entirely sure if he was doing it out of fear from the sudden change or anger. Samuel aimed not to block the blow but instead aimed at Zach''s lance. The strike resulted in a clash of metal in a screech as Lafox Alsairs was blown away, almost knocking it out of his hands. Samuel took advantage by raining down a series of strikes on Zach, who desperately blocked them with a shield and deflected them with his lance. But the strikes were swift, brutal, and merciless. They were impossible for Zack to see coming due to their speed, and they left his hands numb with the strength of each blow. The battle had changed place, with Zack on the absolute defensive, devoting all his energies to staying alive, and Samuel on the offensive.


    ¡°It''s impressive you''ve managed to keep up with me so far at your age. You have quite the talent. You could have become a threat to me in another 20 years or so, presuming I wasn''t dead by then,¡±  Samuel laughed. This was proof of Samuel''s respect for the younger man, and he would acknowledge another man as his equal, which rarely happened. ¡°I suppose I''ll have to kick it up a notch to kill you.¡±


    ¡°Lies,¡±  Zach said weakly, unable to shout due to the lack of breath. ¡°You''re at your limit already.¡±


    Samuel just chuckled and plunged his Lance forward. Zach blocked it reflexively with his shield but immediately regretted it as the Lance pulled back shot towards Zach''s shoulder plate. Blood trickled down his armor. Zach felt Lance''s arm fall limply at his side, and before he could recover from the shock, the next blow landed on his skull, piercing through his helmet and into his brain.


    Samuel pulled his lance out of the skull with a blood-curdling noise of his lance scrapping on metal and bone. The body slid uselessly from the saddle, ¡°He really should have improved his horsemanship,¡± Samuel thought with regret. He was a one-trick pony with the lance. If he''d focused that effort on his horsemanship, which was half of the mounted battle, then although he still wouldn''t have threatened Samuel, he most certainly would have been a better knight. Samuel was a bloodthirsty monster. There was no denying that, but he was still a warrior. He respected other warriors. He felt potential in his opponent, and if he had another 20 years of experience, he might have come to truly rival Samuel. But the history of the world was filled with young idiots who would overestimate their power. Even many more seasoned men believed that they were invincible.


    Samuel watched as his men systematically eliminated the Antler Knights. However, he had lost all interest in the battle. None of the Antler Knights were formidable enough to capture his attention after the death of Zach. He could see that his men were managing the situation perfectly well on their own.


    The Antler Knights were an elite unit specifically designed to counter the Black Knights. Ultimately, the disparity in martial skill and experience made a significant difference in this conflict. The Black Knights were better trained, more experienced, and far more coordinated than the Antler Knights. As a result, despite their valiant efforts, the Antler Knights were being gradually defeated.


    Samuel glanced down at the lance, who had fallen from Zach''s limp fingers, before picking it up. The moment he did, he felt it fuse with his soul. He knew how to operate it even though he had never had a phase weapon. With his intent, it disappeared, and when he wanted it in his hand, he felt it there. ¡°I could certainly get used to this.¡±


    *****


    On the other side of the field, the knights of the Kingdom of Monica had a similar experience. Stephron defeated two knights of the Kingdom of Black, but he could still feel the walls closing in. His knights were falling faster than the enemies, and his only hope was that Zach would defeat the Kingdom of Black Knights quickly and come to his aid. But as time continued to pass, and that didn''t occur. He realized it likely wouldn''t happen and needed to go to Zach''s aid. Stephron decided to take one last desperate Gamble. He had no choice. Retreat here wasn''t an option. His father had strictly ordered him not to engage the knights, unless it  was unavoidable. Going out on an unsanctioned night attack was hardly avoiding battle.


    Stephron rallied his knights for one last desperate charge.  He was aiming for the head of the enemy captain; hopefully, with their death, the remaining knights would fall into chaos and disorder. Initially, their charge went well. With desperation and ferocity, they pressed forward. Stephron and the knights from the kingdom of Monica were far from battle virgins. They had frequent skirmishes with the Uscan Union, and many of them took part in the war against the kingdom of Triton. They sacrificed 30 knights, but ultimately, they achieved their objective, cutting a path for Stephon to reach the enemy captain.


    The enemy captain turned out to be a woman. She wore the simple black armor of the Kingdom of Black. But to dignify her status, she wore the badge of a Captain on her pauldron and a golden crown encrusted with rubies on her breastplate. She still had the option of running but instead came to face him, showing she had at least some confidence in her abilities. It made sense to be captain of a regular military unit. You had to have at least some combat ability to be the captain of a knight unit. You needed to be at least more powerful than most of the knights under your command. Otherwise, they wouldn''t follow your orders, and your unit wouldn''t have the shock and penetrate power necessary to form a proper heavy Cavalry unit.


    He had no time to play word games with her, so he rushed directly at her without hesitation.  She responded by lowering her lance and charging at him. His lance was broken in the earlier engagement, leaving him only with his sword. He blocked her lance with his shield while swiping at her with his sword. She nimbly dodged before moving past him. She planned on turning around and building up momentum again to charge him. He usually would play along and do the same thing, but since his lance was broken, it wouldn''t be possible, so instead, he followed right behind him, attempting to stab her in the rear.


