《Firstborn: Return of the heir》


 Chapter 1

    Almost there, come on! Just a little bit more!


    Saulus¡¯ expression didn¡¯t betray his thoughts at all. With the waves of excitement washing through his soul like a tsunami, his eyes were glued to the events happening just outside the window.


    Up and down, side to side. Dive all the way to the ground only to level off, right above the surface and then climb back up to the skies. The dance of the gryphons that the patriarch bought from some faraway land was a sight to behold.


    Especially when compared to what was happening in the room Saulus was currently sitting in.


    ¡°Kill them all.¡±


    Throwing a cup full of fine wine at the strategic maquette, the patriarch of the Retesia house destroyed this magnificent piece of art without even batting an eye. With the drops of expensive liquor splashing right on the uniforms and faces of the heads of the subsidiary houses, one could only think that this man was really keen on instigating a revolt against himself!


    ¡°My lord, we still have yet to stabilize our eastern lands! Most of our soldiers are there. If we pull them away for another war¡­¡± One of the lords of a vassal household attempted to protest, to bring a voice of reason to the council. A deadly stare from the patriarch was enough to shut him down.


    ¡°Saulus. Is this doable?¡± Suddenly calming down, the highest lord in the room ignored the mayhem that he himself had created upon the once beautiful maquette. Instead, he turned his head to the young man sitting in the corner of the room.


    Lazily raising his eyes, Saulus couldn¡¯t care less about the precise details of the war plan. Being the author of the entire strategy and deployment idea, he knew the ins and outs of the proposition better than anyone else in the room.


    ¡°I can do it.¡± As soon as those words left the mouth of the young general, he returned to his earlier activity of observing the playful moves of the gryphons outside. No matter how many times I see them¡­ they are still not dragons, he thought.


    The household that he was working for, as the head general, had never had the protections of the dragons. While there was no doubt that the patriarch had a tiny bit of firstborns¡¯ blood flowing through his veins, it was only enough to reinforce his claims to the position he held. Numerous challenges of the neighboring lords and patriarchs that the Retesian Lord denied only served to prove that Saulus¡¯ superior was aware of his own pitiful talent.


    Sadly, it was an undeniable fact that this spoiled and despicable man could use the magic, albeit weakly, anyway!


    ¡°Good. You will take your legion to the south. How quickly can you rally them up?¡±


    Breaking Saulus¡¯s immersion in the beautiful dance of the gryphons once again, the patriarch clearly didn¡¯t care about being intrusive like that. After all, it would be strange if the head of the house were to accept how laidback the chief of his military was acting. And it was during a war council at that!


    So it officially begins. Great! Using all his willpower to stop a happy grin from appearing on his face, Saulus turned his head to the side in order to cast a glance at the patriarch.


    ¡°With a bit of luck, they should be able to depart today. But I need to emphasize one thing; There is no way for my legion to conquer the southern road alone.¡±


    No matter how potentially embarrassing that statement was for someone who was fully responsible for raising and training said legion, Saulus still said it. He never really cared about such things as saving face. As long as his aim was achieved, no kind of humiliation or sacrifice would be too great!


    ¡°Huh? Even the legendary strategist himself cannot guarantee the victory on his own?¡±


    Putting a sympathetic smile on his face, the patriarch commented with an honest dose of ridicule. But in spite of the huge difference between their positions, Saulus actually stood up from his chair only to look at the patriarch with a strangely dangerous glint in his eye.


    ¡°Dear lord, no matter how well-trained and disciplined my legionaries are, I¡¯m not going to put them through a meat grinder. You want me to make them fight against the lords of the south without any support from our own magic users? Not a chance.¡±


    Outstretching his right hand towards the group of high nobles in the opposite corner of the room, Saulus slammed his other hand against the base of the devastated maquette. Even though he took nearly a week to produce it for the sake of the ongoing council alone, after the patriarch¡¯s rash fit, it didn¡¯t matter if Saulus were to damage it further. At this point, it was no better than a clumped piece of firewood.


    ¡°We are soldiers, not suicidal maniacs. Don¡¯t expect us to do a suicide mission against magic users without the protection of the lords from our side.¡±


    The relationship between the patriarch and Saulus was truly peculiar. This rash, middle-aged man that ruled those lands was the direct superior and employer of the young general. Yet, it was clear to everyone in the room that for some reason, the patriarch didn¡¯t dare to flaunt his authority against this particular retainer of his household.


    ¡°Okay. Move the legion to the border. We will start the invasion only once my fellow lords¡­¡±


    Taking a quick peek to the side, the patriarch of the Retesia household expressed how dissatisfied he was with his subordinate lords with a murderous look.


    ¡°¡­ once my fellow lords get their shit together and fulfill their duty properly. Anything else?¡±


    Saulus let out a huge sigh. No matter who one would ask from the people gathered in the room, everyone would uniformly call it a breath of relief. Given how the patriarch just spared Saulus from losing his trusted soldiers in a pointless struggle against the magic of the enemy lords, it wasn¡¯t that hard to connect those two points together.


    He fell for it! Internally screaming with joy while keeping his usual cold and composed demeanor, Saulus nodded his head. Instead of sitting down, the young man adjusted his uniform before facing the patriarch once again.


    ¡°If we want to have a shot at emerging victorious in the coming war, we need to act fast. As such, if you still want me to rally the legion today, my lord, I will have to excuse myself right away.¡±


    Unable to be bothered to wait for the reaction of his superior, Saulus grabbed the cup of wine from the small stool beside his chair and after emptying it all out at once ¨C a crime against the superior quality of the liquor ¨C he approached the doors to the room.


    ¡°It will take me up to three, maybe four days to gather the lords and their armies. If you are not as big of a coward as you appeared to be today, try to push for the road to cut the enemies out from the supply lines. It should take them a while to organize any proper defense if you act fast enough.¡±


    Nodding his head in response to the patriarch¡¯s passing advice, Saulus didn¡¯t bother with the clearly dissatisfied faces of the other influential figures that took part in the war council. Whether they liked the idea of going to war or not, they had no choice but to listen to the patriarch¡¯s words.


    I wonder how long it will take them to defect once things really start to get moving. Thinking to himself as the doors shut behind him, Saulus quickly moved through the long corridors of the palace. Here and there, beautiful sculptures decorated the building. Between them, an art of far lower quality was present, showcasing how disappointing the descendants of the ancient artists had turned out.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    As soon as Saulus reached the main hall of the palace, a man somewhere in his mid-twenties moved away from the wall he used to rest his back against. Bringing his fist to his forehead, he instantly reported to his superior. Not even batting an eye at the dutiful reaction of his loyal subordinate, Saulus continued to walk towards the main entrance of the palace.


    ¡°Stand down, Rylas. We don¡¯t have the time for courtesy.¡±


    With no other choice, Rylas could only follow in his superior¡¯s steps.


    ¡°General? How was the council?¡±


    Given how he had to wait for several hours in the main hall of the building, the soldier was clearly curious about the results of the important meeting. Surprisingly, the usually calm face of his general had failed to appear as composed as it normally would, giving off the vibes of silent fury.


    ¡°Sound the bell. The bastard lied to us. We have to depart today.¡±


    Not bothering to lower his voice as he used the slur to refer to the patriarch himself, Saulus could see how his subordinate¡¯s face twisted in an expression of anger mixed with anxiety.


    Striving to somehow change the mind of his superior, Rylas¡¯s face turned desperate.


    ¡°But general! Most of our people are out in the town! How am I supposed to rally them if the patriarch himself gave them two-days leave? I don¡¯t want to be the harbinger of bad news, but if not for your patronage, the legion would have rebelled a long time ago!¡±


    ¡°You know that I can¡¯t do anything about the direct order of the patriarch. Rally the men, and on your way to the camp, send the word to mobilize the second legion. If that idiot will continue with this warmongering passion of his, only my private troops might be able to secure the camp. I don¡¯t even want to imagine what would happen if our soldiers were to learn that their families, friends and homes were burned down in an uprising!¡±


    Quickly calming his face down, Saulus once again assumed the expression of a cold and collected general, while his thoughts went in the exact opposite direction to what his words just implied: All I need to do once the legion is away is to place a torch on the powderkeg that this city¡­ No, that this entire household is. All we need right now to get rid of this idiot is just a single spark!

 Chapter 2

    One could use a single word to describe what was appearing from beyond the line of the horizon. Majesty. Just the top of the wall that could be seen from Saulus¡¯s position was enough to induce a feeling of respect in anyone. Daring to approach this ancient structure already felt like blasphemy against ancient gods.


    Even though, according to his official background, Saulus originated from the nearby area, the young general didn¡¯t show any respect for the sanctity of those historical remains. Leaning over the head of his horse, he only hurried his mount even more. Today, he had no time to admire what humans were once capable of doing.


    ¡°Sir, we are almost there. Do you want to enter through the city or¡­?¡±


    Shouting his question in order to force his voice through the clamour of the running horses, Rylas pointed his hand at the distant city growing closer by the minute. Raising his sight from the road in front of them, Saulus cast his gaze as far as his eyesight would allow.


    ¡°The city.¡±


    Shaking his head a moment later, he had to cough for a bit to clear the dust that had flown into his throat. Turning his sight towards the settlement the two of them neared, Saulus suddenly pulled back his mount, quickly decelerating to a calm step.


    ¡°I will have to move both legions. I can¡¯t just sneak my way in, no matter how much easier that would be.¡±


    Saulus was a simple soldier no more. Various medals decorating his breast were the best proof of that. As much as he despised it, the young man had no other choice but to play by the rules of the game.


    That was also the main reason behind slowing down. Even though every minute counted now, Saulus couldn¡¯t just parade into the city right off the road!


    Soon, the true nightmare of being an official began. Stepping through the gate, he assumed the look of the mighty general he was. But instead of looking high above the heads of the common guards, Saulus preferred a more human approach.


    ¡°How is the service, soldier?¡±


    Jumping down from his horse right in front of the guard, Saulus still made sure to flash his insignia. An effortless act that could potentially prevent the inexperienced soldier from throwing himself against his own general.


    ¡°Day like every other day, chief. Nothing extraordinary has happened since your departure, sir!¡±


    Smashing his fist against his forehead, the relatively young man saluted to the highest officer of the local legions. Even though there was no strict subordinate reaction between the two of them, this simple city guard didn¡¯t dare take meeting with the legend casually. And Saulus was respectful towards the officers of all formations.


    ¡°Good. Ring the bell, for I have returned. Additionally, send word to the camps. I need them to enact the fourth procedure.¡±


    Hearing the words of his general, no matter how inexperienced he was, the young guard whitened. His face instantly drained all the color away, indicating how even this simple young soldier could understand the importance of this order.


    ¡°Right away, sir.¡±


    Saving all the doubts and questions to himself, the soldier saluted once again before leaving with a grave look on his face. It wasn¡¯t common for the legion¡¯s commander to invoke the general orders. Thankfully, in Saulus¡¯s army, discipline reigned supreme. And that poor city guard had to be aware of this fact.


    ¡°We need to move as well.¡±


    Turning his head, Saulus informed Rylas while throwing a saddle on top of a fresh horse. Jumping on top of his mount, he accepted a coat made out of gryphon¡¯s fur, which Rylas passed to him. Even though nowadays these animals were rare, no matter how old their skin was, it was said to remain forever in a peak state. This was the only reason for a general from a backwards household like Retesia to afford the cost of owning one.


    With both of them ready, Saulus didn¡¯t dare waste any more time. While it would take time for the word to spread and pull all the loyal legionaries to the camp, he still had to take part in the makeshift parade¡­ It all started when a random passerby, a serf carrying a stack of wood to a nearby market, saw Saulus¡¯s coat. There wasn¡¯t any need to confirm that serf¡¯s guess by looking at the general¡¯s face, as there was only one person in the entire country privy to wearing this exact piece of clothing!


    ¡°Hooray!¡±


    ¡°Long live general!¡±


    ¡°The general has returned!¡±


    The shouts only grew in intensity and volume as the pair of veterans rode through the main street of the city. More people shouting meant more people noticing something was happening. This in turn led to even more people shouting and the vicious circle quickly turning the entire city into a mess. With citizens coming out of their houses and workshops, the main street quickly turned into a voluntary parade that Saulus had no way of avoiding.


    Several mothers reached out with their kids on their outstretched hands, asking for the general¡¯s blessing. Nodding his head to the people that came to celebrate his return, Saulus couldn¡¯t stop his smile from turning bitter.


    For Firstborns¡¯ sake, what kind of a blessing can a soldier like me give? A sudden wave of doubt shrouded Saulus¡¯s face, clearly putting the general in a foul mood. The current situation was the perfect outcome of many years of scheming against the patriarch. Yet, Saulus always felt the sting on his soul because of the methods he often used and how they would lead to many tragedies that his desired result would require in sacrifice.


    ¡°General brought bad news!¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for someone in the crowd to notice this abrupt change of Saulus¡¯s expression. It took even less time for this new information to spread.


    Although revealing his feelings like that was a fatal mistake, in this current situation, it thankfully didn¡¯t matter all that much. Soon enough, everyone would know what the reason was behind the young general¡¯s visit to the city anyway.


    Wasting over two hours on forcing their way through the crowded main road of the city seemed like a great loss, but it was something that Saulus learned to accept. When managing huge groups of people in the field, nothing would happen on time. Growing mature enough to accept the reality of the constant delays was the absolute baseline for anyone aspiring to be a commander, not to speak about becoming a general.


    ¡°Capital is great and all, but nothing beats returning home.¡±


    In contrast to how stiff and clearly anxious Rylas was during the unofficial parade, once the duo crossed the border of the camp, his disposition changed. Before Saulus could react to his words in any way, the first officer was already running towards the signaling tower to make sure the bells were rung.


    A moment later, Rylas appeared back in front of his superior, saluting by smashing his fist against the side of his forehead.


    ¡°Sir, the first legion is fully present, the second legion is still gathering.¡±


    That was to be expected. The first legion was the only officially recognized army in Saulus¡¯s hands. As such, it was made out of veterans alone. With that said, it was no surprise that the second legion, populated mostly by fresh recruits, would fall behind their preceding unit.


    Thankfully, he never expected for the entire army to gather so fast.


    ¡°Good. Announce my arrival. I¡¯m their general, even if passing them bad news is a sour pill for me to swallow.¡±

 Chapter 3

    headquarters into a friendly counsel rather than yet another court.


    ¡°I still need to deal with some matters in the city and raise the second legion. If we want the war plan the patriarch forced on us to be successful, we can¡¯t afford to waste time. I will leave you the orders, open them only if I fail to arrive at the southern provinces a week after you do so.¡±


    A sudden commotion stopped the two friends from debating any longer. While the orders were abrupt, one couldn¡¯t deny how rapidly all the legionaries jumped into action. One by one, entire groups of soldiers were packing their belongings up, before dismantling the entirety of the tents that each of the units used as housing.


    It would only take a moment before the entire camp would turn into chaos.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not waste any more time. Prepare yourself. I still need to fix all the damned paperwork so that our beloved patriarch won¡¯t be able to skimp on the wages later on. We will meet at the wall once the legion starts its departure.¡±

 Chapter 4

    ¡°I will never grow tired of this sight.¡±


    Standing on top of the wall, Saulus spoke to his closest subordinate, Rylas. From the moment he left the stage, while his officers rushed to rally the troops, he had his own fair share of tasks to fulfill. Saulus had claimed frequently that he would need some time to finish his affairs in Istoa. If he were to roam the camp with no point behind his actions, his story wouldn¡¯t hold up much longer. That¡¯s why this was the very first moment today that Saulus could use for his own leisure.


    ¡°Truly magnificent. It¡¯s a pity most of the people only know the war from sights like this¡­ If they were to see how it really looks once soldiers get down to business¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something that we can change. People don¡¯t want to know about the reality of the war. It¡¯s easier to believe it¡¯s all about justice and truth, when in fact it¡¯s nothing more than a glorified slaughterhouse.¡±


    Rylas¡¯ remark sparked no action from his superior. Gazing down at the orderly columns of the legionaries, Saulus rubbed the side of his arm. The old wound from one of the early battles of his career always acted up whenever anything involving the military was happening.


    Shaking his head, Saulus got rid of the useless thoughts that plagued his mind. There was no point in wasting his break on morals like that. After a moment of hesitation, he finally replied to Rylas.


    ¡°Either way, I won¡¯t impose on you any longer. The quartermasters should finish their packing before the second detachment passes the gates. Given how we are practically turning a standard legion into a super heavy one with all the auxiliary troops that I¡¯m sending with you¡­ ¡±


    This was the primary source of the commotion within the camp behind the two men. Normally, a legion would be four thousand heads strong, with all the logistics, officers and scouting groups already included in its organizational scheme. To make this type of army more mobile, the entire legion was split into three detachments. Each of them had its own administrative unit tasked with everything that soldiers needed but were unwilling or incapable of dealing with themselves.


    Yet, when Saulus was coming up with this reformed design for the army, he also included the option of increasing the strength of this main operational unit. By glueing additional detachments to the legion or specialized companies on the hierarchical level just below the detachment, a general could prepare his army for special occasions¡­


    In reality, though, it all boiled down to the problem of managing the soldiers and properly commanding them. While officially the legion was the basic operating unit on a strategic scale, Saulus stealthily forced the detachment, numbering only slightly above thirteen hundred, to be the basic tactical unit on the battlefield.


    On the scale of a country, this wasn¡¯t a vast scheme, yet it allowed Saulus to be far more versatile with his units. After all, a single legion was all that the patriarch would ever allow him to command. That¡¯s why instead of officially increasing his strength and creating another one, Saulus could indefinitely add more detachments to a single corpus.


    Looking to the side, Saulus glanced at his old friend. With all the battles they went through together, he could tell that this young officer of his perfectly understood the meaning of this scheme.


    After all, this was the one and only trick behind the magical way in which Saulus turned a group of just forty hundred veterans into an army of nearly ten thousand highly disciplined men!


    Now that I think about the numbers¡­ It¡¯s a pity they can¡¯t stay. Thinking to himself, Saulus threw the last glance at the orderly rows of legionaries marching out of the eastern gate of the city. With those men, even after the initial curbing of the unnecessarily loyal patriots, he could take the entire east lands of Retesia within a few weeks. With those veteran soldiers, no force of a subsidiary house in the country could challenge him.


    Sadly, a combined force of the high nobles of the realm would gather for the war¡­ It had to be held back, far away from the main theater of rebellion. With this threat to the uprising hanging in the south, Saulus had to pacify it.


    Both the veteran first legion in its expanded form and the group of greenhorn recruits making up the second legion could start the fire of the rebellion. Sadly, only the veterans had any chance of handling the threat of the lords from the south. After all, given the patriarch¡¯s policies, the invasion would see the rise of the greatest Retesian army ever to walk the ground!


    ¡°Sir, you don¡¯t need to worry. I will keep them together before your arrival.¡±


    Seeing through the complicated gaze of his general, Rylas kneeled on one leg while trying to reassure his superior. Even though he was slightly lower in the pecking order, this chief officer of the Retesian first legion often took on the burden of supporting his general. After all, it would be strange to expect someone as young as Saulus to manage entire armies and wars, with no effort at all.