    She whirled and thrust her lance straight at him. He blocked with his shield, and he felt his shield shatter in his hands. It had taken a beating in the earlier fighting, so it made sense after taking such a hard blow that it would shatter. He rushed forward, and his horse collided with hers. The two horses both snorted at each other as her horse wobbled. The fact that neither the horse nor the rider fell was proof of the excellent quality of the horse and the captain''s equestrian skill. He thrust his sword at her, but she blocked with her shield and counterattacked with her lance, which he barely dodged.   Without his shield, he was on the back foot and could not dodge every one of her strikes. If he relied on his sword for defense, he had nothing for offense, and his only option would be to lose slowly.


    Its next attack aimed straight at her horse''s head. The blow landed on the horse''s armor as he''d expected. He didn''t put much force in the blow so it couldn''t pierce the armor.  But the horse panicked and reared, kicking its front legs and attempting to horse buck the rider in panic. He moved to the side and aimed a strike at her midriff. With the horse panicking, she should have moved her Shield arm to grab the reins to prevent them from falling off. Otherwise, she would have had to drop her lance, resulting in her being unarmed or momentarily defenseless. Regardless of which one she chose, it seemed victory was certain. However, his blow crashed against her Shield with a clanging noise, and he realized she had lowered it. She hadn''t grabbed onto the horse''s reins at all. Instead, she held on with sheer leg strength, which should have been impossible.


    Her horse calmed down, and she moved to face him, thrusting her lance straight at him. Even though he was in despair, he reflexively blocked it with his sword. Her shield arm rolled around a second later, striking him directly in the middle. A stirrup didn''t strap its rider in; instead, it offered a place for the feet to rest. The rider''s feet would inevitably slide out of the stirrup if the strike were delivered with enough force, and that was precisely what happened.  He slid out of his saddle, which caused the horse to lack its rider, panic, and bolt off suddenly. As he crashed to the ground with the wind knocked out of him, he was dazed and confused when the lance tip was thrust at his face in a shout came from the enemy: ¡°Yield!¡±


    ¡°I Yield!¡± Stephron shouted back. When he responded, She pulled her Lance back and surveyed the battlefield. That allowed him to do what he needed even though it was considered dishonorable. ¡°All of you fall back!¡± he shouted, empowering his voice with Mana. ¡°This is an order to fall back to the camp!¡±


    One of the knights shouted back, having seen him fall from his horse, ¡°We can''t leave you, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°You honorable fool!¡± he thought mentally but shouted back. ¡°That''s an order from your commanding officer to fall back! And give my apologies to the Golden Sta.¡±


    Before he could finish his words, a kick from the female captain sent him sprawling back on the ground. ¡°You would betray your words, you dishonorable cur!¡± She said shaking with anger.  Which only made sense when one yielded. They didn''t only cease fighting but ceased commanding any troops they were in charge of. But Stephron had to give the order because he dragged these knights out here for personal reasons, not for the country''s sake. He had to ensure that as many of them got back alive as possible, even though he knew that was more just for his satisfaction than actually redeeming himself. He had to do it even if it meant being labeled dishonorable.


    ¡°My apologies. I had to do what was best for my men,¡± he said, watching as she continued to shake with anger.


    ¡°Huff,  I''ll deal with you later,¡± She said, looking away.


    ¡°I suppose this woman has some cute sides as well,¡± he thought, something that was entirely out of place.


    When he saw the point of the lance directly aimed at his face again, his smile under his helmet only widened. ¡°I could tell you''re thinking something stupid.¡±


    ¡°How is that even possible?¡± he replied, despite thinking something was stupid. ¡°I''m wearing a helmet, but you can''t see my face.¡±


    ¡°I know because I know,¡± she stated, trying to sound cold, but in the end, she just sounded more exasperated.

 Chapter 28: Invitation to a decisive battle

    Chapter 28: Invitation to a decisive battle


    The Month of Ceres Day 1 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar


    The remnants of the knights returned limping back into camp, shattered and broken, with their companies decimated and both of their leaders dead or prisoners of the enemy, with only about 300 returning. The soldiers from the Kingdom of Monica were particularly disgruntled. They couldn''t believe Andrew hadn''t ordered the attack, and his denials fell on deaf ears. None of them openly contradicted him; they didn''t believe his words. This only made him even more angry at Zach, who defied his orders only to get killed, taking with him 500 good knights. Stephron was a popular Commander due to his unpretentious attitude and willingness to fight on the front lines. The officers chose a seasoned colonel to become their new acting Commander and demanded Andrew ransom his return immediately.


    The Kingdom of Black and the Kingdom of Antlatur had a history tradition of mistreating each other''s prisoners. This started during the Black Rebellion when soldiers from the Kingdom of Black were treated as Rebels and not as soldiers from an enemy nation, meaning they were executed on the spot. The Kingdom of Black responded quickly, resulting in a vicious cycle as the wars never ended. This cycle eventually came to an end. Both nations needed to start ransoming their prisoners because they needed the soldiers and to preserve troop morale. However, saying it had been wholly abandoned was a lie; mistreatment still ran rampant on both sides. Including the civilians, one need look no further than the atrocities committed by the kingdom of Antlatur during the occupation of the Black Valley or the crimes against humanity of Samuel Magyar to see that old grudges hadn''t died. The soldiers of the Kingdom of Monica wanted to return their prince immediately to prevent that from happening to him.