    ¡°Thanks, it¡¯s good to hear that at least one of us is confident in the current situation.¡±


    Forcing himself to laugh a bit at his own joke in order to diffuse the tension, Saulus felt a sting in his soul. While this outstanding officer of his was doing his best to improve his mood, Saulus was about to hand him the letters containing the truth of their fake friendship of the past years!


    ¡°Either way, we need to wrap this up. I know you don¡¯t like to be left behind by the front guards.¡±


    Patting his old friend on the shoulder, Saulus reached under his upper robe, pulling a fat stack of papers held together by a thin, golden thread.


    ¡°The unsealed letters contain the general directions and advice for the march. The sealed papers contain the orders I told you about, while the double-sealed piece is to be read last, only if I fail to appear in time. It¡¯s better to keep¡­ those highly unpolitical but rational orders a secret from all the high nobles you might find at the border. Make sure not to make those letters public before the time is nigh.¡±


    Reaching with his hand, Saulus passed the documents to his subordinate. When the weight of those papers left his hand, a strange burden vanished from his soul. It would be heartbreaking for Rylas to read the content of the letters given how truly patriotic he was. Thankfully, once the things were set in motion, Saulus could put everything he already did behind him. That¡¯s why, as much as he hated himself for betraying his friend¡¯s trust, the deed was already done.


    ¡°With this, I will take my leave.¡±


    Nodding with gratitude at Saulus¡¯s suggestion, Rylas quickly descended the stairs before grabbing the reins of his horse, jumping on the saddle and galloping towards the gate. By the time his loyal subordinate entered the gatehouse and disappeared from the general¡¯s eyes, Saulus was already moving towards the outer area of the camp.


    Thanks to leaving his coat back at his temporary tent and wearing a simple uniform, by pulling a hoodie on his head Saulus became practically invisible in the crowd of people rushing about in the camp. After just a few more minutes, a small building appeared before the general¡¯s eyes, showing the crucial point of his interest appearing within his reach.


    Pushing the doors of the building open, Saulus was about to enter when a glint reflecting off a blade warned him about incoming danger.


    Dodge.


    Even though fighting was not actually something he liked doing, years of service as a soldier taught Saulus how to keep himself alive in a battle.


    Instead of jumping back, away from the confines of the door, the general leaned to the side. The blade just missed scraping his cheek before lodging itself into the thick, wooden frame of the doors.


    ¡°Stop it at once.¡±


    Not even bothering to change the tone of his voice, Saulus quickly regained his normal stance. Pushing away with his hand at the shadows, the general shoved the assailant, forcing him to step into the illuminated part of the room.


    ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m¡­ Standing for orders, sir!¡±


    Taking a moment to reconcile his thoughts once the man realized who he dared to attack a moment ago, ultimately the failed assailant simply straightened his posture and reported to the general.


    ¡°The time has come. Rally the second legion. In two, three day¡¯s time, we will set the torch to this oil keg that the eastern provinces are.¡±

 Chapter 5

    ¡°Come on, get off the window. It¡¯s not like the few seconds it took for you to react would have had any impact on events!¡±


    Contrary to Saulus, who was patiently sitting beside the window in his room, Venna couldn¡¯t stop herself from pacing around the room. With her usual maid clothes lying on the bed, this cheeky girl couldn¡¯t stand the idea that her protector and subordinate didn¡¯t share her anxiety.


    ¡°My lady, please, calm down.¡±


    Despite using a formal title, Saulus didn¡¯t bother to detach his face from the corner of the window. Observing the streets, waiting for the signal was the one thing left for him to do now.


    This was the most agonizing moment for any commander or mastermind. Right before the battle would begin, one¡¯s thoughts would go awry. But the reality was unforgiving. If he were to give himself an opportunity to influence the events, his rash and panicked decisions would only have a devastating effect on the situation.


    With all the orders given, people ready in their respective places to perform their respective roles, the best that Saulus could do was to sit and wait patiently for the events to unfold.


    ¡°Saulus! How many times did I tell you not to call me that? With no house or lands to speak of, I¡¯m not even a proper lady at all.¡±


    Suddenly stopping in her tracks, Venna threw a stray lock of her long, brown hair back before quickly making her way to Saulus.


    ¡°Say it. I want to hear you call my name properly. Once the insurgency starts, I won¡¯t be able to make any claims of being just a simple girl any longer.¡±


    Placing her hands on top of Saulus¡¯ shoulders, Venna indicated that what even the most loyal and trusted retainers would consider a great honor to do, was absolutely nothing much for her. With her dark brown eyes staring directly into Saulus¡¯s pupils, he was at a loss for what to say.


    Strictly speaking, she was his direct and absolute lord. All scheming aside, before the Retesian patriarch conquered the household of Brun, Venna was the fourth princess in line to inherit the house, while Saulus was just a simple retainer growing up and groomed on the court.


    Yet, several years later, he was head chief of the stationary military of Brun¡¯s conqueror, awaiting when the revolt would start, while she¡­ well, during the time that Saulus used to climb up the steps of the social and military ladder, Venna had to pretend to be his maid, taken prisoner during the crushing defeat of the rebels!


    ¡°My lady, it would be unbecoming of me to call you informally.¡±


    Their relationship didn¡¯t used to be this way. Once the harsh reality of life forced them apart, both of them grew up in different ways, putting up a wall between childhood friends. But for Saulus, it wasn¡¯t the hurdle of impropriety in saying Venna¡¯s name, it was the powerful implication behind allowing himself to relax his stance in private, that for the sake of his own sanity, Saulus wouldn¡¯t dare attempt.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you, I¡¯m not a¡­¡±


    Crack!


    Just as the young girl was about to voice her protests once again, a commotion and strange noises coming from beyond the window caught Saulus¡¯ attention. Finally able to free his eyes from Venna¡¯s intense stare, he looked at the streets below, only to see them quickly filling up with rioters!


    ¡°Dress up.¡±


    Standing up rapidly, Saulus dashed towards the closet for his own official clothes. Picking up his famed gryphon coat, the general quickly added all the decorations to his outfit. As prestigious as it was, his clean and slick look of an officer in his official uniform¡­ he felt it was wasted by all the compulsory additions, turning him into a damned stand for the military and court decorations.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Surprisingly, Venna could dress up far quicker than the young general. She had to wear her disguise for several years, during which the only times where she could relax were the short moments alone with Saulus. Thanks to this, she mastered the art of quickly doing and undoing her clothes again so as to not waste any of her precious free time.


    ¡°Good. May we see each other in a better world.¡±


    Saying those words with a smirk on his face, Saulus pretended not to notice the smile that blossomed on the girl¡¯s lips. It was this kind of expression that made it strangely awkward for him to interact with the girl. Even though he knew perfectly well how she internally mocked those words just as much as he did, Saulus couldn¡¯t help but feel distracted whenever this damned lass appeared in his mind.


    And the two of them could uniformly laugh at those words because it was one of the very first secret codes that members of the main revolting organizations used. Bringing it up now, a few years after said organization got rolled over by the patriarch and his forces, now that their revolution was about to erupt¡­


    For some reason, both of them found it hilarious!


    Uff¡­ that was close¡­ With how deep he was in the network of his own schemes, interacting with someone who was aware of everything put Saulus in a tough spot. The commander simply wasn¡¯t used to talking with someone so openly. Unable to come up with an idea how he should tackle this problem, he could only praise the paid actors on the streets for timing their performance just right.


    Using the opportunity that appeared, Saulus quickly went to the streets, only to find himself instantly surrounded by the angry crowd. Thankfully, when the people realized who was standing before them, the entire mass of people backed away, clearly in fear of infringing upon the general¡¯s mood.


    Given his fame, even the lack of any weapon at his side didn¡¯t hinder how scary he had to be in the eyes of the common folk!


    ¡°Sir, save us! We can¡¯t afford another war requisition!¡±


    Before long, everyone around Saulus chanted various prayers, hoping that this legendary figure would turn gracious today and save them from the trouble.


    ¡°I need to get to the magistrate first!¡±


    War requisition was nothing but a fancy name for the wartime taxes that every lord and deputy loved to place on their subjects. With the names of glory and sacrifice in their mouths, those high nobles would rob the riches from their serfs and citizens alike. What was even worse, was that the money gained in this manner often did nothing but line the coffers of the one that collected the riches, rather than actually supplying the soldiers in need!


    People in the eastern area already had to pay quite a lot of additional taxes for the war reparations. This kind of draconic increase was just the right spark to turn the entire city into the boiling point of a rebellion!


    That¡¯s why there was not even the smallest chance that the magistrate would place this tax on its people.


    Good job! Praising the effects of the hard work of his people, Saulus had to focus his entire attention at preventing a smile from appearing on his face. Thanks to the crowd making a corridor for him to pass through wherever he went, the general made his way to the magistrate in a relatively short amount of time.


    ¡°How could this happen?!¡±


    ¡°Who is spreading those false rumors?!¡±


    ¡°We need to do something¡­¡±


    That was the first voice of reason that Saulus heard once he appeared in the chaotic room of the mayor¡¯s office. And it was also the first to disappear in the commotion made by the people shouting out all their useless ideas.


    ¡°Your honor, the town is at the brink of rebellion. According to law, I have the authority to take over now.¡±


    Placing the token that certified Saulus¡¯s status as the warden of the Istoa and eastern provinces, the young commander didn¡¯t even bother to lower his head, keeping his eyes on the target.


    ¡°I know, yes. Most importantly at this moment, do you have any ideas on how to calm the city down?¡±


    Looking at the mayor¡¯s tired face and observing the looks in the eyes of the officials surrounding him, Saulus finally let himself smile broadly.


    ¡°I might have an idea.¡±

 Chapter 6

    ¡°I would kill to see the faces of the magistrate workers when they finally realize what is actually going on.¡±


    Muttering those words to one of his civilian officers, Saulus didn¡¯t bother to hide his cheerful mood. His wide smile contrasted with the reality that surrounded him. Burned down houses, and parts of the road buried under piles of rubble only proved how effective his people were at wreaking havoc. Contrary to the commander striding down the middle of the road, the civilians that occasionally appeared would skitter through the shadows on the side of the road. For them, the enormous smile on the legendary commander¡¯s face only served as a reminder that despite walking on the same earth, their worlds were starkly different.


    ¡°We can arrange for the painters to record that scene.¡±


    A bright, energetic voice echoed from behind Saulus. Clearly surprised, the general stopped his startled reaction with the utmost effort of his willpower. Rather than showing how the other party had caught him off-guard, Saulus instead placed his palm on top of the handle of his sword as he turned around to face the newcomer.


    ¡°Bloy¡­¡±


    Recognizing the young man standing barely a few meters away from him, Saulus spoke his name through gnashed teeth. Those few civilians that were already praying for the gods¡¯ mercy when they saw how someone dared to smile at a clearly furious general, changed the target of their prayers. They no longer wished for salvation. Now, they only dared to ask for a peaceful death in the days to come.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, smartass.¡±


    The young man had clearly crossed the line. Before the general himself could react, two of his officers that had escorted him through the city jumped forward. Their swords, aimed at the throat of the offender that dared to insult their general, would soon taste the blood of this arrogant bloke.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Saulus shouted, knowing that there was no time for more detailed commands. This action forced him to pry open his jaws, refraining from uttering any more words from behind his gnashed teeth.


    Only when the two subordinates, who temporarily worked as his personal guard, stopped their advance and backed off did Saulus speak again.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that the Pleiades were actively interested in an ongoing situation. Not during its earliest stage at the very least.¡±


    Stroking the handle of his sword as if it was the only way for him to calm his wrecked nerves, Saulus looked intensely at his unexpected guest.


    ¡°Oh, we are interested in everything you are doing, my friend.¡±


    Keeping a wide smile on his face at all times, the man called Bloy finally took a few steps forward, allowing for a more private conversation with the general.


    ¡°Both of you, leave us alone for a moment. Stay within the eyesight, but not within the hearing range.¡±


    As strange as it was for the general to be in the middle of the city that was nearing the border between mass riots and fully-fledged uprising, Saulus still decided to send them away. Thankfully, the general¡¯s guards didn¡¯t dare to protest. Not the officer from the legion, nor the man from the civilian organization. After all, even though the latter didn¡¯t have the military drill, the general was still his chief commander. A sense of discipline was long instilled in anyone who wanted to be something more than just meat for the grinder of revolution.


    ¡°So, what the hell are you doing? From what I heard, your bunch of ragtags that you pridefully call a second legion should have the city in its firm grasp already. How the heck do you expect us to support your revolt if you can¡¯t even achieve the very first step of your own damned plan?¡±


    While his words were harsh, the tone that Bloy spoke with was low enough to prevent Saulus¡¯s two guards from hearing anything. After all, no one needed to know what kind of sway Saulus had within the hidden corps of the most powerful neighbor of Retesia.


    ¡°If you have any doubts as to whether or not I can do it, keep your mouth shut and observe. If I were to use your methods, I would lose half of the only army I have before even setting off for Aldo. Also, I will say again: Keep. Your. Mouth. Shut. If you can¡¯t hold back from insulting me, then I can¡¯t guarantee that my soldiers will bother to spare you. After all¡­¡±


    Spreading his arms wide, Saulus made sure that both of his guards would focus all their attention on him. Now, the young general had no choice but to improvise some story that would explain their complicated relationship to his own people. After all, even being the highest commander wouldn¡¯t empower him to prevent rumors from spreading.


    ¡°¡­ you are no longer my superior. The times where you could trash me are long gone. You better watch your tongue or I will accidentally slip a suggestion to my people that you would be better off without it.¡±


    Turning around as soon as he said that, Saulus forced himself to hide the grimace of fury on his face. Even here, even now, his past was haunting him. While he never dared to even think about the idea of betraying those who made his social jump possible, it didn¡¯t mean he would do everything exactly the way they wanted!


    Their cooperation flourished only because they had their goals aligned!


    ¡°Gabriel.¡±


    Bloy had calculated the moment of his appearance perfectly. Just a minute¡¯s walk from the place of their encounter, Saulus fell into the embrace with the second in command of the second legion. After uttering each other¡¯s names and profusely kissing each other¡¯s cheeks, neither of the commanders wasted any more time.


    ¡°Is everyone ready?¡±


    There was no time to spare for welcomes. Even though the highest general himself just entered the main camp of the legion, instead of greeting him with passion, the soldiers refused to move an inch away from their positions.


    ¡°On your order, general.¡±


    This was the only response that Saulus would accept at this point. Given how the organization in the magistrate worked, it was only a matter of time before someone rational would find out what was actually going on, but also shout loud enough for everyone else to listen.


    ¡°Then¡­ Everyone!¡±


    Stepping on a small stool that someone had smartly placed before him, Saulus looked over the massive army that stood in the mostly empty center of the military camp. With the first legion gone, the majority of the tents disappeared as well, leaving a perfect space to glimpse at the true numerical monstrosity of the legion.


    Numbering only about forty hundred, it consisted almost solely of greenhorns with no combat experience. Saulus gazed at two rows of six companies standing for his order, each of the companies further split into eleven groups of thirty. His breath suddenly caught in his throat. Even when seeing the departure of the way larger first legion, Saulus could still only see a single company at a time, preventing him from gazing at this insane military might all at once.


    ¡°Everyone!¡±


    Shouting for the second time, Saulus didn¡¯t really care about how his vocal cords would be shot for the next few days. As long as he could fulfill this last self-imposed task for today, then the machine of the revolution would roll forth, even without his voice commanding it.


    ¡°The magistrate is down! As per the patriarch¡¯s order¡­ Oh, who the hell do I want to lie to? The patriarch is gone, the first legion is gone, but we and everyone¡¯s families remain here. In our city of Istoa!¡±


    Slowly, the enormous mass of soldiers in front of the general reacted to his words. At first, gently, with some murmurs spreading through the lines, but as Saulus continued to rile them up, those murmurs quickly turned into loudly spoken words and then shouts and cheers.


    ¡°That¡¯s why, before the patriarch¡¯s and magistrate¡¯s mercenaries burn this place to cinders, it is our job to secure it! Your officers know which sectors are you responsible for. The only question that remains now is¡­¡±


    Taking a quick pause to intensify the moment, Saulus openly smiled before shouting his last words for today.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?! ATTACK!¡±

 Chapter 7

    ¡°I wonder if that bastard found some painters to record that scene¡­¡±


    Murmuring to himself, Saulus stared off into the distance. It seemed that he was hoping that if he wished for it strong enough, his eyes could break through the barrier of distance and catch the sight of the golden city of the east.


    ¡°Sir, did you say something?¡±


    Standing beside him, Gabriel, the first officer of the second legion, looked at his superior with a puzzled look on his face.


    ¡°Nah, don¡¯t mind me. By the way, do we have confirmation?¡±


    Not even bothering to look behind him, Saulus asked.


    ¡°Yes, sir. For some reason, as soon as our soldiers moved out, most of the riots stopped. We are still waiting for the report from the fourteenth sector, and then we should be ready to go.¡±


    Hearing the answer of his subordinate, Saulus only pretended to look at the map placed on a small stool beside them. Living in this city for quite a while already, the young general could be forced awake in the middle of the night with a hammer to his head, coerced to chug down an entire bottle of the strongest booze¡­ And all of that still wouldn¡¯t be enough to impair his ability to recite all the district¡¯s names and numbers in correct order!


    ¡°Magistrate is putting up some fight after all¡­ Well, we couldn¡¯t expect everything to go as easily as taking over the rest of the city was.¡±


    Shaking his head with an expression torn between satisfaction and disappointment, Saulus stole a glance behind himself. The fires that used to eat away at the city were dying out, with only some columns of dark smoke still rising above the buildings.


    At this point, the majority of the second legion already freed themselves from the duty of guarding their respective sectors. Outside of the single company that had to take care of both the thirteenth and fourteenth districts and lagged behind because of that, the rest of the legion was already forming outside of the city walls.


    Rising up from the chair and glancing outside the city, Saulus could see many people hurrying around with their respective tasks. Contrary to what he saw back in the camp area, the people of his legion were now spread out across a vast plain, with each company taking care of its own needs. If not for the slight delay of the last company, rather than wasting time doing nothing, they would all be marching down the road towards the most important place in the entire rebellion.


    ¡°Reporting, sir!¡±


    The sudden sound of an unfamiliar voice broke Saulus out of his daydream. Turning his head around, the young general saw a tired soldier, unused to sprinting over long distances, holding a piece of sealed parchment in his hand.


    Limiting himself to just a single nod of his head, Saulus took the letter from the tired soldier¡¯s hands. Snapping the wax seal in half ¨C a wonder how the missing company officer created one right after a fight ¨C the general scanned through the content. Then, he raised his eyes towards the opening of the main street to the city,


    Just as the report outlined, it didn¡¯t take long before the empty alley filled with soldiers. Even from a distance, Saulus could tell that despite achieving victory, his soldiers received it at a steep cost.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there will be any use for them¡­¡±


    Gabriel said with care, glancing with hesitation at the supreme commander. Not bothering to move his gaze away from the bloodied figures of the marching soldiers, Saulus only nodded his head at the notion brought forth by his subordinate.


    ¡°We will leave all those wounded in the city. Get someone to ask the officers for the soldiers that showed wit and courage. We need all the naturally talented that we can get. Additionally, make sure to place the injured in proper lodging.¡±


    Spouting a short list of commands, Saulus sent Gabriel away to his tasks. As time consuming as it was for all the quartermasters in the legion to take care of the wounded, he couldn¡¯t abide by the patriarch¡¯s method of discarding them. His fame gave him power only for as long as everyone continued to believe that he was the one commander that any soldier would dream of following.


    With the last piece of the puzzle now in place, Saulus didn¡¯t waste any time either. After gesturing at the group of his personal bodyguards that stood off to the side, his quickly formed group moved beyond the walls posthaste.


    The arrival of the commander in the makeshift camp stirred the inexperienced legionaries into panic mode. Not used to interacting with their supreme leader, they dropped everything they had in their hands just to salute to him. While one person doing so wasn¡¯t a problem, once those numbers ramped up, the delay in the entire legion was slowly turning problematic.


    ¡°On your orders, sir!¡±


    Only when Saulus arrived at the tent set in the very middle of the entire area that the legion occupied, did someone react in the way the young general expected him to. Or rather, close to how he was supposed to.


    Instead of saluting like every other soldier in the camp, the officer actually bowed deeply to the general. Seeing this, even Saulus¡¯s bodyguards couldn¡¯t stop themselves from hissing. As little as they cared for the patriarch and his household itself, the symbol of a dragon that decorated every officer¡¯s helmet was something they would die for. By bowing, one was bowing with that symbol, while it was the people that should bow to the dragon instead!


    Yet, it was Saulus who got caught off-guard by this next scene.


    How the heck did he manage to sneak inside with no one noticing?! Screaming in his mind with silent fury, Saulus could only nod his bared head, not even bothering to look at Bloy¡¯s face.


    ¡°Is everything ready?¡±


    There was no need to explain what exactly Saulus had in mind while asking this question. Even though everyone in the room ¨C outside of the one fake officer ¨C used to be veterans serving for the patriarch, they were now all connected with the single goal of pushing him out of his throne. Everyone in this tent was perfectly aware of the actual goal that the legion was setting off to achieve.


    ¡°Sir, outside of the last company¡­¡±


    Noticing what one of his proper officers was about to tell, Saulus quickly silenced him with a simple gesture of his hand.


    ¡°I already dealt with this matter. If there isn¡¯t anything else¡­¡±


    Taking a moment to calm himself down, Saulus suddenly realized that he had arrived at the breaking point. As soon as he finished his sentence, there would be no coming back. Nothing could stop the rolling ball of revolution.


    ¡°If there isn¡¯t anything else, then let¡¯s move out. The quicker we act, the greater chances we have at taking Aldo without a siege.¡±


    Not bothering to remain in the tent for a second longer than necessary, Saulus quickly left its confines to breathe in a mouthful of fresh air.


    So far, nothing had really changed. The orders to rally up would only start moving around the camp in the next few minutes. After officers received them, kicking and hitting their subordinates in order to make them form up would take even longer. Realistically speaking, there was no way for the legion to move before at least two hours of frantic preparations would pass.


    Yet even though right now, when there wasn¡¯t any difference to Saulus¡¯s surroundings, there was this single thought that continued to slam against his skull, making it impossible to think about anything else: I just started a revolution.

 Chapter 8

    ¡°Sir, everything is prepared. We are good to go.¡±


    In any normal situation, this kind of report would be made hours before the walls of the city would come into view. Sadly, because of the frantic rush forced by the lack of time, everything was finally finished only right before the party would begin.


    ¡°Good. Send the first two companies in.¡±


    Even within the second legion, it was possible to find some veterans. For some, it was a chance to get their lives back on track after a period of anxiety-infused reunion with society. For others who got in contact with lesser known branches of Saulus¡¯ influence, it was a chance to get back at the patriarch for spitting at their patriotic feelings.


    And it would be the job of those veterans, who found themselves in the third and fourth companies, to light the spark on the pile of patriotic resentment that Aldo was.


    For as long as the local garrison held the city in its iron grip, nothing would happen. That¡¯s why the very first move that Saulus aimed for was completely paralyzing their means of operations. Preferably, without even a single person engaging in combat.


    ¡°Everyone! Thanks to the great mercy of our general, tonight we sleep in proper barracks!¡±


    Just a few moments after the young general passed the orders, the word already started spreading through the ranks of the legionaries. Those who knew what was about to happen would prepare themselves for the worst. For heavily armed legionaries like them, urban combat was their greatest nightmare.


    Those who were oblivious to the situation that surrounded them simply rejoiced at the prospect of spending the night in a warm shelter. Sleeping without the need to worry about the rain turning the night into a wet mess was something they considered a luxury.


    And that was exactly what Saulus hoped to see, especially from the first two companies that were already approaching the gates of the city.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s our turn now.¡±


    Instead of letting his soldiers take care of the obvious trouble that was bound to appear at the gates, Saulus stormed forward. With his entourage following right behind, by the time his small group arrived at the gate, they would be hard-pressed to call their detachment ¡°small¡± anymore.


    ¡°Come on, faster! We don¡¯t have time to slack! They need us in the south posthaste!¡±


    Scolding and hurrying the random soldiers that were unlucky enough to appear in his path, Saulus rode all the way to the very front of the formations. There, the first batch of legionaries were already clashing with the city guards.


    ¡°I cannot let you in.¡±


    Seeing how tightly the guard was grasping the handle of his halberd, even an idiot would notice that his current stance was just for show. With just a little push, he would break down and do whatever they wanted¡­


    But that wasn¡¯t something that could happen, yet. Not now, not so early.


    ¡°Soldier, what seems to be the problem? Can¡¯t my troops rest in the comfort of the barracks before departing on an arduous journey south? Did someone give that kind of explicit and treasonous order?¡±


    By both declaring anyone who would stand by the idea of keeping his forces at the gates a potential traitor, Saulus gave the young guard a simple reason to stand down right away. Give up his responsibility and let his superiors take the blame. Even if that meant no bonus pay for this month or some scolding, it was still better than standing against someone dressed as impressively as Saulus, wasn¡¯t it?


    Perfectly aware of the effect that his fully decorated uniform would have on any young and naive soldier, Saulus simply smiled at the guard, still taking his time in answering.


    ¡°Since you have no objection, that means everyone is in. Soldier, please be so kind as to open the gate. If these slackers are to catch up with the rest of the legion, I need to give them at least one good night¡¯s worth of sleep.¡±


    Assuming the role of a worried father to the troops, Saulus looked at his people with a face twisted in faux anxiety. Posing his face like that was a child¡¯s play, something that the general learned even before becoming an officer in the patriarch¡¯s forces.


    At first, Saulus thought that it was just a matter of time before someone would appear only to stall him again. Thankfully, the next person that arrived was smart enough to recognize the general¡¯s outfit. Asking no further questions and thereby risking the mood of the general deteriorating, the massive wings of the steel-reinforced gate opened up before Saulus¡¯s legions.


    And¡­


    Nothing of importance happened.


    The first two companies, over six hundred people, had absolutely no idea what they were signing up for. Just by thinking about the next few necessary steps, Saulus¡¯s heart tightened. Soon, there would be no maneuver, no tactical deployment. In the fights like the one that was coming, it was just a mass of people from one side clashing with another crowd in a brutal and relentless fistfight.


    Frankly speaking, it wouldn¡¯t be a huge stretch to claim that Aldo might just be the very first city that would be liberated with knuckles instead of swords and fire.


    ¡°Sir, the first company is approaching the barracks¡­¡±


    The overall split of the military within the Retesia household was what would ultimately doom this damned country. With each lord governing over their own respective force, the legions were the one thing that remained in the patriarch¡¯s hand. It was his only tool to counteract the power of his subjects outside of a small group of veteran mercenaries.


    And just like expected, the soldiers that could be found in the barracks of this golden city barely even filled a fourth of what the local garrison could house. After all, the information about the looming war would arrive soon, and why would a local lord bother paying for the troops he didn¡¯t need at the moment? Even then, most of his forces were likely busy policing the area and making sure that the entire province was calm and obedient.


    ¡°Good. We will stay here. After all¡­¡±


    Starting with a low voice to his direct subordinates and ending on a loud note audible to anyone passing by, Saulus smiled when his eyes caught the surprised reactions of the citizens.


    ¡°¡­ our poor boys need some rest after an entire day of forced march!¡±

 Chapter 9

    ¡°The main points of resistance are expected to appear here, here and here.¡±


    Tracing his fingers on the map, one of the higher officers of the second legion was showcasing the compiled information gathered by one off Saulus¡¯s spies, who was located in the city in advance.


    ¡°Governor¡¯s palace and central plaza I can understand¡­ but a tavern? One on the periphery of the town at that?¡±


    Hidden within an inconspicuous tent set in a relatively safe space, a cream of the commanding crop of the legion was discussing their next moves.


    ¡°General, I would recommend using the third and fourth companies to deal with these strategic points¡­ while sending two of the others to deal with the tavern. As for why that place was chosen¡­ According to reports, this is where the greatest number of lord Akay¡¯s forces can be found.¡±


    Swinging his head with an understanding smile of a veteran, Gabriel quickly fixed his expression when he noticed the taxing gaze of the chief commander.


    ¡°Sir, with all due respect, lord Akay¡¯s forces are on a level comparable with the second legion. If we were to take the gap between the first and second legions, then those warriors are just as far below the second legion. There is no point in expecting all of our enemies to have any military discipline.¡±


    Explaining this situation to a man who thrived in solving complex quandaries, Gabriel seemed to turn strangely happy when his words made Saulus face light up.


    ¡°So, you propose to send the veterans to take the seat of power and the main logistical crossing of the city. At the same time, two entire companies would set off to deal with some drunkards?¡±


    Raising his head from above the map at his direct subordinate and the oldest officer in the room, Saulus smiled gently. It wouldn¡¯t take a genius to see through the reasoning behind this kind of deployment.


    The palace was bound to be protected by a respectable force. With the lord¡¯s personal guard and his very own magic coming into play, it would take no less than an entire company of veterans to deal with it. Truth be told, even though he had no magic to speak of, Saulus quickly decided to go with that group of soldiers to command them during the attack. After all, saving the veterans from the needless and unnecessary casualties was a priority during the ongoing hostile takeover.


    But this perspective didn¡¯t really matter, as the ironic smile of the general was enough for Gabriel to back out suddenly.


    ¡°The idea is not bad, but it¡¯s not great either. Instead of relying on what we have before us right now, I think it would be better to set the stage for a party we will host ourselves instead. Let me tell you what we will do.¡±


    Moving away from the map, Saulus sat on one of the portable chairs ¨C a novelty brought from the far east by a passing merchant. Stretching his tired legs forward while moving his head to the back, the young general¡¯s eyes closed, turning him immune to the distracting visuals of the ongoing day.


    ¡°We will wait.¡±


    Suddenly rising from his seat, Saulus looked over at the faces of his officers.


    ¡°If we attack now, we might take over those important points. But if by any chance Akay escapes¡­¡±


    For a moment, Saulus stopped his words to see what kind of reaction calling one of the lords without his honorary title would have on his men. Satisfied with the results, the general picked up where he left off and once again approached the map.


    ¡°If we give them time to regroup and gather forces, if we make them think that we are far weaker than we are in reality¡­ And if we actually fool them about the true number of veterans within the legion, then we just might pull them into a trap.¡±


    Pointing his finger at a small forum building right beside the main plaza discussed before, Saulus tapped at the part of the map that depicted it.


    ¡°We can locate some of our greenhorns there. We will tell them we are preparing to kill the traitors that attempted to raise their hands at the¡­ majesty.¡±


    Given the role he had to play as the chief general of both legions, Saulus couldn¡¯t afford to be caught in a lie. More precisely, every word that his legionaries heard had to either be true or never leave their mouth before their untimely demise. And given how he would move entire companies, only a white lie remained as the medicine for the problem of Saulus¡¯s troops¡¯ motivation.


    Most of the recruits were from the lands of the fallen Burn household. With little to no attachments to the former regime, they didn¡¯t really consider themselves Retesians or Burnians, but simply soldiers of the legion. That¡¯s why, with all the state propaganda, there was a huge doubt in all the officer¡¯s heads whether those companies would keep their allegiances.


    And that¡¯s where this political word of majesty came from. According to the official dictates, majesty was something unreachable for humans, an ideal to strive for. Starting with eight, now there were only five majestic beings, otherwise called firstborns, remaining somewhere in the vast array of worlds.


    Thankfully, no one expected the common folk to understand such philosophical and religious talk. For simple people, the word majesty could refer to literally anything that presumably touched the grace of the firstborns. Be it Retesian or other lords that wielded the magic thanks to their bloodlines, or be it anyone marked by them as a person with granted authority. Yet what was most commonly understood by that word, was a direct attack at everything that local people held dear!


    ¡°As for the veterans¡­ I will lead them personally. They are loyal directly to me and no one else. Given their role¡­ They won¡¯t follow any of you if you go alone. And no, stop.¡±


    Raising his hand to stop Gabriel from interfering in his decision-making process, Saulus waited for a moment to ensure no one would prevent him from speaking his will. After all, it would ultimately translate into his direct orders.


    ¡°The third and fourth companies will go with me. We will march through the Principal Road, all the way to the plaza in the middle. I need one of you to take the greenhorns to the forum at the same time. I will slow the veterans¡¯ march down to give you enough time to settle in your positions. And in that plaza¡­ We will ignore the strategy and face them head on with just our veterans alone.¡±


    Dropping a stinking job like that on the table, Saulus once again gazed at each of his direct subordinates, one at a time.


    ¡°Men, once the fight gets heated, we will move back, through the royal alley to the forum. And then¡­¡±


    Suddenly smashing his opened up palm against the map, Saulus revealed one of his rare expressions. A face that only his fellow brothers in arms saw back when he still served as a common soldier. The otherwise passive face of the young general filled with bloodlust.

 Chapter 10

    ¡°So far, so good.¡±


    Patting his scabbard, Saulus continued to march at a relatively slow, yet consistent pace. With the first legion by his side, the young general wasn¡¯t showing any signs of hesitation. With these veteran soldiers of his, they could run through the entire alley and instantly form up to fight with the enemy forces that were reported to be amassing in the central plaza.


    But he didn¡¯t have his veterans on his side right now. Suffice it to say, only Firstborns knew what was going on with those loyal and trusted soldiers of his. Right now, Saulus had to limit all his strategies to ones that only his greenhorn soldiers of the second legion would be capable of following. Even with over six hundred seasoned warriors surrounding him from all sides, the young general didn¡¯t dare to overreach with his plans.


    After all, those men had never fought as two separate units before. According to the initial plans¡­ But there was no time to think about ¡°what if¡± scenarios. Despite their seemingly slow pace, the unit of veterans of the second legion quickly reached the entrance of the plaza.


    The enemy ranks numbered way above the counts that Saulus could make in his immediate vicinity. Roughly estimating the opposing force to be around a thousand men strong, the young general suddenly flinched.


    What if¡­ This relentless what if, a wish to appear in a different situation where the events went in a more favorable way. But the audacity of this thought still washed over the young man¡¯s soul. If he only wanted to win, he could simply throw both of his units into the fray before bringing two more from the forum building nearby. Saulus could even take a detour right now to bring his forces back together and just smash through the enemy defenses¡­ Even though he was already well in sight of the enemy formations!


    But that wasn¡¯t the plan. If he wanted to root out all of the remains of the enemy resistance, his current strategy had to proceed.


    ¡°Forward form!¡±


    Looking at the ranks of the enemy, Saulus couldn¡¯t stop himself from cursing under his breath. Gabriel¡¯s plan was to lure the enemy soldiers into this place by sending a small detachment from the army to get drunk and spread the news that something was about to happen. Even though he expected this ploy to rally up everyone far quicker than any of the rumors spread by natural ways could¡­


    ¡°To hell with it.¡±


    Shaking all the doubts out of his head, Saulus moved forward, forcing all the legionaries around him to do the same. In just a moment, the entire group of over six hundred men filled up the entryway leading to the plaza.


    Just like they had expected back during the strategy meeting, the focal point of his opponent¡¯s defensive formation was aimed at luring his forces into the encirclement. Sadly, what everyone had to do right in the next moment was to step into the obvious trap.


    Moving to the fourth line, Saulus didn¡¯t even need to use his strength to squeeze through. All the veterans moved out of his way, even with no voiced order. There was no fear or doubt in their eyes. Just like the boys from the first legion, these men were professionals. And professionals have standards.


    For them, this was about to be yet another day on the job. Kill or be killed, that¡¯s just the standard routine for an active legionary. And they were fully prepared to do so under the young general¡¯s legendary orders.


    Once Saulus¡¯ line finally formed, instead of rushing forward¡­ He waited.


    Oof¡­With how Saulus was taking his time doing nothing. Right at the mouth of the enemy trap, Saulus was perfectly aware that in order for their trap to work, he had to make the first move. And with every second he waited, more and more enemies understood their trap wasn¡¯t hidden at all.


    Soon, it became obvious that Saulus was perfectly aware of the other side¡¯s plans.


    In a single moment, the entire front of the Saulus¡¯ lines pulled out huge, rectangular shields. Reaching just above the head of an average soldier, they quickly turned those separate pieces into what seemed like an impenetrable wall.


    Looking at his people finishing their preparations on the sides as well, Saulus couldn¡¯t help but recall the records of the ancient Retesian legions. Between the units of the past and what Saulus had on hand right now¡­ Everything was different.


    The original concept of legions being those huge and immovable masses of men, who designated this kind of formation to simply roll over any resistance that appeared with its sheer weight. And with little to say, it had absolutely nothing to do with its current iterations.


    Leading two of his best units forward, Saulus commanded less than a third of his total force. And he was about to execute a joint operation of basically four different, autonomous units that were parts of a new kind of legion. It was actually Saulus¡¯s own idea to reform the collapsing units and configure them into a proper and mobile force, capable of solving wars entirely differently than what had historically happened so far.


    And looking at the orderly rows of the veterans, at the solid line of soldiers that quickly learned from each other and adapted to their recent assignments¡­


    A sudden banging. Then another one. Then an entire choir of loud, metallic voices appeared in the air. It was the first line of Saulus¡¯ veterans heating themselves up for battle. Their swords, axes, and other weapons slammed against their shields. Initially, some voluntary responses appeared from Akay¡¯s forces, but they were all quickly put down. After all, lord Akay¡¯s force held its standing as the professional army close to their heart and pride! The true standing army of the Retesia¡­


    Seeing how his men didn¡¯t show any sign of hesitation, the young general smiled. Turning his face towards the side, he spotted Gabriel leading the units from the second line in the distance. Seeing Saulus shaking his head, the officer simply turned his face towards the lines of the enemies.