    Andrew knew it was impossible, but to satisfy them, he sent an Envoy to Valerius, who met with the Envoy and sent back a letter. Delivered by a Brigadier General, he requested an audience with Andrew when he reached the camp and decided to meet with him after he assembled his counsel. The envoy entered with a box under one arm and the letter in one hand. His red eyes gleamed maliciously as he scanned the room, but on the surface, he appeared to be a courteous young man who introduced himself as Charles Cornelia. He offered the letter to the guard, who handed it to Andrew, who promptly read the letter


    To the foolish King of the Antlatur, you have met nothing but defeat ever since you came into this land. The army of your general, whose name I do not recall, was annihilated with all his troops. You have met with defeat on more than one occasion brought by me and others. To what meager glory in victory, you claim in this conflict will soon be undone by me. Like when we faced each other in battle not long ago, I viciously defeated you. I won eternal glory. Well, you fled like a coward. To such a coward, I challenge you to a decisive battle based on the traditions of our ancestors.  Will you face me honorably on the open field of battle to decide the fate of this war in a fair and noble duel of wits and swords? Or, like the coward I know you to be, will you decline my challenge? After all, whoever wins or loses, this war involving thousands of casualties will come to an end.


    Valerius Marcus Dominic Black, The Prince of the Storm, Undefeated General, Vanquisher of the Golden Stallion.


    After Andrew read the letter, he put it down on the table in front of them before passing it to Linea. He felt his heart burn with hatred for Valerius but struggled to keep calm. Losing his temper would accomplish nothing. But then he heard the envoy state, ¡°The Honorable Major General Valerius sent me with a gift to give to the King of Antlatur.¡± Without waiting for a response, Charles set the box on the table and slid it down to Andrew. Before he arrived, the guards had searched the envoy, so Andrew knew there was nothing dangerous in the box but hesitated to open it. He knew what was likely inside it without even opening it.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Ultimately, he slid the lid of the crude box open and found what he expected. A pair of glassy eyes stared up at him, and it was the head of Zack Pickett. Andrew lifted it out of the box, grotesquely horrified by the powerful man he once knew having his head chopped off and examining the massive hole in his skull.  ¡°My prince sends me with a message. This is only the first.¡± Philip Westedale immediately stood up and grabbed Charles, punching him in the face.  Charles didn''t even try to resist despite being far younger and a military officer.


    Instead, he screamed, ¡°I am an Envoy protected by the gods. You have violated the ancient customs and the laws of the Divine.¡± Philip released him and took a horrified step back upon realizing what he had done. Charles wiped the blood trickling from his nose. ¡°You harmed me, an Envoy protected by the gods. Your kingdom is cursed, and your king is cursed! Fire and brimstone will visit your nation. You have the one fate to die and suffer eternal damnation in the Underworld for your Defiance of the gods!¡±


    Andrew was far from a religious man, but many soldiers and officers were, so he had to appear at least to care about what Charles was saying. ¡°It is for the gods to decide who was cursed, not for mortals.¡± But he still waved Philip back and gestured for him to sit down. ¡°As for your challenge, I, as the challenged party, get to set the date and location of the battle. Is that correct?¡±


    Charles made an as-you-will gesture, and Andrew continued, ¡°I choose Hayden''s Ford in 2 days at noon. Be there, or I''ll assume you ran from The Challenge.¡± Hayden''s Ford was a historically significant spot for both kingdoms. For the Kingdom of Black, it was where they gained their independence and greatest glory, where Francis the Terrible had stolen the crown off the head of the King of Antlatur. For the kingdom of Antlatur it was where thousands of their best men had met their ultimate fate. Charles''s eyes flashed with cold light before he bowed and departed the tent without even so much as a by your leave.


    *****


    Charles arrived back at Valerius''s Camp and gave him the news. ¡°Hayden''s Ford, that works out perfectly for us,¡± In a satisfied way, however, Charles couldn''t help but be somewhat hesitant.


    ¡°Are you sure about this, cousin? I thought we were attempting to avoid battle, at least on unfavorable grounds.¡±


    Valerius shrugged. ¡°The die is already cast. We''re in fate''s hands now. Besides, I''m not going into this blindly.¡± Valerius smiled grimly. ¡°The heavy Cavalry has been all but wiped out. We''ll have an absolute advantage in that field. Their morale will also be at rock bottom, and our heavy Infantry will be able to hold on at least, if not claim victory.¡±


    Charles was still hesitant. ¡°They have an advantage of at least 10,000, cousin. I don''t think it would be that easy.¡±