    ¡°Advance!¡±


    With no attempts at making his order audible, Gabriel charged forth. And the entire first line of soldiers followed suit. Instead of breaking up into individuals and rushing at the opponents in a personal capacity, Saulus¡¯s veterans kept uniform speed, quickly advancing into the open field of the plaza.


    And right behind them, the rest of the unit followed, protected from both flanks by two more rows of shield-bearers. With their bows and crossbows suddenly worthless, the enemy got lost. Instead of instantly taking advantage of their preparations to fire a volley at Saulus¡¯s forces¡­ The enemy units couldn¡¯t reach Saulus¡¯s men without aiming at a steep angle¡­ which would mean risking accidental, friendly fire.


    This hesitation bought the formation of Saulus¡¯s veterans just enough time to reach the line of the enemies securing the back of the plaza. Following strictly with the fourth row, Saulus still had to run several steps before slamming his body into a small group of people in front of him and forcing this man-made nail into the formation of the enemy.


    Using his big shield as a front cover, the first soldier simply followed the momentum of the push against his enemies. Before his flank could get attacked, the rest of the nail followed, filling the gap with furious veterans.


    Despite how complicated it seemed to be, it was, in fact, a simple maneuver. All it required from soldiers was to stay in their respective rows and crash into each other. Even for the greenhorn troops, this wouldn¡¯t be a challenge. As long as they knew it would happen and were mentally prepared for it, that is.


    Once the line broke, the mayhem began. Finally reaching direct contact with the enemy, Saulus felt a familiar sensation. A strange trance overwhelming his mind. Instead of cutting, stabbing, penetrating and slashing, he was dancing, floating, swimming through the air in a graceful dance.


    A dance that was marked with blossoming redness on the bodies of those unlucky enough to meet him.


    But in the end, the young general was just a man. Not even a lord, a fortunate son of the diluted blood of the firstborns. While his mad rush into the fray clearly increased the morale of the soldiers, making them want to fight beside a legendary warrior like him, it didn¡¯t take long before Saulus allowed his personal guard to pull him out of the meat grinder at the front.


    ¡°Sir, they are flanking us!¡±


    Shaken awake from his trance in a single instant, Saulus looked around, assessing their position.


    ¡°Okay¡­ Call the retreat. Herald, it¡¯s your turn!¡±


    With how shortly he knew this legion at large, Saulus couldn¡¯t know the names of all his soldiers. And he wasn¡¯t calling for some kind of Herald, but for the man with the loudest voice in the entire unit.


    ¡°Everyone, we have the palace!¡±


    If someone paid enough attention, they might notice that the shouting man was actually sitting on the shoulders of his fellow soldiers. A strange thing to do in the middle of a heated battle.


    And his extended arm was pointing at a single detail that was visible even on the plaza.


    The long forgotten flag of the Burn household fluttering in the wind, high up on the royal tower of the palace!

 Chapter 11

    To be fair, it was only at this moment that the veterans understood what they might be fighting for. But contrary to the potential expectations of the local lord, they didn¡¯t falter at all. Or rather, they did only when a sudden calling of the horn announced the next stage of their plans.


    All the officers, as well as Saulus himself, suddenly started to pull back, shouting the orders for the rest of the legion to do the same. It didn¡¯t take long before the tight lines of the second legion veterans separated from the loose ranks of the local soldiers.


    And for some strange reason, instead of pushing forth in order to make use of the fact that the small part of the enemy position was already in their hands¡­ Saulus retreated.


    Thankfully, the greenhorns hiding at the forum had no chance of seeing the flag or hearing the horn. The tight architecture of the city that rose high above everyone¡¯s heads made it impossible to even check what was happening in the nearby plaza.


    ¡°Retreat!¡±


    Shouting the order as loud as he could, Saulus didn¡¯t spare any efforts in making their retreat look unorganised and panic-driven. Thankfully, with all that fake professionalism of the opposing force, once Akay¡¯s officers realized the enemy was retreating, a single formula appeared in all of their heads.


    Give chase.


    The military rules compiled in a handbook that all officers had to know to the word was something that Saulus studied longer than the people who came up with it. Unless Akay himself were to appear and intervene, nothing would stop his troops from following Saulus¡¯s forces right into a trap.


    ¡°Retreat!¡±


    Each passing moment decreased the chances of Saulus¡¯s opponents. With one unit, then one group, then the entire flank of the enemy forces advancing after them, the young general could finally put his worries aside. Now that a third of the entire enemy army was on the move, even Akay could not stop them.


    ¡°Retreat!¡±


    Still shouting, Saulus finally retreated far enough to see the opening of the Forum building. Created on the base of several circles written into each other, it comprised five levels of tribunes with an enormous stage at its very bottom. Entering from the street, Saulus finally could stop his useless shouts, now focusing on getting through the building as quickly as possible.


    A few moments later, everything had already fallen into its respective place. The veterans blocked the back-exit of the building while the greenhorns on the tribunes prepared their projectiles. The fundamental difference between the use of ranged units on the plaza and on the forum laid in the risk of friendly fire. With the entire stage left empty for Akay¡¯s troops, Saulus¡¯s archers could easily rain their arrows down without the worry of hurting their compatriots.


    And then, the head of the enemy chase reached the insides of the building.


    At first, they continued to advance through the empty stage. Only once one of the enemy officers saw neat lines of the troops they were chasing perfectly formed in a narrow corridor, did the enemies finally lose their momentum and enthusiasm.


    Sadly for them, that was the case only for those who were already inside. Everyone that had yet to see what was going on, was pushing on the people in front of them, instantly clogging the entrance. And it was right when the enemy troops lost their mobility, that Saulus gave the order by swinging his hand down.


    Whizz¡­.


    For one fleeting moment, the inside of the forum was silenced. For one passing instance, both sides turned silent, acknowledging and respecting what was about to transpire.


    And then, the arrows started falling on the bodies of Akay¡¯s men.


    The first volley annihilated half of the enemies that got inside. The shouts of those few who survived the first volley instantly riled up their cohorts still attempting to get inside. After all, they were chasing the enemy down and now desperate cries were coming out of the building where they caught them. What else could that mean, other than their forces rooting out those that dared to attack them?


    And just like that, more and more people continued to pour inside the building, only to realize what was really going on after it was already too late to back down. Before long, one of the two veteran companies of the young general used some back-alleys to slink through the city back towards the main entrance of the forum. Once most of the enemy troops already entered the forum, those three hundred battle-hardened men cut off the retreat of those who remained outside.


    From that point on, the battle turned into a massacre. Most of both greenhorns and veterans of the second legion hailed from the recently conquered eastern province. For them, the opportunity to hack down at the oppressors that took their lands and imposed heavy taxes on their families was something they would never refuse. And this alone was enough to stop any attempts from the less loyal legionaries at joining the enemy side.


    The bloodbath finally wrapped up with the enemy forces mostly surrendering. Without the support of their lord, they no longer had any chance of fending off the attackers.


    ¡°Round them all up. We still need to deal with Akay!¡±


    Instead of taking even a moment to rejoice in the victory of the first major battle of the rebellion, Saulus instantly organized the next move. For now, his men fulfilled all the orders of the plan. Outside of a few select officers, no one knew what the next step would be.


    ¡°Rally up! We will march¡­¡±


    Just as Saulus started shouting new orders, a single soldier appeared beside him and actually dared to poke his side!


    Something like this would be inexcusable¡­ Gross misconduct against the legion rules. Yet instead of instantly jumping to punish the soldier, Saulus actually brought his ear closer to the soldier¡¯s mouth. When his face raised up back to its normal level, the slight annoyance at the soldier crossing the line was replaced with a gleeful smile.


    ¡°Everyone! Cowardly traitor, formerly known as Lord Akay, has escaped the city! Gentlemen, Aldo is ours!¡±

 Chapter 12

    ¡°What a headache¡­¡±


    No amount of preparations, training or warnings could ever prepare Saulus for the number of tasks that dropped on his head. From the procedures of disarming the remaining soldiers of the lord, through spreading the propaganda that aimed to slowly change what the legionaries might think about the entire revolution, all the way to a countless number of miscellaneous affairs that needed to be taken care of.


    ¡°Sir, the seventeenth shipment got delayed. Reports say something about broken carriages¡­¡±


    Sorting through the papers along with his general, Gabriel proved to be as competent a secretary as he was a soldier. Instantly derailing Saulus¡¯s attempts at whining, this old veteran had some kind of strange ability that allowed him to see Saulus¡¯s state of mind. And burdened with all the work, Saulus was no match against this insane power.


    ¡°Eh, kiddo. You are worrying about everything way too much. Just let things take their time.¡±


    Seeing how his normal attempts to diffuse didn¡¯t seem to have any effect this time, Gabriel approached Saulus¡¯s desk before placing his heavy hand on the general¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I know, I know¡­¡±


    Leaning back against his chair in response, Saulus momentarily closed his eyes. With papers piling up in an almost comical fashion, Gabriel¡¯s suddenly-provided excuse appeared at the right time.


    ¡°Nevertheless, I didn¡¯t expect so much trouble to appear. At least we know that we have full control over the area¡­ Oh, right. Any news about local volunteers?¡±


    While the official propaganda did its work, Saulus was actually very interested in the effects of the rumors and news whispered from ear to ear. The second legion might have some loyalists. But once the people from the former Burn Kingdom learned about the long-lost flag once again fluttering above the royal castle¡­


    And Aldo was exactly what would pull the people in. While Istoa was a mighty and important fortress that guarded the entire region from the west, Aldo was the ultimate seat of power. Even when the Retesian household conquered those lands, the general governor of the entire area had no choice but to remain in the city. And now that he was gone¡­


    ¡°We have yet to receive reports. Sir, with all due respect, instead of worrying about those¡­ peasants, I would like to know a little more about how we will deal with our brothers.¡±


    Even though this seasoned Retesian soldier before him was involved in a part of Saulus¡¯s schemes, he was far from knowing the entire picture. And it was no wonder that he was worried about facing off against his friends and brothers-in-arms.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it¡­¡±


    Starting his sentence as if he wasn¡¯t willing to reveal the future, Saulus shook his head once before looking back at his officer.


    ¡°Along with Rylas, I sent a package filled with instructions, reasoning, and what his possible choices are. He is my friend. As likely as he is to hate me for betraying the patriarch and his household, he is a reasonable man. All he needs to do to confirm my words is to wait a week. Past that time, he will have no other choice but to accept my terms.¡±


    Massaging his eyeballs, Saulus started his explanations. After all, this was the very first moment when he could reveal even a tiny part of the grand master plan. With Venna being the lone confidant that Saulus could reveal anything to so far, being able to talk about strictly militaristic aspects of his genius strategy¡­ It was something as new as it was enjoyable to Saulus.


    ¡°Sir, but what exactly will be their situation? I hope¡­ They won¡¯t¡­¡±


    Not knowing all the details of his general¡¯s plans didn¡¯t hinder the old officer from understanding the scope of Saulus intentions. And as sad as it would sound, spilling brotherly blood wouldn¡¯t be unexpected at all during the war that Saulus provoked.


    ¡°Nah, who do you take me for?¡±


    Noticing the anxiety of his loyal subordinate, Saulus shook Gabriel¡¯s hand casually before explaining himself.


    ¡°Once he reaches the border, he will have the choice. Either go forth along with the patriarch¡¯s orders and doom the entire legion as no help from allied lords will come, or establish themselves at the Southern Crossing. He can claim that he will wait there indefinitely for the allied forces to attack the south. By clogging that route¡­¡±


    Standing up from his chair, Saulus approached an enormous map that hung on the wall of the royal chamber of the castle. Tracing his fingers on the thick cloth, he could see the bruises left by the strokes of the master painter that created this wonder. Following the path of the dark dots that marked the road, the general stopped his fingers at the lone southern fortress surrounded by fertile land. But there was one more reason why that place was special.


    It guarded the only other road outside of the track passing by Istoa, that led to the hinterlands of the entire eastern province!


    It was built during the early stages of the conflict between the young patriarch and the fallen kingdom of Burn. It was the single reason the war ended in the way it did. After all, to this day, Istoa has never fallen into the enemy¡¯s hands via direct siege.


    ¡°¡­They will secure our side while we restore the Burn household! Oh Firstborns, come here and watch as there is no way for such genius to manifest in one not of your bloodline!¡±


    Exclaiming to the skies while praising both Saulus¡¯ incredible mind and the Firstborn as well, Gabriel had to take a moment to calm down. And then, a set of two wrinkles appeared on the officer¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Sir, but why would they remain there? What will stop them from coming here and reclaiming the province? If the Rylas man you¡¯ve always respected is really that skillful, he might take supreme command over the legion!¡±


    It was clear why Gabriel was concerned. But Saulus didn¡¯t look troubled, even in the slightest.


    ¡°No, they won¡¯t come here. Because if they do, the chaos of the war will reach their families, friends and homes.¡±


    Turning his head to his subordinate once again, Saulus looked at Gabriel with strange sparks in his eyes.


    ¡°And I¡¯m the only guarantee of peace in the area. Why do you think I started everything at Istoa?¡±


    Reaching forth with his hand, Saulus grabbed a cup from the table and took a sip, while the wrinkle on Gabriel¡¯s head started to smooth out.


    ¡°A fortress that was never taken¡­ If we hold it while the first legion secures south¡­ I understand. We will enclose our theatre of operations to the eastern province alone¡­ But sir¡­¡±


    After taking a moment to consider the entire situation, Gabriel suddenly raised his head and stared at the general with a serious look in his eyes.


    ¡°Sir, if we are restoring the household¡­ Where is the princess?¡±

 Chapter 13

    ¡°All right, I am coming out. Are you ready?¡±


    For such a brave tone that she spoke with, the fact that Venna didn¡¯t back out of those courageous words was quite amusing.


    Thinking about it, Saulus wondered who could even imagine that the day the proper revolution would start would begin with this situation¡­ Tired to no end with all the paperwork that kept him awake through the night, the general could barely stand straight. There was no way his brain would allow him to think straight. Because of his exhaustion, even with his loyalty, it was hard to abandon all those unbecoming thoughts about his childhood friend.


    Thankfully, before any more wrong thoughts appeared in the young general¡¯s mind, Venna finally moved out from behind the screen, revealing her fresh look.


    All the maid¡¯s clothes were gone. Her brown hair, previously hidden by a special net, was now gracefully falling down her back, giving a great contrast to the white dress that she wore. With a tail of an arctic fox wrapped around her neck, she looked both adorable and immensely graceful.


    ¡°You may now raise your hand, my dear knight.¡±


    While some sparks of joy appeared in the girl¡¯s eyes as she played around in her new outfit, Saulus could easily tell that she was forcing herself. But with how tired he was, the idea of playing along seemed simply too alluring to ignore.


    ¡°May your grace bless my soul, my queen.¡±


    Falling down on one knee, the Saulus lowered his head over his bent leg. Reaching forth with her hand coated with some kind of delicate, see-through material, Venna attempted to stop her old friend from acting this way. A light blush suddenly appeared on her face, only to explode in bright redness when Saulus suddenly grabbed her hand and brought it towards his mouth.


    ¡°You have my utmost loyalty, my queen.¡±


    Saulus placed a gentle kiss right on top of the outer part of Venna¡¯s extended hand.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Unsure how she should respond, she suddenly had trouble reading her childhood friend like the open book he normally was. From the momentary hint of hesitation that rose in her eyes, a careful spectator could tell that she was unsure whether Saulus¡¯s act was playful or actually serious.


    In fact, the man himself wasn¡¯t sure about it either. What started as a follow-up to his previous joke caused by how tired he was, had now turned into an awkward situation.


    Knock, knock¡­


    The sound of someone gently tapping against the door saved the two from the catastrophically weird atmosphere.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    After taking a quick look at Venna, either in order of savoring her beauty or making sure that she was already fully dressed and prepared, Saulus invited the guest in.


    ¡°My princess¡­ It¡¯s¡­ Oh, firstborns¡­¡±


    Entering through the doors, the newcomer simply stood in place, staring at the beautiful girl as if he was looking at a ghost.


    ¡°Come on, Gabriel. She does not bite. Welcome your queen properly.¡±


    Now that there was a third person in the room, Saulus no longer dared to act as familiar as he did before. This moment was simply too important to taint it with some unnecessary jokes.


    ¡°My queen¡­ Venna¡­ My little girl¡­!¡±


    Still unable to utter a proper sentence, Gabriel dropped to both of his knees, not hitting his head against the floor only because of his hands supporting his weight. Yet he quickly fixed that, slamming his forehead against the wooden floor.


    ¡°Come on now, there is no need for that. You know that I¡¯m as good of a queen as you are a tailor.¡±


    Approaching the kneeling man, Venna placed her delicate hand covered in muslin on the veteran¡¯s shoulder. With his head moving up, everyone could see how his eyes brimmed with tears.


    ¡°My little girl¡­¡±


    Amongst many other things that defined him, Gabriel was a stickler for the rules. That¡¯s why, when he shot his arms to the side only to swallow the delicate girl in his bear-like hug, Saulus was way beyond surprised.


    ¡°Welcome home, uncle.¡±


    This wording.


    Without even realizing it, Venna¡¯s words had punched Saulus right in the gut.


    Home¡­ huh? Maybe it was due to his exhaustion. Maybe due to what was about to happen soon and the stress related to that. Or maybe Saulus allowed himself to acknowledge his own reasons for doing everything he did. Just for a moment. And that moment alone was enough to bring him back down to reality.


    Because what was home for the general? Retesia? While his entire career and history took place in the lands of this household, there was no statement as far from the truth as one declaring this place Saulus¡¯s home.


    Maybe it was the fallen Household of Burn, or more specifically Burn¡¯s former capital, where they were right now?


    Being the place of the general¡¯s birth and the host of all his happy childhood memories, it fell close to the mark, yet missed the true point. Because for as long as Venna was safe and sound on his watch, Saulus never felt as if he had left his home in the first place.


    ¡°Also¡­¡±


    Forcing Saulus out of his immersive nostalgia, Venna escaped from the overbearing hug of the older officer. The quick look that she sent to Gabriel¡¯s face seemed to be filled with slight annoyance, yet there was no wrath in her pupils.


    ¡°Do not call me a queen when we are alone. We both know that Saulus is the actual ruler of this land. I¡¯m just an adorable mascot to rally the people behind.¡±


    Those words weren¡¯t meant to hurt, as the girl spoke them with an ironic smile plastered to her lips. Yet, they left a deep bruise on Saulus¡¯s soul. Because Saulus never intended to use Venna for his own purposes. In fact, going back to the very day when a ten year old kid took a path that would define his entire future, it was with just a single intention in mind.


    To create a world where Venna would be safe.


    And apparently, she thought that Saulus continuously risked his life not for her sake, but in order to fulfill some stupid mission that the dying King of Burn household had burdened him with?


    To a point, that was true. The King had ordered Saulus to protect his heritage. But what the princess couldn¡¯t know was that the deceased monarch took quite a liking to this little and curious attendant of the court. What Venna also didn¡¯t know was that her father¡¯s words had an entirely different meaning than what they appeared to mean on the surface.