    Valerius laughed. ¡°Some cautious commanders wait for the stars to align for the perfect opportunity, but I am not one of them. Nor am I a reckless Commander who would risk his soldiers'' lives if there wasn''t a good shot at victory. Andrew Antlatur is angry, and his judgment is clouded. His troop''s morale is low, and he''s at a cavalry disadvantage. Even if he had more soldiers, what could 10,000 with no will to fight do for him? Our own troops are motivated and full of fight. Victory is at hand, cousin. Can''t you see it? Our old rivalry and hatred with that Kingdom. It''s time to establish a new glory like the Towers Empire or the Demon King.¡±


    Charles felt the aura of a general rolling off Valerius in waves, overpowering him. He always knew his cousin had decided to him, but he felt it had grown more powerful in the past few weeks. He felt something similar to the golden stallion, but it was different too. His aura was that of a king, and he commanded respect and obedience from his subjects. It had surprised Charles, who had spent the past few weeks outmaneuvering him out of return.  But he realized with an unpleasant shock to reality that that was Valerius, his power, not his.  Where Andrew had a king''s aura, Valerius had a general''s aura. Just feeling this pressure, Charles wanted to follow him wherever he went, even if that was down to Hell. He made his determination on the spot that he would follow Valerius black wherever he went, even if it were in Rebellion.

 Chapter 29: The Second Battle of Haydens Ford

    Chapter 29: The Second Battle of Hayden''s Ford


    <h2 style="text-align: center">The Month of Ceres Day 3 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar</h2>


    The Black Valley was originally known as Hoenheim''s Valley. The valley belong to a Feudal kingdom predating the Towers Empire, called the Kingdom of Pisces. The valley was ruled by two Dukely Houses, both related to each other and commonly called the red or West Hoenheims and the blue or East Hoenheims. The valley was known for its idyllic scenery, fertile fields, windmills, and peaceful coexistence. However, this peace was shattered by the invasion of the Towers Empire. That broke the peace with the Uscan Union, which would wash the valley in blood later following the Antlatur and Black revolt, and the region became the interest of four nations. The kingdoms of Antlatur, Black, Redtowers, and the Uscan Union. Each of these nations fought for control of the region for their reasons.


    The original inhabitants had all been killed off, sold into slavery, or driven into foreign lands. What remained of the region was little more than a few scattered villages that would build fortifications to defend themselves from the raiding parties. But what could a mere village do when faced with an entire nation? The Black Valley was thus renamed as it was occupied by the Kingdom of Black, who built fortresses made of black stone and raised the flag of the Kingdom of Black. The only inhabitants of the valley are soldiers dressed in black armor and the souls of the dead.


    Once again, the region had become a victim of war. Villages and fields had been burned to the ground. Its inhabitants are already being sold into slavery in the city of Higgsbury, such was the fate of a conquered people. The weak had no right to complain, no right to an opinion. The strong took what they wanted. That was the world''s simple truth.


    Cutting through the valley was a river that was the polar opposite of its northern neighbor. Where the Black Knife was prone to flooding and filled with deadly monsters, the Elise River was peaceful, clear, and stable. The river was generally shallow enough to cross at most points, but there was an exception. Hayden''s Ford, a section of the river, was deep, preventing crossings at most points except the Ford.


    The decisive battle did not occur at the ford itself, and that was because of the historical context. Francis Black had set his formations up on the Northern Bank of the river, and Higgsbury the 4th had set his formations up on the south. The battle had occurred when Higgsbury attempted to cross the river. The result was natural: Francis Black had the terrain advantage and crushed the Antlatur army decisively. Not wanting a stalemate or to repeat what happened last time, the two armies set up next to but further down the river from the ford.


    The two camps were set up a stone''s throw away. The night before, the two generals had made their battle plans, and when the dawn came, there was nothing left to do but fight and see who the gods would favor.


    The Black soldiers emerged from their camp like a black stream flowing next to the river. In their black helmets and uniform kite shields, painted with the bloody crown, the Antlaturs emerged from their camp, surging like a tide toward the battlefield. Both sides began to set up their formations.


    The battlefield was located on a flat plane, but a river ran on its south side. Following the conventions of warfare, both armies sent their weakest troops to that side of the field. For the Antlaturs, this was the Affiliated Kingdoms.


    Andrew chose to unify all the remnants of the Affiliated Kingdom''s forces into one unified Brigade. Primarily because their total only came up to about 12,000 soldiers, which was a stark decline from when they first marched into the Kingdom of Black as they''ve been used in the front line of every siege. The soldiers from the Kingdom of Esteberg had been wholly annihilated during The Siege of Lapetra, which only made sense. He sent the Elder Niances to command these Forces, as he didn''t have a prior command.


    He sent the 7th, 4th, and 3rd Divisions under his command to the center. However, despite being made up of three whole divisions, minus one Brigade destroyed at the Battle of Grastide, this force consisted of only 13,300.


    Finally, he sent the first division to command the left wing, with 13,000 men under his sister''s command.


    The left also had the remaining heavy cavalry of the entire Army positioned on the far side, guarding their flank. The heavy cavalry only numbered 1,000, primarily provided by the Kingdom of Heyton which provided 400. The rest of the heavy cavalry were the remnants of other defeated orders and the hand-picked cavalry unit of Rasmus.


    The Blacks set up their formation similarly, sending the second division to guard their left flank, but only two brigades from the second division under the command of Livia Tallwood.


    One brigade from the 1st Division and one brigade from the 2nd Division under Valerius personally commanded.


    Meanwhile, his cousin Charles Cornelia commanded the right flank with the remainder of the first division. Although they had suffered few casualties in the previous battles, attrition had still affected their numbers.


    Finally, on the far right was 1,500 heavy cavalry commanded by Samuel Magyar.


    Neither Army had a reserve. Lucas Grimwood and Hiro, both considered gods of war and tactics, had devoutly spoken against this. Both of them deemed a tactical reserve essential to deal with any sudden schemes of the enemy and reinforce parts of the line that were faltering. However, neither General really felt it had the leeway to do so. Valerius was at a numerical disadvantage, while Andrew realized that the coordination and his soldiers'' morale, particularly those of the Affiliated kingdoms, was low. He aimed to win on his center and left quickly, but he didn''t have the leeway for reserve.


    Both armies finished their formations and set up their anti-magic barriers. After the dust had settled, they stared at each other across an open field.


    Valerius stared intently at his pocket watch for five minutes. He watched his pocket watch intensely because prearranged decisive battles are an old custom that couldn''t be violated. Although he was a traditional person, he understood the importance of following tradition. Many nations of the same race held pre-arranged battles. Humanity, despite having long become the dominant race on the planet, still did this as a callback to earlier days. There were numerous reasons for fighting a pre-arranged battle, ranging from not wanting to deal with cursed land due to the bodies and deaths that would occur to a desire to get the war over. They had set essential patterns, including when the battle would occur. Both armies were there early but still had to wait for additional minutes.


    When the clock struck at noon exactly, Valerius ordered without hesitation, ¡°Start praying.¡± The bugle sounded out, signaling the soldiers to begin their prayer. Who lifted their voices in worship of the goddess Noel.


    On the other side of the field, Andrew, who had been doing the same thing, ordered his soldiers to pray to Helios, the God of the Sun and the Patron deity of Antlatur. Both armies'' voices overlapped as they prayed to the heavens, hoping for divine intervention for victory.


    Once they finished their respective prayers, both armies signaled to charge. The bugles blared, and with rising bloodlust, the soldiers of both armies rushed across the field.


    Valerius had a total of 4,000 light Infantry who rushed across the field first. Opposing them was 5,000 light Infantry from the Kingdom of Antlatur.


    The archers on both sides stopped, and they first raised and fired their arrows. They couldn''t see well because their javelin throwers were in front of them, so they fired in volleys. By doing so, they would kill at least a few enemy archers. Meanwhile, the javelin throwers continued racing across the field until they were in range; at this point, they began exchanging javelins from a distance.


    Javelins and arrows crisscrossed the air, infused with their master''s Magic and blazed with multicolored light. To someone who didn''t know that these were weapons of war intended to kill their enemies, they would have appeared beautiful, like a colorful light show.


    The Black Infantry was better trained and more experienced, while the Antlatur were more numerous; victory couldn''t be decided quickly. So the exchange dragged on until both light infantry units were forced to retreat due to their oncoming heavy Infantry. If they remained, they would only be slaughtered by the opposing side''s heavy infantry.


    The heavy infantry entered their all-out charge after welcoming the returning light infantry and reorganizing their formation.


    At the same time, the Cavalry was charging across the field, and they got to each other faster than the heavy infantry. Their crashing horses caused their lances to shatter, and countless screams echoed as soldiers were speared or knocked off of their horses. The knights rotated around their horses before charging at each other again, doing this multiple times, each time coming like a joust but with a real lance.


    This joust occurred three times before Samuel Magyar realized that it was unfavorable for him. Although he wasn''t losing, he took advantage of his numbers and coordination by engaging in a full-on battle. So, he ordered his soldiers to stay on top of the enemy knights in the following jobs.


    The battle immediately went in the favor of the Blacks as coordination of the cavalry of the Antlatur Alliance was lacking.  One of the main reasons for that was that Rasmus wasn''t an exceptionally skilled Commander. Although he was a great warrior, as a commander he was, at best, average. He could pass as a Cavalry captain, but commanding over 1,000 knights was brutal. It would have been difficult if he had been an exceptionally skilled Commander.  The unit of knights comprised a mixture of various countries'' knights. No matter how professional he was, it was impossible to get them to fight as a single unit within a short time.


    Rasmus himself killed many Black Knights; however, he couldn''t turn the tide of the battle single-handedly, especially since Samuel was killing an equal number of Antlatur Knights. Although they both searched for each other in the hectic battlefield, they failed to find one another.


    The knights from the Antlatur-affiliated kingdoms were unwilling to die for the cause. As the battle shifted from unfavorable to more unfavorable, they started to drop like flies. One knight ran, followed by another. Slowly, the entire formation broke and routed even the Antlatur Knights. All Rasmus could do was command the rear guard with his handpicked knights and attempt to save as many of them as possible.