    For that gentle old man, Venna was his last remaining family. She was his heritage.


    And to protect and save Venna from any harm was a challenge that even a barely ten year old Saulus was sure to be up for!

 Chapter 14

    ¡°Tonight we feast!¡±


    Raising his cup high into the air, Saulus cheered to his people.


    ¡°Ura!¡±


    The entire mass of people gathered at the vast plaza before the royal castle, standing as one, thrust their cups into the air. Once the single cheer, sung by thousands of voices erupted, the air seemed to vibrate along with this cheerful declaration.


    After taking a quick look at his cup filled with some light juice that could barely classify as a beer, Saulus offered a good smile at the bad situation before downing the questionable drink in one go. After all, the shorter the torture, the better.


    ¡°Everyone! As we are feasting here, the vile Akay that betrayed the country¡­¡±


    Thankfully, the awful job of addressing the soldiers directly didn¡¯t last long. After the official greeting and initial cheer, his officers took over the job and started revving up the soldiers. Saulus¡¯ part to play in this theater had yet to truly come.


    Sitting down on his chair, Saulus took a quick look at the corridor behind him. Even though the entire legion, except for the doubled line of guards, was packed into this single plaza, the place didn¡¯t seem crowded at all.


    Apparently, the castle and its immediate surroundings of the Burn household were already ancient upon their establishment. Venna¡¯s bloodline history in this area was relatively short, with her grandfather inheriting the entire place thanks to some strange and shady scheme.


    Yet, outside of how durable this ancient building was, one couldn¡¯t fail to admit one aspect of the buildings created by the hands of people long gone. How sizable everything was.


    I wonder how long they will last¡­Looking at his hardworking officers while sipping his poor excuse of a beer, Saulus continued to watch the periphery of the entire camp. His turn to speak would begin once he heard from the one person he was looking for.


    Sadly, no commotion appeared anywhere at the camp before Gabriel finally bothered to send him a quick glance. With the young man¡¯s attention instantly snapping back from lazily enjoying himself to a perfect focus, he quickly readied himself for what would happen next.


    Regretfully, as much as Saulus abhorred public speeches, his position forced him to practice this kind of oratory skill required to rally soldiers. He had mastered this skill to the point where he could spew nonsense for any amount of time without a single fail.


    ¡°¡­And now, I will let you hear from our glorious general himself! Everyone, pay your damned respects to the man who brought us this victory, for he is about to speak!¡±


    Saulus had only one target in mind when initially making his entrance. To stall for time. The longer it took for Gabriel to introduce Saulus to the great crowd in front of them, the longer it would be before the general had to give his own speech.


    And with how vital the message he had to everyone that was waiting, Saulus was the last person to happily start placing his pieces on the board before knowing all the information there was to find. Standing up from his chair, Saulus walked forward.


    ¡°Legionaries!¡±


    In the grand scheme of things, standing up wouldn¡¯t change anything regarding how far his voice would reach, but its aim was something else entirely. A simple thing of a general coming out to his people. When Saulus learned about this from the Pleiades back in his early years, he couldn¡¯t believe how effective something so simple could be.


    And now it was his turn to check it out for himself.


    ¡°Today we stand at the twilight of this pointless battle that we fought and before the dawn of a new world!¡±


    Saulus¡¯ words held quite a lot of disturbing suggestions in them if someone was intelligent enough to see through the cover of what he was openly saying. Obviously, if someone was intelligent enough to see those hints, he would be also intelligent enough to understand that it was all but a part of the official propaganda.


    ¡°While some might say that our great formation might face some uncalled for challenges in the times to come, I can say for sure that our recent victory will bring riches and glory to everyone!¡±


    Using hard and uncommon words while speaking about the tough parts, while endeavoring to use the simplest diction possible, while describing the benefits of joining his cause. Saulus couldn¡¯t believe his eyes when the teachings of the Pleiades once again proved to be correct.


    With the crowd cheering at almost every single word, the general used his entire potential to stall the inevitable for even longer¡­ Only to finally give up.


    If no messenger has arrived yet¡­ then I can¡¯t wait any longer. This annoying feeling of waiting for something that was sure to appear, just without the knowledge of when¡­ was truly infuriating. But given no choice, after a few more minutes of spewing nonsense to his soldiers, Saulus finally turned toward the place where he was sitting before his speech, only to gesture at something towards the entrance of the palace¡¯s corridor.


    ¡°Men!¡±


    Shouting as loud as he could, Saulus quickly gathered the attention of the entire crowd on himself.


    ¡°You fought well!¡±


    Hearing the praise directly from the mouth of their supreme leader, legionaries chanted.


    ¡°Let me show you what we will keep fighting for!¡±


    There were no more chances for Saulus to stall any longer. They had to make the grand reveal today before the news from the first legion would arrive. Before everyone in the camp noticed that there would be no backing out of this situation. A situation that most of the second legion members never willingly put themselves in!


    ¡°My lady, come out, please.¡±


    Turning his back to the soldiers, Saulus looked deep into the darkness of the corridor. And from it, Venna in her white dress came out.


    In an instant, the entire plaza turned silent. The sheer grace and majesty that Venna projected all around her was enough to silence several thousand men at once.


    ¡°Men! Give your best salute! You are in the presence of her majesty, Queen of the Burn Household!¡±

 Chapter 15

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe nothing happened.¡±


    Dropping herself on the bed as soon as the doors of the chamber closed behind the two, Venna let out a long sigh.


    ¡°It was uneventful, yet tiring. Am I right?¡±


    Smiling at his own thoughts, Saulus rested his tired bottom on one of the chairs, pouring himself the very first cup of something palatable that night. With the awful taste of the fake drink at the feast finally washed away, the young general could, at last, think clearly.


    I wonder if I¡¯m relying too heavily on the drink¡­ It won¡¯t be good to let that happen, but I wonder how my body would react if I suddenly stopped¡­ Shaking his head, Saulus attempted to cast away that sudden and unwelcome thought. Right now, the crucial time of the entire rebellion would start. He would worry about his drinking later.


    Because right now, Saulus was completely safe.


    Obviously, there would be a lot of opposition to the south. Even with all the help from the unruly provinces of the east that Saulus could expect, the enemy had lords. This was an undeniable and unavoidable problem that he had to solve. A unique approach of throwing masses of priceless veterans against a single person while still expecting huge losses.


    But even this was something that he wouldn¡¯t need to figure out until sometime in the future. Instead of using his momentum to instantly sweep the entire area, Saulus had entirely different plans for his next move.


    ¡°Tiring? That¡¯s a gross understatement. I feel like dying right now.¡±


    Spreading her arms wide on the comfortable sheets of the bed, Venna continued to stare at the ceiling.


    ¡°Anyway!¡±


    Suddenly propelling back up to a sitting position, the girl smacked her cheeks with her hands twice before looking sharply at the general.


    ¡°When are you going to tell me? I was trying, but I just couldn¡¯t find any opening during the feast to ask you about it.¡±


    Resting her elbows on her knees, Venna supported her head with her fist while staring daggers at Saulus. Maybe it was the atmosphere of this place, her true home, that allowed this girl to make such a sudden shift from acting like a maid to how she really was, back before all hell broke loose.


    Or was there any shift, any change at all? Suddenly puzzled by this question, Saulus quickly had to drop the idea of pondering over it as Venna¡¯s face continued to sink more and more into a sulk.


    Heh¡­ I guess she was always just the same. Nodding inwardly at his own thoughts, Saulus had no choice but to reply to his queen¡¯s urgings.


    ¡°Rylas will stay in the south. While it¡¯s only a hearsay, I learned he took it¡­ differently than I expected.¡±


    With the topic of the first legion finally surfacing, Venna calmed down. Both because her wish was granted and due to how important this report was to her.


    ¡°Well, he gave me a timeline to fulfill my part. If I nail it properly, he will enter the new regime and keep my authoritarian rule in check. Can you believe that brat? Not only does he dare to give me terms, but for some strange reason he even believes I will do the ruling.¡±


    Saulus shook his head in an exaggerated attempt to look irritated by his former subordinate¡¯s arrogance.


    I guess the bird finally took its first flight. For as pained as he was with how he had to cheat his old and trusted friend, this was the one bright spot in the picture. After ten years of fighting together, Saulus had always wanted to return to Rylas not as a subordinate, but as a peer. With his leadership talents and relentless determination in achieving his targets, he somehow had remained a relatively pure person.


    And as little as Saulus hoped for this to happen, hearing that the absolutely best outcome had come his way, he couldn¡¯t help but get all nostalgic for a moment.


    Farewell, my friend. Now you are the architect of your own fate. Breaking away from his own thoughts, the young head of the rebellion finally took notice of Venna¡¯s face right in front of him.


    ¡°If not you, then who do you think will rule?¡±


    Suddenly asking this obvious yet strangely delicate question, Venna didn¡¯t allow Saulus to move his eyes away. Reaching forth, she took hold of his chin before seriously staring right into his eyes.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Stunned by the sudden occurrence, Saulus was at a loss as to what to say. With just a single tone leaving his mouth, the question hung in the air, weighing down on both of them.


    Isn¡¯t it pretty obvious? In theory, it should be easy to say it. Point his finger at her with a playful look should do the rest. But for some reason, the young man could not voice out those words.


    ¡°Either way, isn¡¯t it good? Now we can take our time to sit comfortably with what we have. With Istoa and Aldo in our hands, everything between the lonely plains and Allice river is basically in our hands. Outside of establishing ourselves locally, what would you advise to focus on in the next steps?¡±


    Looking at his childhood friend, Saulus couldn¡¯t believe how much she matured. In a flash, she turned from her normal, cheerful self, to the role that she had to bear. But Saulus couldn¡¯t help notice that there was a kind of sadness in her eyes.


    At first, Saulus even had some ideas about Venna becoming upset because he insisted on her participation in the ruling, but the long-reaching conclusions of this kind of thinking were so audacious that the young man didn¡¯t dare to give them thought any longer.


    ¡°Right now, we have two options. The first is to use the Allice river and take over a small outpost of Gaudio on the southern road. This would allow us not only to close the rest of the province from the world but also establish contact with the first legion to the south. We would cooperate by buying off Rylas¡¯ spare food for the money that our generous neighbors will support us with once we reach the border.¡±


    Moving his finger over the material of the invisible map, Saulus finished the explanation of the first idea.


    ¡°And? The second option? I know that look on your face. You started off with something basic and now you are going to blow my mind by revealing your grand plan that only firstborns would be capable of figuring out.¡±


    Raising her head from the imaginary map that Saulus indicated, Venna looked with a smirk at her friend.


    ¡°Instead of using the river, we go by road and march directly on Mengia. If we take it, only the two big cities to the south will remain between us and victory.¡±


    Given the idea that he previously had about forcing Venna into the role he wasn¡¯t willing to take himself, Saulus included both of them in the future he painted.


    ¡°Dugao and Exama¡­ What about Oreta? You know, the one to the north from Mengia?¡±


    Instead of showing any reaction to Saulus¡¯ small ploy, Venna focused on his larger plan.


    ¡°I know the governor there. Once we will secure the road and his profits from the trade, he will be happy to support us with all his might. You might be surprised, but he is one of the loyalists.¡±


    Smiling at the memories that the mention of that man brought him, Saulus shook his head before moving back to the main topic mentioned.


    ¡°Dugao and Exama. While there is still the matter of that outpost to the south that I mentioned previously, we need to only worry about those two. Each of their garrisons alone will be capable of burying us once we exhaust ourselves at Mengia. The battle with those soldiers and their lords¡­ will be the deciding point of the entire revolution.¡±


    Shaking his arms as if they weren¡¯t currently talking about how the entire civil war would play out, Saulus looked at Venna. While he had already made his decision, he still wanted to hear what Venna thought. After all, the only way to make her safe was to turn her into a capable leader. And Saulus was willing to go to any lengths to achieve that.


    ¡°I understand. Okay then, what we will do is¡­¡±

 Chapter 16

    ¡°Quite frantic, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Standing on one of the palace¡¯s balconies, Saulus glanced down at the chaotic mess below. Just a few paces away, people were busy with their own orders and tasks they wanted to accomplish. Someone was currently checking their backpack, someone else was haggling with a blacksmith, and someone else was receiving a scolding from his superior.


    And that was just the official legion¡¯s camp alone.


    Raising his head a bit to grasp the sight of the entire city, the scale of madness caused by Saulus¡¯s schemes revealed itself to his eyes.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what we wanted? This sense of urgency?¡±


    Resting herself against the balustrade of the balcony, Venna followed after Saulus¡¯ eyes, glancing at her new subjects. Her remark perfectly expressed the slightly nostalgic mood that she had.


    ¡°It is. It most definitely is.¡±


    For some reason, Saulus wasn¡¯t happy to admit it. While most of what was going on in the streets was a direct result of the plans that he had come up with, it was quite a grim feeling to actually stress over the fate of all those busy people.


    Not the ones within the legion¡¯s camp. All the soldiers had signed up for exactly what was happening right now. It was the situation of the many civilians of Aldo and the surrounding villages that brought the young commander down.


    ¡°You can¡¯t help it. It¡¯s not like you are the¡­ or nevermind. What I wanted to say, those people have awaited this opportunity for a long time already. While some of them will most definitely die, they would jump at any chance at regaining their freedom.¡±


    Noticing the inner struggle of her old friend, Venna sympathized. But no matter how much she wanted to soothe Saulus¡¯s emotional distress, it was something that every military commander had to learn to cope with. Words alone wouldn¡¯t be enough to deal with the guilty conscience of sending entire swaths of people to spread the news of the revolution. Words wouldn¡¯t buy back the lives of those volunteers that wouldn¡¯t make it back to their families.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t force them into the hell of a war. You just gave them an opportunity to risk their lives for something they believe in¡­ and with a better future awaiting them once they fulfill their tasks.¡±


    Listening to Venna¡¯s words, Saulus suddenly stood away from the railing. Moving a few steps to the back, he cast a sharp glance at the girl.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to make me feel better about it. I¡¯m not worried about those people. They are willingly joining the cause.¡±


    Tilting his head to point with his chin at the city below, Saulus returned to the balcony and rested his back against the railing.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about those who will be swept up by the momentum of our schemes, whether they like it or not. Did you ever think about how many people would lose their means to feed their families once the trading routes change, according to how the war will go?¡±


    Pouring the ice-cold truth directly on the field of their discussion, Saulus shook his head before nodding it towards the queen.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. By whining like that I¡¯m just trying to push my guilt away. Ultimately, I¡¯m the one who started it all, so now I just need to swallow my pride and suffer through what it costs¡­ But it hurts.¡±


    Saulus wasn¡¯t a monster. As silly as it sounded, every villain in the history of humanity could say that about themselves. From the troubled past, through the involvement of the Pleiades all the way to his brutal upbringing, Saulus checked off all the marks of a tragic villain in the story of his life. But it didn¡¯t matter how much he would want to avoid admitting that. Ultimately, the entire situation was a result of nothing else but his own choice to follow down this disastrous path.


    Because in the end, the cost of not doing so was something that Saulus couldn¡¯t afford to pay.


    ¡°I think we should head to the quartermaster¡¯s office. With all the recruits pouring in, we might face some troubles with properly supplying them. Either way, we need to push them into battle soon¡­


    Usually, Saulus would take the time to explain the way to solve this problem. But this time, he decided to let the girl come up with it on her own.


    After all, while he was a general of the combined rebel armies, it was Venna that ultimately had to check all his orders. Just like his duty was to suffer through the moral drawbacks of throwing the country into a civil war, it was the Queen¡¯s duty to affirm the orders that would push countless people into the horrors of civil strife.


    ¡°So we are back to this topic? I know I will ultimately have to do it¡­ But I just can¡¯t yet. Can¡¯t we give them a bit more time?¡±


    With her elbows still resting on the balcony¡¯s railing, Venna looked into the distance. Located right beside the legion¡¯s camp, a temporary training ground was set. Managed by the top veterans of the second legion, its purpose was to turn the reckless mob of volunteers from Aldo and the areas surrounding into disciplined soldiers.


    Yet, both of the highest commanders of the entire rebellion were perfectly aware of how little could be achieved in that camp given the limited time. With the second legion already in full swing of preparation for the further invasion to the south, the newbie soldiers in the camp would have only a few more days to practice.


    But teaching them to follow orders would at least give them a better shot at surviving in a battle. Sadly, it wasn¡¯t something that could happen in a span of just a few days. In fact, Saulus didn¡¯t even dare to imagine what would happen to the second legion if a large battle occurred any time soon.


    The one thing that was certain was that only after more blood would be split, would the soldiers of the second legion reach their maturity as warriors. This mental powerup, turning them from simple soldiers to proper legionaries had to be quenched in the blood of the enemies they would kill themselves. As for the volunteers¡­


    It would suffice to say that they weren¡¯t even on that level yet.


    ¡°Just give them a few more days. While that means giving our enemies more time to prepare¡­ It¡¯s not like we will count on our numbers to take over Mengia. Right?¡±

 Chapter 17

    ¡°Sir, we encountered enemies in the fifth, seventh and eleventh sectors. While in the first two we managed to route the opposition in a matter of just a few moments¡­¡±


    Even though Saulus wasn¡¯t known for punishing messengers for bringing bad news, the soldier still hesitated to break down the unpleasant part of the report.


    ¡°They were massacred, am I right?¡±


    Casting a quick glance into the deeper part of the commanding tent, Saulus attempted to hide how hard he was clenching his teeth while saying that. He, as the general, had to always appear as the calm amidst the storm. He had to appear as someone who wouldn¡¯t lose his temper over the losses, opting instead to focus on stopping those losses from growing.


    As sympathetic as one could be, who would want to be commanded by someone who would lose their wits once the first blood appeared? While it didn¡¯t speak nicely about humanity at all, most of the soldiers always prefered to have a ruthless bastard in command. When one¡¯s life turned out to be at risk, no one would bother to care about morals. Only effectiveness counted.


    ¡°Sir, not all of them but¡­ We lost nearly half a company¡¯s worth of people there.¡±


    Nodding his head with fear written all over his face, the soldier confirmed Saulus¡¯ guess. But contrary to his terror-born expectations, the general didn¡¯t fly into a rage.


    ¡°I know you are tired from the journey, but I will need you to do just a little bit more.¡±


    Standing up from his simple, wooden chair, Saulus moved past the map with an insane number of lots and figures. For the strategic headquarters of any army, this kind of maquette was akin to what a sword was in the hand of a simple soldier.


    ¡°On your order, sir!¡±


    Hiding a huge sigh of relief, the soldier saluted with his fist to his chest, springing up at attention.


    ¡°Go to the eleventh sector¡­ Oh, before that. Did they manage to take the place?¡±


    Shaking his head in order to cast away the thoughts that muddled his perception, Saulus looked over at the map. With just a single glance he located the special symbol marking the place he was speaking with the messenger about.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Replying in one instant, the soldier had to take a while to notice the taxing glance of his commander.