    *****


    At the same time this was happening, Linnea had employed a tactic she''d invented called ¡°The Dragon''s Tail.¡± It was a formational tactic that involved pushing forward the brigade on the far flank. In this context, she moved forward the first brigade on the far left of her formation, a few steps forward from her central formation. The central and right brigades then adopted a defensive stance, while the far left brigade adopted an offensive stance. Because of this, they would slowly pressure the enemy formation towards the central in the right parts of the formation, which would then come up against the defensive formation. Her formation was like a diagonal line. Well, their formation would slowly become like that of a right triangle. Having weekend resistance on the far left, they smashed through in that area. This tactic only worked if her soldiers were roughly equal or superior in numbers and quality. Even if a commander realized what she was up to, it was difficult to escape without retreating, but a retreat could quickly turn into a route if not properly managed.  Even if the commander managed a successful escape, she would still kill quite a few enemy soldiers, giving her the upper hand.


    Rycar, commanding the Third Brigade on the Blacks'' far right, realized that something was off before the lines collided. He sent word back to Charles, who acted quickly and stopped the line entirely. The Blacks'' ability to pull this off was proof of their discipline and the immense skill of their mid- and low-level officers. Charles rearranged his formation so that he approached the enemy in a diagonal formation.


    Linnea began cursing the enemy Commander, but she could not do anything. Unlike Charles, she didn''t dare change her formation in the middle of battle, fearing a complete breakdown. It was challenging to change formation, especially since her soldiers were wearing full facial helmets and couldn''t hear much of what was happening outside. Giving complex orders via the bugle was more difficult, and she didn''t have enough faith in her low to mid-tier officers to complete a complete tactical rearrangement. She, instead, ordered her soldiers to speed up, hoping to catch the enemy while they were still trying to rearrange their formation, but ultimately, she would fail.


    *****


    The rest of the lines crash together. The initial chaos quickly died down. Replaced by the regular chaos of the battlefield. The center of the battle promptly tilted in favor of the Black forces. The first division of Antlatur managed to beat the second division of the Black kingdom during the battle of the Green Blood Pass. That was primarily due to the first divisions'' intensive training because of  Linnea and the experience accumulated by their soldiers. The same could not be said for their other divisions, which lacked training. The Black forces quickly pressed the enemy back with their rigorous training and wealth of combat experience.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Meanwhile, the left wing was facing an even more dire crisis. Livia felt she hadn''t accumulated enough merits during this war. Valerius had been the star of the show even though she was his Elder. Although she hid it well, she could honestly say she was jealous of his talents and wanted to show herself off to the people. As such, she ordered her soldiers to press forward aggressively.


    The soldiers of the second division, too, felt stifled in their hearts because of the glowing accomplishments of the first division in this war and due to being pressed back during the battle of the Green Blood Pass. Because of this, they fought as hard as they could.


    But the soldiers from the Affiliated Kingdom had very little pride and no morale. They didn''t want to die, and they didn''t want to fight. Because of that, they were gradually pushed back, giving ground to every opportunity to alleviate the pressure. Niances understood his role in his battle, which was not to win but to buy time, so he allowed his soldiers to continue falling back, but eventually, he had to tell them to stand and fight.


    *****


    The Black Knights quickly abandoned the pursuit of the fleeing enemy cavalry. Instead, they rounded the battlefield, attempting to strike the enemy left from behind. But when they did, they found light infantry lined up in rows, javelins and arrows already knocked and ready. They charged, the enemy threw and shot their projectiles, and a fearsome battle broke out. Although light infantry would never be able to survive the charge of a heavy cavalry unit under normal circumstances, they had already been braced and given lavish promises by Andrew if they held their ground. So, for a time, at least, they could hold off the fearsome Black Knights.


    When the Black Knights got into close range, the javelin throwers used their javelins like spears. They were equipped with shields, which they attempted to use to the best of their ability, but they were relatively untrained and unfamiliar with the equipment, and it went poorly. Meanwhile, the Archers drew daggers, used their arrows as Spears, and moved in. The battlefield turned chaotic, and the occasional Black Knight was dragged from his horse and killed, but for the most part, Antlaturs were dying.


    *****


    The left wing of the Antlatur army faced a tough battle, and both kingdoms'' first divisions comprised their finest soldiers. Expert officers commanded them with a wealth of combat experience. Neither army gained an immediate advantage, resulting in a stalemate. But this only concerned Linnea more. She was aware of her brother''s plan: to rely on the center in the left wing to win the battle quickly before the enemy cavalry could have a chance to play its role or their right wing would break. The news from other parts of the fight wasn''t favorable, so she urged her soldiers to keep pressing the attack.


    Charles, who heard the same news that his side was winning and understood that his role was not to lose, ordered his soldiers to adopt a defensive posture. Moving into the Spears and Shields formation allowed Linnea''s attacks to crash against his line waves and do minor damage. She attempted to shift her line so that she outflanked him, but Charles responded in kind, stretching the battle line.