    ¡°I¡­ I think so, sir.¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, the young courier slightly changed his report with a breaking voice.


    Just as expected¡­ These people are really inexperienced. Forcefully stopping himself from comparing what he could do with his first legion and what he was limited to with the second, Saulus forced his thoughts back on track.


    ¡°Then go to the quartermaster¡¯s camp. Order the¡­¡±


    Taking a quick glance at the map, the young general focused on the small trinkets that marked the presence of different units that the second legion and volunteer corps split into. After confirming what he wanted, Saulus¡¯ sight moved back at the messenger.


    ¡°Pass the order to move the Blue Gryphons unit to that sector. If it¡¯s still held by the enemies, just burn it down. If it¡¯s in our hands already, leave the Gryphons to guard it while bringing the unit with casualties back to the concentration point.¡±


    Once the order was given, the young soldier filling in as a courier quickly saluted and left the headquarters camp. Watching after his figure shrinking in the distance, Saulus released a long sigh before turning his attention back to the work.


    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t die from some stray arrow or in some random skirmish¡­ I think he might grow up to be a splendid soldier.¡±


    Watching the back of the man who was most likely only about one or two years younger than him, Saulus uttered under his breath.


    ¡°Why? Because he¡¯s quick?¡±


    Appearing from the back entrance of the huge tent, Gabriel placed two cups that he brought with, on the small table.


    ¡°No, because he doesn¡¯t see me as a legend, but as a bloodthirsty monster. That means he isn¡¯t naive enough to die a meaningless death.¡±


    Cutting the small talk with this depressing sentence, Saulus approached the small stool and took the cup that he requested from his old friend a few moments ago.


    ¡°Bad news?¡±


    Instead of taking the rude behaviour of his general personally, the old officer only angled his head to the side before asking. He knew Saulus long enough to understand the inner workings of his head.


    ¡°Kind of. We took huge losses while taking the eleventh sector. In fact, I¡¯m not even sure we managed to claim it.¡±


    Taking a sip of wine from his cup had a blessing effect on the general. As if all the worries were washed away by the delicate alcoholic drink, Saulus¡¯ face relaxed a bit.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t expect for it to happen. In fact, this kind of situation is the very reason behind this entire operation¡­ But as easy as it is to add numbers to the casualty count, I can¡¯t help but worry. Aren¡¯t we racking the losses a bit too fast?¡±


    While the general aim of their entire strategy was to march down on the city of Mengia in order to take control of the most important crossroads in the entire province, it wasn¡¯t something that could be done casually. With how they were basically a newly-emerging power on the map, Saulus had no other choice but to wrestle control of all the small locations around the area of the city before actually attacking it.


    ¡°It¡¯s better for them to grow quickly now, rather than having most of our troops die out in the siege. Don¡¯t forget that ultimately, this is the less costly path to victory.¡±


    While the usual ban on information was still in place, Gabriel was perfectly aware of all the details of the mission he was working to fulfill. In fact, he was the one to take the burden off Saulus¡¯ shoulders by proposing this kind of method of tempering the spirit of their soldiers.


    But that didn¡¯t take any guilt off Saulus¡¯ soul. Thankfully, he was way beyond the point of caring about the gutter that his guilty conscience was in. With everything he did so far, just a few hundred more dead didn¡¯t affect the overall count all that much. On the other hand, if by sacrificing hundreds he could save thousands, then as a general, he could consider this mission to be a great success!


    ¡°I know. The fact that we are just a day¡¯s march away from Mengia is putting me in a foul mood. To be honest, planning everything out from the safety of the capital was far more interesting than actually going through with those plans.¡±


    Taking another sip before falling powerlessly down on his simple throne, Saulus cast his eyes at the map. At first, Gabriel patiently waited for the general to react in any way, but after quite a long while had passed with the young man seemingly deep in thought, the old veteran decided to take the matters into his own hands.


    ¡°Sir, once we confirm that the eleventh sector is in our hands¡­¡±


    Waking up from his daze as rapidly as he fell into it, Saulus looked at his subordinate. This far into the conflict, Saulus knew all the details of the map by heart. He didn¡¯t even need to look at the maquette to picture the situation on a greater scale.


    ¡°We will be ready to advance, I know.¡±


    Turning his head back to its natural position, Saulus picked up a thin but long wooden stick from beside his chair. Moving it over to the maquette, he used its dull end to push the trinket symbolizing the core of their forces. From its current location at their rallying point to the piece of stone marking the city they were about to conquer, this simple motion on the map would later translate to a day¡¯s march for the legionaries.


    ¡°We are just one day away from Mengia. That means the enemy already knows we are in for a fight here. After taking Aldo, I didn¡¯t expect this kind of suspense to get to me anymore.¡±


    Shaking his hair with a dry smile, Saulus dropped the stick out of his hand before standing up and approaching the maquette. Given how hard it was to transport it, it would be burned down to cinders and remade once their camp would move to the city walls.


    And that was one of the reasons why Gabriel didn¡¯t try to stop his general from smashing his fist against the stone that marked the location of the city.


    ¡°A day away from the place where the fate of rebellion will be decided. Thinking about this, I¡¯m not sure if you noticed one thing.¡±


    As if slamming his fist against the delicate, oiled paper of the maquette managed to calm his emotions down, Saulus managed to reveal a mysterious smile. The very first sign of emotion different from boredom or anxiety today.


    ¡°What, sir?¡±


    Unsure what he could be speaking about, Gabriel took a sip of his wine before asking.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange how absolutely nothing of importance happens when the fate of the world is changing? Look at us now. Tomorrow we will march to decide our fates. Right now, we are finishing all of our strategic preparations. But did anything huge actually happen today? Nothing at all.¡±


    Taking another sip from his cup, Saulus smiled at his own thoughts.


    ¡°Curious, isn¡¯t it?¡±

 Chapter 18

    ¡°Sir, the troops will be ready in half an hour.¡±


    The concentration point of Saulus¡¯ forces was established in a small forest roughly an hour away from the city. With how important it was to keep the numbers of the rebellion hidden from the eyes of the enemy, this place was the best that the young general could find.


    ¡°Good. Make sure the fortifications are ready.¡±


    Nodding to the messenger that came to report, Saulus waved his hand at him, giving the young soldier the signal to leave.


    ¡°Are you really that sure about this plan? If something goes wrong¡­¡±


    While Gabriel was used to Saulus¡¯ antics, it didn¡¯t mean he could stomach everything he had proposed. Even if no one denied Saulus his military genius, this old soldier clearly had some trouble with accepting the plan.


    ¡°Trust me, I know that guy. If you think that calling him an impulsive coward isn¡¯t enough, then how about learning that he was sacked from the seat of governance over the entire province? And guess for what¡­ For allegedly sabotaging the war effort.¡±


    Saulus shook his head with pity. Taking a sip from his water sack, he looked outside of the open frame of the tent. Contrary to how disorganized everything seemed to be in the cities and in overall safe areas, nothing of this kind was likely to happen right at the enemy¡¯s doorstep.


    ¡°What did he do?¡±


    The way in which the general left his officer hanging without telling the rest of the story was pretty annoying, but Gabriel knew better than to whine about it. Because what others might find surprising, was that this kind of moment was when most of the inspiration for the bright and daring ideas appeared in Saulus¡¯ head.


    ¡°He was cowardly and refused to press the attack with his troops as a front guard. The resulting argument almost turned into a civil war back then¡­ But some forces made sure that it didn¡¯t happen. After all, I didn¡¯t wish for any major bloodshed to start while we were still preparing for the uprising.¡±


    Shaking his head with his mind still drifting amongst his memories, Saulus cast a long glance at the rows of hardened and sharpened sticks that were distributed among the ranks of the soldiers. This task was so crucial for his plans that nearly a third of the entire camp was dedicated to producing and distributing them.


    Outside of the area where the soldiers patiently sat on the ground while resting against their backpacks, the lone part deprived of trees was filled with horses. Given how there was only one company of heavy cavalry and up to two companies of light horsemen, if one were to count all the scouts and messengers, he would get a number far smaller from the herd hidden in the forest¡¯s clearing.


    Because some of them wouldn¡¯t be used to charge at the enemy ranks, but for something far more important.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m changing topics, but I hope you won¡¯t mind me asking. Are you openly at odds with Rena?¡±


    Referring to the general and governor of Mengia, Gabriel¡¯s eyes wandered off towards the city.


    ¡°Kinda. I always openly admired how his losses managed to be on the low end of the scale. Yet, when he fell out of the patriarch¡¯s grace I had no other choice but to distance myself from him. Those damned court shenanigans¡­ I really want to forget I had to dabble in that mess.¡±


    Shaking his head to throw those boring memories out of his mind, Saulus looked towards the camp. With most of the makeshift pikes now gone, it was only a matter of time before someone would come to report the soldiers¡¯ readiness.


    ¡°I think we will have to stop here. I might be the one to start the battle, but you will still have to run for a while to get there.¡±


    Standing up from his chair only to approach a small stool as he spoke, Saulus grabbed an apple before throwing it playfully at his old friend.


    ¡°Sir. I will ask once again and I promise it will be the last time. Are you really sure that this plan will work?¡±


    Catching the fruit mid-air, the old veteran put it aside. After all, anyone who survived their first battle and got lucky enough to see grey hair growing on their head knew that eating before battle was unwise.


    ¡°I told you, I know the man like the back of my hand. As big of a coward as Rena is, he isn¡¯t a bad general. That¡¯s why we are giving him the bait; to tickle his impulsiveness. I believe our people at his court did a good job of making him overestimate our forces. He won¡¯t have any choice, all the while thinking that he came up with the one way to counteract our plan.¡±


    Saulus responded before pulling out his own sword and saluting with his right fist to his chest, holding the weapon downwards. No more words were needed. This ancient salute was the greatest blessing that Saulus could offer to his officer.


    ¡°May the firstborns be with us.¡±


    Nodding his head in response, Gabriel moved outside of the tent, approaching the very first group of soldiers sitting on their backpacks.


    ¡°Men, we are moving out!¡±


    Hearing his subordinate casting successive orders, Saulus smiled before directing his steps to the other part of the camp. The chaotic mess of horses was already nicely organized in rows, with the battle-mounts at the front, followed by the quick horses of scouts and then by the carriers at the very back.


    ¡°Sir!¡±


    Before Saulus could look around to locate his horse, one of his lower subordinates was already passing the reins to his hand. Taking the leather strip in his fingers, Saulus ignored the commotion caused by a total of eight companies of heavy legionaries, and instead focused on caressing the muzzle of his trusty mount instead.


    ¡°Men¡­!¡±


    Only once the thunderous sound of thousands of feet devastating the top layer of the small forest¡¯s vegetation passed away into the distance, did the young general turn to the soldiers beside him.


    ¡°Today, we ride.¡±

 Chapter 19

    Looking forward and ignoring the commotion raised by the insane amount of horsemen that followed him, Saulus could imagine himself taking a relaxing ride through a garden. With the rays of the rising sun coating the entire area in warmth, the blossoming plants that filled the plain between the forest and the city turned the location from a simple area to a poetic landscape.


    Thinking about it¡­ There was a chance this place might often be recalled in poetry written in the future¡­The wind was getting to Saulus¡¯ head. Despite the relatively calm pace at which he was pushing forward, the wild gusts of wind were enough to spread his hair as if he was some kind of gryphon. However, the warmth of the sun caressed the skin of his face, and the pleasant smell of the flowers filled his nostrils.


    And the sight of the city he was riding towards managed to turn this tranquil moment back into the bloody reality the general had known his entire life.


    ¡°Pace! Raise!¡±


    Despite the relatively slow speed of the massive cavalry force that Saulus was personally commanding, it was impossible to have any discussion even with the soldier nearest to Saulus. Only by shouting the important words with long pauses in between gave his voice any chance at ever reaching the ears of the trumpeter.


    But thankfully, it did. The herald riding right beside him raised his instrument before uttering three short and successive whistles, followed by another, longer one.


    Soldiers under Saulus¡¯ direct command were not the veterans that knew all the orders perfectly. They could follow the basic commands without any major problem, but anything beyond the scope of simple maneuvers would prove too challenging for them. Especially considering how only about half of Saulus¡¯ horsemen were actually true cavalrymen!


    The sound signal could do its own thing, but Saulus made sure to lead by the example as well. Tickling the sides of his loyal mount with his heels, he lowered himself over its neck. Now, the city in front was growing even faster.


    In a few moments, Saulus¡¯ mounted group managed to reach the back guard of the footsoldiers that advanced before them.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    With how close they were to the city now, the outcry of the local bell announced that their enemies were perfectly aware of their approach. It would have been strange if they managed to miss more than two thousand heavily armed legionaries calmly marching towards the city.


    If not for Rena holding absolute power in the town, Saulus could even imagine a scenario where the defenders wouldn¡¯t dare to believe that the star commander of the entire patriarch¡¯s household was instilling a revolt, instead letting him inside the city with honors.


    But there was no way for that sly fox to risk so much. Not with how much he hated Saulus for taking over the lands that he lost at court all those years ago. Not because he was cowardly when it came to using his resources. Because he was someone who took the meaning of being impulsive to an entirely different realm. And the first impulse anyone would feel when seeing a huge military force approaching would be to shut the gates, take up the swords and defend their home!


    Even if it never was their home, to begin with.


    ¡°FASTER!¡±


    After passing by a long column of the legionaries, Saulus shouted to his herald only to hear the same signal as before. Once again charging forward by himself, he could feel the distant calling of bloodlust. The instinct that kept him alive through so many of the battlefields he frequented in his past.


    ¡°ADVANCE!¡±


    This time, the order was different. Sounding in the air as soon as Saulus passed by the front guard of his footmen, it resulted in the entire, huge cavalry force jumping at the greatest speed at which they could safely ride across the plain. With the road to their side keeping them on the track, it took Saulus and his men just a few moments to reach the direct proximity of the city¡¯s west gate.


    Which was obviously closed.


    I wonder what they are thinking¡­With his entire force slowly grinding to a stop, Saulus looked at the line of walls. With many heads popping up from behind the fortifications and other kinds of cover, it was a wonder that no one dared to cast arrows at the dense crowd of Saulus¡¯ cavalry.


    I guess no one wants to draw the first blood¡­Thinking about this possibility, Saulus couldn¡¯t help but smile. Even though the battle was now imminent, it wouldn¡¯t be his job to cast the first injury upon his enemies.


    ¡°Engineers, engage!¡±


    Saulus¡¯ force didn¡¯t stop right outside of the gates of the enemy city to test out the waters. He wasn¡¯t as cold-blooded or naive enough to believe that standing motionlessly against a rain of arrows was a sign of courage that could demoralize the enemy.


    And that meant, obviously there was another reason why his force stopped directly beside the city¡¯s gate, right outside of the ideal range of the bowmen on its walls!


    But from the perspective of the defenders, outside of a huge commotion that turned the attacking cavalry¡¯s force into chaos, nothing else happened.


    ¡°Ride forth!¡±


    Without the noise of hundreds of horses galloping on the ground, Saulus could use his normal voice to give orders. In fact, he was quite certain that most of the soldiers managed to hear his shout even before the triple note of the herald¡¯s trumpet shook through the air.


    And just like they all learned, Saulus¡¯ men kicked the sides of their own horses before moving forth, along the walls of the city as if to taunt the enemy.


    Taunt the enemy with the fact that while they were busy counting the hooves of their horses from the safety of the walls, a sixth of Saulus forces suddenly dismounted and turned the materials carried by the horses at the very back of the unit into a makeshift, crescent line of simple fortifications.


    ¡°Pace! Raise!¡±


    The sound of Saulus¡¯ repeated order disappeared within the noise made by the remaining portion of his forces. Thankfully, the sound of the trumpet managed to convey the message, speeding up the pace of the entire unit, all the while the men that remained on the ground continued to extend the barricade just outside of the danger zone.


    And before the Mengian garrison could react in any way, the first company of Saulus¡¯ footmen reached the barricade, suddenly turning it into a dangerously effective way of cutting the entire gate from use!


    Then, Saulus¡¯ force moved to the next gate, hiding the view of what was happening at the main axis of the attack from his eyes.

 Chapter 20

    Keep calm, Saulus. Just let everything unfold¡­To say that the young general was excited would be a gross understatement. As much as Saulus never considered war as anything else aside from the ultimate form of diplomacy, there was no denying that the years he spent on the battlefield left a certain type of mental scar on him.


    Just keep steady, let him believe in himself¡­Glancing towards the city hidden behind the walls rising for several meters into the sky, Saulus¡¯ mind was preoccupied with trying to spot any clue about Rena¡¯s intentions. While his plan was devised solely to irk the most volatile features of that lord¡¯s character, it wasn¡¯t guaranteed.


    ¡°Sir, the gate!¡±


    The role of the herald in this unit wasn¡¯t limited to passing down orders with his trumpet to the rest of the unit. Thanks to the relatively safe position in the fourth row of the entire unit, he was tasked with observation as well. Outside of relaying the orders, he was tasked with notifying Saulus of anything extraordinary that Saulus himself would miss.


    Following the words of his subordinate that barely managed to reach his ears through the commotion, Saulus directed his sight towards the next entryway to the city.


    Soldiers.


    More soldiers that Saulus could see back at the gate where the main axis of attack would happen. It seemed that although slowly, Rena was decisively swallowing the bait that Saulus continued to dangle right in front of his face.


    ¡°Pace! Down!¡±


    There was absolutely no point in wasting time around this area, given how many soldiers appeared to protect it. While it was only a glance, Saulus could even see some of them bearing crossbows, the one weapon that could inflict serious injury at the distance the general¡¯s cavalry was riding away from the town¡¯s walls.


    And that was exactly why Saulus decided to stop his unit. After all, losses would eventually start ramping up. Giving up on the crucial aspect of the entire siege scheme just because it would cost some blood was a mistake a rookie general would make. A mistake that Rena would commit given his natural traits. But not a mistake someone like Saulus would ever consider to be a viable option.


    ¡°Set down!¡±


    Once the entire group managed to come to a full stop, the few heavy raiders with their thick armour and long, heart-shaped shields moved to the flank, shielding the rest of the group from any potential fire. Even with its reach being way above that of a bow¡¯s arrow, there were some strict limits to what a crossbow¡¯s bolt could penetrate while operating at its maximum range. And those limits were way below the quality of the armors that those few heavy-cavalrymen wore.


    ¡°Footmen, fortify! Horsemen, after me!¡±


    Using the short moment when the atmosphere was relatively silent, Saulus rose up on his stirrups, shouting the order himself.


    Let¡¯s see if he¡¯s smarter than everyone or just a cowardly piece of shit. Right now, Rena only had two choices. Either focus on the silly fortifications that Saulus auxiliary troops were setting up, or chase after the general himself in hopes of eradicating the crux and core of the entire invading army. Given how hard it was to even imagine Rena with his shirt torn on his chest, his long, oily hair fluttering in the wind, as he would raise his sword and throw down a devastating spell at his enemies¡­


    Yuck¡­ Just thinking about it is making me sick¡­Shaking his head to get rid of those nauseating thoughts, Saulus quickly scanned the area.


    ¡°Horsemen, move out!¡±


    Giving the enemy yet another chance to locate and recognize him, Saulus once again rose up on the saddle of his horse before pulling the rest of his force forward.


    The next one should be¡­.By this point, Saulus¡¯ strategy was already pretty obvious. Instead of spreading his forces thin and attempting to encircle the entire city, he went with blocking just the main gates of the town. As long as his footmen could hold those silly fortifications, the city would be as isolated as it would be with an entire army surrounding it. After all, the amount of supplies that people could smuggle through the gaps in Saulus¡¯ forces wouldn¡¯t change anything at all. Not for a city of this scale.


    Saulus¡¯ force quickly regained its usual speed. With only the bravest of the garrison soldiers daring to fire their crossbow, those few bolts simply disappeared into the crowd of Saulus¡¯ unit. So far, the losses were surprisingly thin.


    But that threat couldn¡¯t absorb Saulus attention, as after just a few moments of riding, the potentially last point of the journey appeared in front of his eyes.


    Come on¡­ What are you waiting for¡­Despite the walls hiding most of the city from his sight, Saulus¡¯ eyes were glued to a single spot. Right beside the southern gate, a huge castle complex was integrated into the city defense system, overlooking both the gate and the river located a short walk away from it. And right on top of its highest tower, a huge bell was mounted.


    ¡°Pace! Up!¡±


    Giving out the standard order, Saulus once again pulled his soldiers into a frantic gallop, rushing towards the gate. But as anyone could expect, it was closed by the local guards way before Saulus¡¯ cavalry managed to even appear in the view of its guards.


    ¡°Pace¡­¡±


    Just as the young general was about to give out the standard order to enclose the near gate, a sudden shrill sound rang through the air. Starting very low, the tone of the fortress bell quickly turned high to the point where Saulus felt like tearing his ears off.


    Damned magic¡­As much as the young general hated being subjected to this mysterious and unrelenting force, the appearance of the greatest weapon of the enemy could only mean one thing.


    Rena finally decided to make a move!


    And from how the soldiers on the wall near Saulus¡¯ mobile detachment didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry at all, it seemed that Saulus¡¯ bet had finally paid off!


    ¡°Legionaries!¡±


    Instead of giving out the standard order, Saulus rose as high up in his stirrups as he could before shouting as loudly as his lungs allowed. With his hand already brandishing the sword that several adjutants spent the entire night polishing, he made a small circle with the tip of his blade before putting it sharply right along the line of his eyes.


    ¡°Turn!¡±


    If the bell rang and the local soldiers didn¡¯t move more than usual, then the reason for that could be just one. The main theater where the situation would play out was somewhere else.


    And Saulus knew pretty well where it would happen.

 Chapter 21

    Claiming that the force currently under Saulus¡¯ direct command was a true legion¡¯s cavalry would be an example of a perfect white lie. Now that the last group of the footmen dropped to the ground and jumped to unpacking the materials that the carrier horses brought with them, the rest of the group consisted of people used to fighting on horseback.


    And it was them that perfectly executed this single order, even though it was a bit more challenging than simply speeding up or slowing down.


    At first, everyone rode towards the citadel, as if attempting to provoke Rena, who was most likely hiding there. During this maneuver, the heavily-armored part of the horsemen changed their position from the left wing to the right one, before the trumpet¡¯s high blare announced the start of the change.


    With the slow and heavy part of the cavalry suddenly taking a gentle curve, the rest of the group followed. During the reshuffle of the ranks, the fastest group in the entire unit ¨C the scouts ¨C took the outer rim of the formation, speeding up like madmen to catch up with the otherwise gentle turn that the entire unit was taking.


    ¡°Pace¡­¡±


    With his sword acting like a beacon that gave direction to the entire army, the troops already started hurrying their mounts before he could even finish his sentence.


    ¡°JUMP!¡±


    This time, Saulus¡¯ order wasn¡¯t just to accelerate. With the herald beside him instantly extracting a long and sharp cry from his instrument, the atmosphere changed. What had been nothing more than a smokescreen to Rena so far, now turned into what this unit was truly designed to do in the first place.


    Frantic gallop all the way back to the place where it all started.


    There was no time for reservations. There was no place for saving the horses¡¯ stamina. There was no room for any doubts.


    ¡°RIDE!¡±


    When the cavalrymen under his command finally managed to angle their direction to enter the designed path, Saulus no longer could restrain himself. Giving out the order to increase speed even more, he could hear the trumpeter beside him repeating the previous noise.


    ¡°Ride!¡±


    At this point, even the herald beside him couldn¡¯t hear Saulus¡¯ words. The noise of hundreds of horses running down the path beside the walls was simply too great for anyone to hear anything. Thankfully, Saulus¡¯ presence was still big enough for the unit¡¯s eyes to gravitate towards him. His hand raised in the air with his lustrous sword in it pointing forward.


    Just a little bit more¡­Before long, Saulus passed by the second gate they had stopped at just a few moments ago. With the footmen he left there already safely hidden behind the makeshift embankments, there was no point worrying about this position.


    Saulus could say a lot about Rena. Given the years of preparation that he put in for this uprising, he had had all the time in the world to learn about his potential opponent. And after this extensive period of preparations, one thing was pretty clear.


    Rena could be a coward acting on impulses, but he wasn¡¯t an idiot by any means. Even the bit of firstborn¡¯s blood that flowed through his veins wouldn¡¯t be enough for him to reach the high and comfortable position he had in the Patriarch¡¯s regime if he was a damned slowpoke!


    ¡°Ride!¡±


    Shouting more for the sake of his own morale rather than giving orders, Saulus glanced at the men manning the fortifications before focusing all his attention on what was in front.


    Because right now, only the curvature of the nearby protrusion of the city wall was obscuring the most important scene of the ongoing battle.


    ¡°HERALD!¡±


    Shouting at the very top of his lungs, Saulus didn¡¯t have much hope of reaching the ears of his subordinates. So he simply let go of his horse¡¯s reins, leaning over the side of his mount to smack the man¡¯s side with his now freed left hand. Being in the middle of the entire formation, he didn¡¯t really need to worry about his horse going off track.


    Only when he received the hit, did the herald notice Saulus¡¯ wishes. Raising his trumpet high in the air, he glanced over at the general, awaiting his signal. This last command had to be given as late as possible before crossing the line of no return.


    Not yet¡­The distance that separated the cavalry from the curve of the city walls was shortening at a visible rate. In just a few moments, unless ordered otherwise, they would jump in the open plain beside the gate they had first visited.


    Not yet¡­Watching how his troops started to appear when the walls could no longer hide them, Saulus could feel something warm spreading through his lower abdomen.


    Not yet¡­Just a few meters remained. In a fraction of a moment from now, they would pass by the curve of the wall, exposing their presence. The sounds of the battle coming from right in front of them were so loud that they managed to reach soldiers¡¯ ears even before they could see what was going on.


    Not¡­Saulus suddenly froze. For a single moment, it seemed as if the world had decided that time was no longer necessary. For just an instant, Saulus¡¯ head cleared, with all his doubts and hesitations disappearing.


    And then, following his inner voice, Saulus nodded.


    Up and down. High and low. Quickly interchanging tones of the trumpet made it seem as if some kind of lightning struck the entire mounted force. Jumping forward as soon as three tones were sung by the metallic instrument, the entire army executed just a single command.


    A command ordering the charge!


    And it was perfectly timed. Any later, and they wouldn¡¯t have the time to angle their path, striking their own forces, or even worse ¨C their own fortifications instead. Any earlier, and the enemy would learn of their approach too soon. But now, it was all decided.


    Jumping into the open plain and finally catching a look at what was going at the first gate, Saulus couldn¡¯t help but smile. It seems that his plan had worked! This damned coward really did follow his impulses and had attempted to thin out Saulus¡¯ forces by striking at their main concentration point, while Saulus was away chasing the winds around the city!


    ¡°CHARGE!¡±


    And now, the thick crowd of soldiers doing their best to squeeze out from the city was blocked by Saulus¡¯ fortification. With no other place to go and under constant pressure to move forward applied by the constant influx of clueless soldiers from behind, a huge portion of Rena¡¯s army amassed in the thin plot of open land between the city walls and Saulus¡¯ reinforced encampment.


    And it was exactly this narrow stretch of land that was Saulus¡¯ aim to charge through from the very beginning!


    Seconds passed.


    The first individuals amongst the crowd of city defenders noticed the approaching wave of cavalry. With the heavily-armed horsemen taking the first row of the entire force, those poor enemies attempted to flee the scene, only serving to increase the chaos and reduce the maneuverability of Rena¡¯s force.


    ¡°Attack!!!¡±


    Right now, Saulus¡¯ command couldn¡¯t be heard at all because everyone that belonged to his forces united and uniformly shouted this single word.


    And then, Saulus¡¯ cavalry crashed into the dense sea of enemy soldiers.

 Chapter 22

    Slash. Stab. Cut. Trample. Push.


    There was a very limited set of actions that one could perform during combat. Given how Saulus was fighting from the back of his horse, this number was restricted even more. And this was also one of the main reasons why the cavalry was never supposed to just enter the fray and remain there, killing people around themselves.


    A meter away from the unorganized ranks of the enemy was the distance at which Saulus¡¯ instincts kicked in.


    Crash.


    Instead of going for the kill, Saulus simply struck the spear aimed at him aside and left the job of killing the soldier to the people behind him.


    Outside of that single opponent that actually attempted to fight, the rest of the clash couldn¡¯t even be called a fight in the first place. Simply riding forward with the chest of his horse pushing down the soldiers in front, enemies were then trampled by the horses that followed.


    The enemy was completely trapped. Unable to use their numerical advantage in the staging ground that Saulus had prepared, the soldiers at the wall could watch how the battle developed into a ridiculously brutal disaster.


    If anyone dared to peek outside the embankments, they would risk having their eye pierced by an arrow. That is, unless they themselves were disciplined enough to shoot without hitting their own ranks entangled in the brutal fight below.


    Simply put, this was a disaster that Saulus had orchestrated and was executing. With his mobile force tearing through the thick mass of the enemy, it was only a matter of time before his horsemen would be trapped. Without their initial momentum, there was no point in even thinking about rushing through the open gate.


    Even with the enemy being unable to properly close the gate with the defending soldiers still trapped both outside the walls and inside the gatehouse, there was simply no way for any of Saulus¡¯ soldiers to grind through all those bodies to reach it. And even then, an iron grating with sharp blades on its bottom was still hanging above the entrance. If someone were to make it to the gate, they would have to actually take over the entire mechanism in order to stop the enemy from enclosing a huge chunk of Saulus¡¯ forces inside.


    Thankfully, winning the siege here was never the plan.


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    With the last slaying of a faceless enemy body, Saulus raised his eyes, ready for another engagement¡­ Only to find out that his force had already managed to penetrate right through the entire enemy mass. With just a few deserters and stranded pitiful souls remaining in front of them, the skirmish could be declared won.


    That is, if Saulus¡¯ plan only aimed at thinning the enemy numbers!


    ¡°Advance!¡±


    As if he was blind to the nearly complete lack of enemies in front, Saulus ordered for the herald beside him to sheathe his sword and pick up the trumpet again. With the notes of the familiar orders reaching the ears of the cavalrymen, the constant onslaught suddenly stopped.


    And just like that, Saulus¡¯ group retreated. Riding in the opposite direction than the one they initially took, there was no way to avoid casualties on their way out. While the initial charge didn¡¯t seem to lower the unit¡¯s headcount all that much, even with the sudden but prolonged clash with the enemy not causing that many casualties, it was their retreat from the battlefield that finally gave the enemy archers and crossbowmen an opportunity to show what they were there for.


    By the time Saulus¡¯ unit managed to dash away from the zone overwhelmed by enemy arrows, nearly a third of his horsemen were out of the game. Some lost their mounts, crashing dangerously to the ground. Others were rendered incapable of fighting with arrows protruding from various parts of their bodies. Many simply died on the spot or just bled out.


    That was the one thing Saulus was worried about. In theory, putting the heavily armed group to the back of the formation could soften up the losses by a huge degree¡­ Doing so would completely destroy the charge, and make the head of the charge to be far less imposing than it was¡­ all while exposing the sides of the formation instead.


    ¡°Advance.¡±


    A rookie commander would bend under the weight of all the lives that were lost or impaired right now. After all, every casualty was a father, brother or a son to someone else. Just by looking at the field that his force just left, Saulus could see many of those sons, fathers and brothers lying on the ground without moving.


    But this commander of the rebels, as young as he might be, was already used to this reality. Not letting the death count get to his head and shroud his ability to think, he simply aimed the tip of his sword forward before kicking the sides of his horse. The mount suddenly jumped on its hind legs, a small accident only adding more glory to Saulus¡¯ image. Something he didn¡¯t really care about, but also something that definitely inspired a morale boost in his force!


    From then on, the rest of the battle was pretty easy. While the footmen still fighting at the gates would dare to disagree with that kind of statement, after passing by the side of the city walls, Saulus couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    Because the gate that was the true aim of his entire plan from the very beginning was currently wide open. Not only that, a huge stream of recruits that had joined his army at Aldo was now pouring out of the thick woods nearby, clearly aiming at the gate.


    The distance that separated them from the entry of the city was still vast. With only a handful of the new rebels making their way to the city before the hostilities started, it was just a matter of time before they were killed off and the gate shut by the garrison reinforcements. Given the distance, the recruits wouldn¡¯t be able to make it.


    Thankfully, the same couldn¡¯t be said about Saulus¡¯ fastly approaching horsemen!

 Chapter 23

    A massacre.


    That was one word that could describe what happened to the forces defending the city once just a single gate was taken over by Saulus¡¯ forces. But it didn¡¯t happen from the hands of his legionaries. In fact, the invading army had to organize themselves pretty well and keep their people together in order to avoid being pulled into this bloody mayhem!


    ¡°Sir, we can¡¯t stop the soldiers at the southern gate! They are bloodthirsty¡­¡±


    Hearing the report, Saulus raised his head from above the map of the city and clenched his jaw.


    Well, that¡¯s it for taking over this city without infringing on its economy¡­ In the history books of the countries where rebels had managed to win, they would praise the firstborns for their courage and wits.


    But the desire for liberation that most would love to realize, would happen without leaving the comfort of their cushions, without moving their hands away from the campfire where they could simply hear more of the stories of this kind.


    In reality, rebellion was no different from war. And in a war, it wasn¡¯t the mere idea that decided the outcome. It was the solid numbers.


    How many wagons worth of grain could Saulus secure for his army without devastating the local population? How many weapons could the cities he currently held produce to replace the broken and otherwise lost arms? How many people could join the fighting force, get trained and learn the discipline without putting a wrench into the circulation of the goods in the entire province?


    When thinking about those questions back in the safety of the capital, Saulus considered Mengia to be the ultimate answer to all the potential economical problems of recreating a country from scratch. With no administrative system to tax all the villages and cities that were in the rebels¡¯ forces, this insanely important land trading port was supposed to be the main source of sustainable income for the rebels.


    But what the young general failed to predict, was the years of heavy-handed rule that Rena implemented.


    ¡°Sir, the entire southern district¡­ It¡¯s lost.¡±


    As more and more reports continued to pour into the makeshift headquarters of the legion, Saulus had a sudden urge to just let his troops loose in the city. At the current rate, it wouldn¡¯t make much difference who would be the one burning these once rich lands to the ground. Whether it would be the angry mob, releasing their bottled hatred against anyone who didn¡¯t join them or whether it would be an organized effort by the military of the reemerging Burn Household, the outcome would be the same.


    ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s think tactical. Right now, we have three different contingents devastating the city and Rena himself cooped up in the fortress. The lord I can deal with myself and the northbound group should be easy to subjugate¡±


    Walking around the map in an attempt to get a new perspective of the situation, Saulus pointed his fingers at the two markers that his adjutants placed on the maquette as soon as the reports came in.


    ¡°The southern band¡­ We can let them burn what they want. Any attempts at stopping them would only cost us more men. As for the eastern district¡­¡±


    ¡°Sir!¡±


    Before Saulus could swallow the bitter pill and admit that he couldn¡¯t figure out a reason to solve the situation in the east, yet another messenger ran inside the tent.


    ¡°Urgent news sir! We¡¯ve received confirmation that western provinces have declared their independence!¡±


    It was as if lightning struck the middle of the tent. In just a single moment, all other matters were pushed aside. In a single moment, the scenario that Saulus had worked for years to prepare finally started coming together.


    ¡°Wait, western provinces? What about the patriarch?¡±


    The colloquial name of the western provinces referred to the two core areas of the former Retesia. Being the home for the household that used to govern the entire kingdom, they were said to be the richest area in the whole country. With war slaves and stolen valuables fueling the local economy, the fact that they were now gone from the patriarch¡¯s hand¡­


    ¡°That bastard is stranded in the southern protectorate.¡±


    Instantly replying to one of the most important questions that Saulus could ask, the messenger proved to be well-prepared for his mission.


    ¡°Wait, if he is in the south¡­ What about the capital?¡±


    Even the young general himself couldn¡¯t believe how great the news was that he just received. While the total collapse of this oppressive household was meant to be the endpoint of his schemes, he never even dared to imagine that it would happen before the rebellion would even have the time to establish itself in the east.


    In just this one moment, despite how great the news was, Saulus¡¯ position suddenly deteriorated when heard the response.


    ¡°Held by the Lord Makay. He declared the patriarch a traitor of the people and an anti-firstborns heretic. The two western provinces are now allied. Outside of the several smaller sources that can confirm only parts of the information, we learned from the envoy of peace sent to Istoa by the western alliance.¡±


    It seemed that the day Saulus managed to conquer Mengia, the city itself and the matter of calming its situation down would be one of the least important topics on the agenda. All of Saulus¡¯ intricate plans started to reshuffle.


    His initial strike at Istoa was aimed at securing his western flank and cutting the old Burnian provinces away from the Retesian hinterlands. But now, with both of the western provinces allegedly asking for peace, the importance of that mountain-pass fortress suddenly decreased by a lot.


    No¡­ I can¡¯t think like that. Their declaration of peace might stem from the fact that they have better targets than Istoa to waste their men on¡­Pushing his inner demons aside, Saulus shook his head again. As important as the news was, they could be taken care of at a later date. For now, he still had a huge mess in the city to take care of.


    ¡°Everyone. Let¡¯s ignore all of that for now. You there¡­¡±


    Turning his head to the messenger, Saulus pointed at a corner of the tent with his hand.


    ¡°Write down everything that you know plus your name and then leave. Once the city is under control, I will make sure to reward your efforts.¡±


    With the matter of the messenger now out of his head, Saulus looked at the maquette in front of him again. But instead of his face relaxing, the young general¡¯s expression soured even more.


    ¡°Bloy. I know you are here, somewhere. Come out. I might need your help.¡±

 Chapter 24

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to call me so quickly. Is this when the great general suddenly faces troubles too big to handle?¡±


    Waltzing inside the headquarter¡¯s tent as if it was the most natural thing to do, Bloy appeared with an ironic smile plastered all over his face.