    *****


    Barely one hour after the battle began, the Antlaturs were already being pressed back on two fronts and had a crisis that, if not addressed soon, would result in losing the fight. Andrew couldn''t help but grind his teeth in frustration. Andrew was by no means a bad Commander. He defeated the Kingdom of Triton despite being outnumbered, and he repealed a Greentowers invasion. He knew what he needed to do, but knowing what to do and being able to bring yourself to do it or two different things. A seasoned Commander knew when to cut his losses and retreat. In that sense, it was unfair to judge Andrew as he was only 22.


    Andrew knew he needed to retreat to preserve as many men as possible. But doing so would not only need admitting defeat to the Kingdom of Black but also admitting personal defeat to his self-declared rival Valerius, which he struggled to do. So finally, with clenched teeth, he ordered ¡°Retreat!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty. We can still¡­..¡± the aid started


    Andrew glared at him with sheer loathing. The aid immediately shut up and gave the order to retreat. Normally, Andrew would never allow himself to get so angry, so he tried to present a calm front, someone everyone could talk to despite his lofty status. But the stress was slowly crushing his rationality.


    When the bugles rang out, soldiers from all over the army started to retreat. Although they weren''t well trained, they were still taught to fall back so they could retreat in reasonably good order, which should have been the case.


    The light infantry hadn''t been adequately trained to retreat from a situation where the enemy had already engaged them. On top of that, their morale was already faltering, and they had lost half of their number. However, their families have been promised huge compensation for holding off the enemy force as long as possible. Under the immense pressure and strain of the battlefield, they were unable to remember their family. When bugle rang to retreat, they started falling back, but that was just like a damn bursting. The Retreat quickly turned into a route as they fled in all directions in complete panic. The only thing on their mind was getting away from the enemy knights as fast as possible. Luckily for them, but unluckily for the kingdom they served, the Black Knights had no interest in pursuing light Infantry.


    Although some of the Black Knights broke off, Samuel managed to keep them together enough to charge his initial target, the rear of Antlatur''s left wing. Andrew watched this with growing horror. ¡°Linnea,¡± he murmured, subconsciously moving his horse in that direction, knowing his sister was in danger.


    However, one of his companions, cavalry, grabbed the reins of his horse and yanked him back. ¡°Your majesty, you can''t.¡± That brought him back to his senses that he was the king of an entire country and the supreme commander of this army. He couldn¡¯t just run off even if his family was in danger.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He said an apology to his sister that she couldn''t hear. For the first time in a long time, he sent a prayer to the heavens, praying to whatever god was there for her safety.


    But before he could retreat, he heard a shout, ¡°Andrew Antlatur!¡±


    *****


    A few minutes earlier.


    ¡°My helmet,¡±  Valerius said to James, who offered him his helmet and admonition, ¡°You''re insane.¡±


    If they hadn''t been pressed for time, he would have made a joke about James dropping the polite act. He slid on his helmet, causing his field of vision to narrow and him almost to become deaf due to lack of hearing. He raised his sword to the sky. ¡°Forward men to battle so you''re all not useless anymore.¡±


    A round of laughter greeted his joke as the group approached the battle line. The soldiers of the Third company of the first brigade had already moved aside, allowing him and His companion cavalry to go through with ease. The Antlatur, who weren''t pursued, took full advantage by getting a lead on retreating far outstripping their comrades. This allowed him and his comrades to pass the battle lines and get behind enemy lines quickly. Valerius simply had to locate the enemy Command Post, which was easy since it was supposed to stand out.


    His companions didn''t need any orders. They silently spurred their horses into a charge and ran directly toward the golden stallion. When he saw that one of Andrews''s companion cavalry had spotted them and was trying to inform his comrades, he didn''t bother attempting to hide his presence anymore. He shouted at the top of his lungs with magically enhanced vocal cords, ¡°Andrew Antlatur!¡± He also magically enhanced his eyesight and looked at his rival''s face well. ¡°He''s handsome but not as handsome as me, of course.¡± Valerius was often considered the most handsome man in the Kingdom of Black. ¡°Of course, soon I''ll be the most handsome man in the Kingdom of Black and the Kingdom of Antlatur.¡±


    The Golden Stallion grabbed his helmet and spear, preparing to fight. Valerius was honestly impressed he''d expected the Golden Stallion to flee like a coward, but instead, he was making a stand like a man.


    The Golden Stallion and his companion, the Cavalry, charged. The two groups crashed together in a head-on collision, trading lance and sword blows. The Golden Stallion thrust his spear straight at Valerius. It glowed with his Mana, green and gold with a trace of aquamarine. Valerius countered, his sword glowing with his own Mana, black and gold with a hint of crimson.


    The blade and lance clashed repeatedly, each time producing a shockwave. Both blades were made of the finest metal, adamantium, and enchanted by the finest Mages that each kingdom could produce.  Despite Andrew''s apparent advantage due to having a lance over a sword, Valerius could feel he was at an absolute advantage.


    In terms of skill training and experience, he outmatched his opponent. Within just a few blows, the battle had already been decided, and it was only a matter of time before the Golden Stallion lay dead at his feet. Valerius landed what was known as a breaking blow. It was a move designed to break the mana shield by hitting a generally well-armored area. Before he moved into the killing blow, blocking a desperate strike from Andrew, he raised his sword high and infused it with Mana.  Andrew was a reasonably skilled knight but lacking in both experience and training. He was no match for the Prince of the Storm.


    Just then, one of Andrew''s companions Cavalry, thrust his lance at Valerius, forcing him to relocate his shield to block it. He turned his attention to this new opponent while keeping his shield and eyeing the Golden Stallion. They both moved into a simultaneous attack, which he blocked with his sword and shield. A second later, a knight whose armor he recognized as James attacked and broke the mana shield of the intervening knight. ¡°Great! Jay will kill these bastards together.¡± Valerius thrust his sword at the intervening knight. He blocked with his shield. A second later, a slash from James took his head off.


    Valerius looked back to Andrew only to find that his conspicuous golden stallion and fancy armor were already riding off into the distance away from the battle. ¡°You fucking coward,¡± he roared with rage. How could a king abandon his troops so quickly? Valerius unconsciously set off after him but was blocked by a member of his companion cavalry. ¡°Out of my way, you bastard,¡± he growled. The knight ignored him and thrust his Lance forward. Valerius blocked and shouted, ¡°James, get over here and handle this one,¡±


    James approached and confronted the knight. Valerius tried to ride past, but the knight thrust his lance at him. Valerius blocked with a shield and continued. A second later, he heard the shattering sound of the opposing knight''s mana shield breaking. Smirking under his helmet, he broke through the remaining battle and glanced around, trying to find the golden stallion. A second later, he spotted him, but he was already a reasonable distance away and accompanied by two knights. It finally sank in for him.  He unleashed a beastly howl that echoed across the entire battlefield. ¡°Andrew Antlatur!¡± It was the howl of a wild animal whose prey had gotten away.


    *****


    The first division of the Kingdom of Antlatur''s escape from the battlefield should have been the easiest. They were the most disciplined unit of the army and the most coordinated, as the entire left flank was made up entirely of the first division. On top of that, they were the only wing that could be said to be winning their front. However, their escape was the most difficult. When the light infantry broke, they fled in all directions, including the first divisions. This confused and disorganized their line, making their orderly retreat into complete chaos. Especially since they were already faced with a vicious pursuit of the enemy.


    However, following the light infantry was a far worse threat, and that was the enemy knights. Under normal circumstances, they might have been able to put up a decent fight against them, probably even claiming victory; however, they were not only in the middle of flight but were also being pursued by the enemy, making resistance impossible. Linnea attempted to get her troops to go around the heavy cavalry, but one person shouted like she was throwing a rock into the middle of a whirlpool.


    She didn''t have long to continue throwing her rocks into the whirlpool. She and her companions were mounted, which attracted the enemy knights'' attention. They came rushing to claim her head and the glory and honor accompanying it.


    Her companion, Cavalry, was by no means weak; some of the best female knights in the entire kingdom existed. They fought valiantly to break free of the encirclement, but there were many more enemies, even if they were two times better than all their enemies. For every enemy knight they killed, another one would take their place, and her companion, Cavalry, slowly started to die off. Linnea took part in the battle and killed several enemy knights, but ultimately, it was futile.


    She was fighting what seemed to be a particularly weak enemy knight, at least in terms of Mana. She''d already broken his mana shield, so she moved for the killing blow, making a sizeable overhead swing. But something funny happened: her sword collided with the opponent''s sword, but then it probably slid down the length of the blade. Her center of gravity was knocked off balance, and she almost fell off her horse. She desperately grabbed at the reins with her Shield''s hand. But this left her dangerously exposed, and the enemy took full advantage. His sword slashed downward, cutting off her sword arm with one clean blow. Her mana shield had already been broken in the earlier engagement.


    ¡°Ah, what a sharp sword,¡± she thought admiringly as the pain hit her and spurts of blood started flowing from her severed sword arm. The pain was so severe that a normal person would probably scream and roll around on the ground. The opponent''s sword went back up as he moved into a thrusting stance. She knew that she was about to die. She couldn''t move to block, and none of her companions were close enough to help her. Fear gripped her heart, but she was a princess of Antlatur and a Major General, and she needed to face death with at least a little bit of dignity.


    The last sound she heard was a guttural beastial howl, ¡°Andrew Antlatur!¡±


    Christopher watched Linnea¡¯s body slide lifelessly from the saddle. He never thought he''d feel so complicated about watching her die. She was ultimately just his employer, even if their relationship had included sex. But by the end, he must have had at least a little affection for her. However, he would never really figure that out now that she was dead and he was about to die.


    He moved to fill the gap. Her death had caused there to be no more reserves, and half of the companion cavalry was already dead. Although he attacked her killer, his heart wasn''t really in it. He knew he stood no chance against someone who managed to kill Linnea. He was just fighting to the end because it was his duty to. He was never really the warrior type, as indicated by the fact that he didn''t even bother to wear armor. He was just a staff officer. It almost came as a relief when the sword that killed, Linnea finally went through his chest. His final thoughts were not on his homeland, which was sure to face a crisis due to this defeat, nor was it on the honor they had lost or even on the family he left behind. Instead, they were on if he would join her in the afterlife.