    ¡°Cut the crap. Seeing you all smiles leads me to believe that you already know what I need you to do. I think it would be smarter to drop the attitude before it starts looking as if you were the one behind my current problem.¡±


    As Saulus¡¯ words were spoken, no one present in the tent would have ever believed that Bloy¡¯s smile could become even brighter.


    ¡°Before I go, I need to make sure about one thing.¡±


    Even with how wide Bloy¡¯s smile was, there was absolutely no warmth behind it. In reality, his face was nothing more but a facade.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m well aware of the price for your help.¡±


    As annoying as it was to watch the smug smile on Bloy¡¯s face, Saulus didn¡¯t really have any other option than to seek out his help. Thankfully, the young commander could at least hit two birds with one stone, as he could avoid later inviting the representative of the neighboring countries to the new royal council. After all, what¡¯s the point of bothering someone all the way from beyond the border, if Bloy was already in place and ready to serve?


    As personal as it was for Saulus not to give that bastard the pleasure of being invited to the council, Saulus wasn¡¯t willing to back down from this perfect scenario.


    ¡°Good. You can expect the riots to stop¡­ In about two to three hours.¡±


    Saluting with his fist to his chest, Bloy pretended as if he didn¡¯t see the furious expression on the faces of all the legionaries in the tent. Given how obvious it was that he wasn¡¯t their true ally, seeing him commit an act of profanity against the sacred, military statue still managed to get a rise out of Saulus¡¯ subordinates.


    A little thing, both short and long term, but it was yet another small piece of glass that Bloy knocked out of the mosaic of a stable reign that Saulus was trying to construct.


    ¡°Sir¡­¡±


    As soon as the back of that arrogant man disappeared from headquarters, Saulus¡¯ officers riled up. While Saulus was pretty sure about their loyalty, he knew nearly nothing about the people that built their power in turn. And as soon as they started perceiving him as a weak commander with low chances to push the rebellion on the entirety of the former Burn kingdom¡­


    Despite how little Saulus could do at this moment, he still had to act to placate the pride of his retainers. After all, without his officers, he wouldn¡¯t be able to command an army at all.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. Personally speaking, I would rather swallow my pride now and save our troops for later. If we quell the popular uprising without wasting our force for it, I would much rather see our soldiers well kept and taken care of.¡±


    Instead of bullshitting his way out like he quite often did, Saulus decided to go with the truth. In the end, his officers weren¡¯t idiots either, nor did their own subordinates have a death wish, who would opt for the more disastrous flow of the events.


    ¡°Now that we can leave the annoying job to the Pleiades, let¡¯s plan our next steps. As I said, I can take Rena on myself. Being the coward he is, I¡¯m almost certain he will opt to just leave the place instead of dying in vain, just for the sake of annoying me. But that still leaves many topics that we need to discuss¡­¡±


    For a moment, Saulus lost his composure. Trapped in the middle of the intricate web of schemes, relations and political games that this rebellion was truly all about, this moment of realization of how much work still had to be done momentarily overwhelmed him. Even if he was the mastermind of more than half of all the schemes that shook Retesia into its current state, Saulus couldn¡¯t help but miss the times when everything was just simpler.


    ¡°Did I ever tell you that I really can¡¯t stomach that guy?¡±


    With a new voice entering the fray, Saulus instantly snapped to attention before turning his face to the newcomer.


    ¡°Your highness.¡±


    Nodding his head to the face of the approaching entourage of his childhood friend, Saulus properly followed the old, royal protocol. With his early years spent at court with the current queen of the rebellion, Saulus was pretty well-versed in the intricate details of one¡¯s appropriate behaviour.


    ¡°How may I be of service?¡±


    Direct an intimate way of communicating that Venna was unfit for the place they were in. Not when the new court has yet to be formed. And that brought Saulus¡¯ thoughts back to the unpleasantries of political realism. Just as he thought that he could conveniently push it aside for the time being.


    ¡°I already told you that I want to involve myself in what¡¯s going on. You don¡¯t need to worry, I won¡¯t interfere in matters that I know nothing about. You are way better commanders and officers than me.¡±


    Turning her head to the rest of the crowd gathered in the headquarters, Venna proved that be it her bloodline or just inborn talent, she was perfectly aware of how to coax influential figures.


    For the better or worse, her aptitude towards the task was what forced Saulus to finally face one of the greatest challenges that were yet to come.


    ¡°My queen¡­ I know this might be abrupt, but I think¡­¡±


    Instead of explaining what he had in mind, Saulus suddenly stopped. Inhaling a few times, Saulus actually took his time to choose his words before speaking.


    ¡°I think we should propose the position of residency for Bloy¡¯s¡­ family. The residency over the eastern province which would be turned into a free-trade, autonomous area.¡±

 Chapter 25

    ¡°Saulus, wait!¡±


    This kind of shout was acceptable within the safety of the fortress walls. But that place was still in the hands of lord Rena, and Venna was calling after Saulus right in the middle of the street.


    ¡°My queen, I know that this is an urgent matter, but we need to deal with the last threat in the city as soon as possible. I hope you will excuse me for now.¡±


    As jarring as it might be for dropping such a bomb only to leave right away, Saulus didn¡¯t really have any choice. Venna couldn¡¯t be just a marionette. Until she was the one who held the real power in the country, her safety would be in great danger. Only when one stood on the same level as their opponents could the odds be tilted in her favor.


    ¡°No, I will not. I¡¯m coming with you.¡±


    Stopping her own steps, Venna instantly forced Saulus to do the same. If he were to just ignore the queen and walk away, all the pretence of her power would be lost. Saulus could only gnash his teeth, stop in his tracks and turn around.


    ¡°My queen¡­¡±


    No matter how much the general hated the current situation, he could do nothing about it. Venna managed to catch him off guard, and play the situation into her hands. Out in the open, Saulus couldn¡¯t reason with her. Being a general under her rule, if he dared to defy her wishes in front of everyone¡­


    ¡°Yes, I am your queen. That is, according to your own words, the ultimate leader of this rebellion.¡±


    With her voice suddenly lowering its volume, Venna quickly approached the young general before finishing her sentence right in his face.


    ¡°And what kind of leader sits back during the most important events of a rebellion?¡±


    Surprisingly, Venna didn¡¯t want to challenge Saulus¡¯ decision to invite Bloy into the council. Or rather, she would perhaps do it at a more opportune moment, but for now, she wanted to deal with something else.


    ¡°If that¡¯s your wish, my queen¡­¡±


    Putting an accent on the last words that he said, Saulus tried to fight back against the girl¡¯s pressure. Because her attempts at provoking him would always fall on dry ground.


    Saulus was perfectly immune against Venna¡¯s attempts only because he acknowledged how big of a hypocrite he himself was. On one side, he was willing to go to great lengths just to make Venna a proper leader, but on the other side, allowing her to take any personal risk seemed like the worst thing that he could even think about.


    ¡°I know, I know¡­ Now, let¡¯s get this over with. I promise I won¡¯t meddle¡­ I¡­¡±


    Venna stiffened for a moment. Losing her composure out in the open could be a potential disaster. Normal folk could only see her as this celestial, unreachable figure. Only the status of fully-fledged royalty could protect her from harm, so she could never show her true face to anyone outside the tight circle of her supporters.


    ¡°You just want to watch and learn. Trust me, I understand.¡±


    Finally letting go of his stern attitude, Saulus¡¯ look softened as he picked up Venna¡¯s hand, only to bring her palm up to his lips and place a delicate kiss on the skin of her fingers.


    But as he hid his eyes by lowering his head for the kiss, Saulus could recall the moments when his state of mind was similar to what this girl was going through right now. Right before his first battle during which he was supposed to serve as a messenger. Too young and weak to take part in the fighting, too important to just throw him to the frontlines like everyone else.


    No one would do such a thing. Not with the amount of money that the Pleiades invested in training him.


    ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s not waste any more of our time. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Since the topic was over, there was no point in dawdling in the middle of the street. Just like simple citizens of the country were bound to consider Venna and her entourage to belong in a different world, it was important to keep their daily lives in the same manner.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Trodding along at Saulus¡¯ side, Venna gave a clear sign of how happy she was. Despite the role that Saulus deigned for her to play, it was clear that this girl was simply hungry for what life could offer her. She was unwilling to just sit down and enjoy the position that she did nothing to obtain. Even though she spent the last several years of her life as just a simple maid, she only needed a few days to revert back to how she used to be before the collapse of her household.


    Their quick exchanges had to come to a stop. Even with the protection of all the legionaries that stood between them and the walls of the still unconquered fortress, Saulus didn¡¯t dare to let his lady speak freely in such a crowd.


    ¡°Promise me one thing. Do not do anything. Just sit back, get some wine and enjoy the show. I don¡¯t want some stray arrow hurting you in a desperate attempt to get back at us.¡±


    Grasping Venna¡¯s hands between his own palms for a moment, Saulus stopped his intimate stance as quickly as he started it, focusing on the huge set of fortifications in front of him.


    Just a single look at the enormous walls of the place was enough to put doubt in the head of any soldier that would be tasked with sieging this place.


    There was only one good thing about the entire situation right now. And it was lord Rena¡¯s decision to hide in his fortress instead of joining the fight while his presence could still sway its course in his own favor.


    And now, he was completely cut from the outside world, not posing any threat to the forces operating in the city.


    In other words, he closed himself into a prison and now seeks a way out that won¡¯t end up with his death. What a beautiful way to start negotiations! Thinking to himself, Saulus smiled as he grasped the handle of one of the white flags stuck around the entry of the camp of his troops.


    ¡°For the mercy of the firstborns, for their grace and blessing. I hereby come in peace to discuss the terms.¡±


    Moving just a few meters forward was enough to put Saulus into a risky distance. While it would be a challenging shot, a good archer could fire at him with a degree of accuracy.


    But would lord Rena throw the last chance to save his own skin away so easily?

 Chapter 26

    ¡°What the hell do you want, traitor?¡±


    As expected, there was no point in expecting the lord to keep up the pleasantries now that Saulus had revealed his cards. But just the fact that he came out to the top of the walls in order to talk with Saulus, instead of throwing his heaviest spells from behind cover spoke wonders about his intentions.


    In reality, the exchange of curses right now was nothing more than a way for both Rena and Saulus to prove their dedication to the case, before dropping the pretense and actually making a deal that would be unsuitable for either of their agendas.


    ¡°Is it really that hard to guess? I came to receive your surrender.¡±


    Ignoring the aspect of Rena¡¯s pride was a risky tactic, but Saulus didn¡¯t really have that much of a choice. With his troops still dirty with blood from fighting, they had to receive some kind of satisfaction. After all, it wasn¡¯t the first legion that the young general commanded, but the second one. Unless he could keep his troops happy over the period of time that it would take Saulus to turn them from greenhorn to veteran soldiers, there would be no telling whether they would decide to stick with him throughout the entire campaign.


    ¡°Surrender? Are you out of your mind? I still have more than enough troops to defend this place! Heck, just my magic alone will be enough to keep peasants like you away from this fortress! What reason do I have for surrender?!¡±


    There were only three options. First, Rena was simply too stupid to realize how bad his situation was. Holding on to the fortress even with all its food supplies was currently the only thing that the old lord could do. With the fortress enclosed in the city wall, its only real purpose would be to hold off the enemies for long enough for a relief force to appear. And that was the second possibility.


    Rena could still count on some force to help him. Saulus was nowhere near done with conquering the lands of the former Burn household. The western flank was secured, be it by the temporary peace-treaty offered by the local lords, or just thanks to Istoa guarding the passage. But the south, with its wide-open plains and steppes, was still open.


    And there was no telling when the two highly patriotic lords stationed in the southern cities would make their move.


    But there was still a possibility that Rena was counting on playing out according to the rules of the third scenario. One where he was perfectly aware of how awful his situation was, limiting his actions right now to attempting to negotiate better terms.


    And this was the option that Saulus was willing to put his cards on.


    ¡°I will cut the crap, and I expect you to do the same. This is a one-time, non-negotiable offer. Leave this place. You can take your personal retinue with you and as many rations as you guys can carry. What¡¯s more, I will even allow you to carry as much gold as you personally will be able. Finally, I will give you my word as a general that no harm will come your way from my troops. What do you¡­¡±


    Before Saulus could even finish, a gentle tap on his shoulder alerted him that something else was about to happen. Noticing who was responsible for this touch, Saulus could feel his heart freezing.


    ¡°You will get a royal pardon. While you might not know me, I do know you. And I cannot ignore the fact that you were the only one who ever spared my brethren.¡±


    Stepping up, Venna made her official appearance. Dressed in her insane, white dress, she looked so out of place that no one could have any doubts about who she really was.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    This situation had to be surprising for the lord in the fortress as well. For a moment, not a single person dared to intrude on the tense atmosphere that enveloped everyone near the walls.


    ¡°You heard her, Rena. Don¡¯t try to be a hero. You should know well that you lost already. Isn¡¯t it just less hassle for both of us to each go our own way?¡±


    This time, Saulus appeared in the same way that he would usually appear back in the royal chambers of the old patriarch. Full of confidence, calmly speaking about matters that were too basic for anyone to not understand. Taking just his words into account, one could only ponder how stupid he or she has to be to not see the reality as clearly as he laid it out.


    ¡°Spare me? Royal pardon? Big words for someone I could kill with a single snap of my fingers right now¡­¡±


    The voice from the wall didn¡¯t sound nice at all. In fact, in this moment, Saulus¡¯ mind broke into a myriad of pieces, only to assemble back in a combat mode. As soon as it dawned on him that Rena could truly do what he claimed, Saulus prepared himself to jump right into the path of his potential attack.


    ¡°But that would be utterly stupid of me. You are right, there is no point in any further bloodshed. But before I make any decision, let me bring something up. You conveniently happened to forget about the matter of my troops¡­¡±


    Calming down the situation a bit with his next sentence, Rena proved to be a rather reasonable man. Worried about his impulsivity, seeing how there was some foundation of an agreement with the former lord of the city, Saulus could finally breathe a sigh of relief.


    ¡°They will have three options. If they are from old Retesia, they will be given the right to return to their homeland and families, but I don¡¯t think they will be happy to do so once learning about the state of events there.¡±


    The rest of the talk went exactly as Saulus expected. Known for how greedy and careful he was with his troops, it was only natural for Rena to bring the matter of them up. With how he treasured them, there was no way he would just cast them aside.


    ¡°Those who were recruited locally will be able to either join my own army or settle in the lands that I will provide for them. They will be given all the necessary help to establish themselves in a particular location, and with the blessing of Firstborns, they will be able to either remain there or return to their own families once this bloody mess comes to an end.¡±


    The idea of creating a single, secluded location where Rena¡¯s former troops could be stationed was an idea both dangerous and brilliant. With enough help provided, they could easily turn any given place into a prosperous settlement, creating a new tax base for the young household.


    And just in case of any attempts at rebelling, Saulus would know where his entire opposition would originate from!


    ¡°I see¡­ Those are terms I¡¯m willing to accept your surrender under.¡±

 Chapter 27

    ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡±


    Even with what he considered a great victory with the negotiations that spared a lot of lives, Saulus couldn¡¯t rest easy.


    Not with his childhood friend and currently his queen conducting a passionate lecture.


    ¡°Please, you need to understand. We are too weak to achieve anything by ourselves.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that Venna was disappointed with the man who single-handedly recreated the country that her father lost. It wasn¡¯t that she was particularly unhappy, even though to a degree, that was obviously the case.


    Venna was simply disillusioned with reality once she learned about a few of Saulus¡¯ plans.


    ¡°You do realize that this is not something I would ever agree to?¡±


    Right on point. Out of everyone that he knew, Venna was the only person that Saulus couldn¡¯t deal with easily. After all, he said himself that she had to become a queen, true ruler of the lands rather than a puppet. And now, he basically took the liberty of informing her what kind of decisions she would make in the near future.


    Venna lived through a fair bit of hardships on her own. Brutally deprived of her entire family, she managed to survive mostly thanks to a bit of Saulus¡¯ help through several years. Falling as low as acting like a damned maid of a person who was adopted into the court as her own servant. Everything that she went through made it impossible for naive ideas about how the world worked to remain in her mind.


    But realizing how stupid some of the assumptions were and actually learning what the true, brutal reality of the world was something else.


    ¡°I do. And for that, I¡¯m sorry. But I cannot let you rule as you wish before you learn what the role of your crown is.¡±


    Suddenly feeling exhaustion from all the events that had just happened, Saulus¡¯ knees caved in forcing him to rest on the nearby couch. Between charging at the mass of enemy infantry, dealing with a lord who could slay him with his magic in a single instant and arguing with Venna, it was the last thing that sapped Saulus¡¯ energy.


    ¡°Oh, and now you are going to play the victim?¡±


    Seeing the state of her childhood friend and taking it for an attempt to manipulate her, Venna flared up even more.


    ¡°What? No. Sorry, I¡¯m just tired.¡±


    Raising his face from his cupped hands where he rested it for a moment, Saulus looked at the girl with a look of an unjustly scolded dog on his face.


    ¡°Listen, power¡­ There are two things that you need to understand about power. Have you heard the saying, no man rules alone?¡±


    Venna took the chance to look deeper into Saulus¡¯ eyes. And in one instant, her attitude changed. She now realized how heavy was the burden that this man carried on his shoulders. Noticing his serious expression, she also realized what she was currently doing herself.


    Throwing a fit like some pretentious princess, arguing with a man who worked insanely hard for his achievements, only to sacrifice everything to fulfil the promise he made to her father.


    All of that, just a few moments after he won a huge battle and faced off against someone he had no chance against. Who was she to say a single negative word about the reality that Saulus had created for her?


    ¡°Holding power doesn¡¯t mean that you alone have all the power. As a ruler, your job is to manage the people who hold power. The nobility, great merchants, neighbors¡­ Your council isn¡¯t made out of just your friends, but out of people that need this sort of recognition to keep their own power. It¡¯s a symbiotic relationship.¡±


    Hiding his face back in his hands, Saulus recalled all the moments when he had to acknowledge this reality himself. Even after becoming the chief general of the military, he wasn¡¯t freed from the structures of power. More than that, he was forced even deeper into the net of codependency, forced to learn about the intricate inner workings of this delicate balance of influences.


    No man rules alone.


    Being the general himself, Saulus couldn¡¯t command all his troops personally to battle. He couldn¡¯t manage the warehouses to keep his legionnaires well fed. He couldn¡¯t personally collect the taxes nor spend entire days on training new recruits. With his seat as the chief general, it was his job to find people who would fulfill those tasks for him, while keeping them happy with his oversight.


    That was the essence of power. And no matter what situation occurred, any person in power would have to play according to the rules. Even with the most loyal retainers one could ever dream of, those retainers in positions of power had exactly the same problem as the one who ruled over them!


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you invited the Pleiades to the council? That¡¯s why you basically let Rena off the leash? That¡¯s why you are trying to establish a potentially dangerous force right to our side?¡±


    This entire discussion couldn¡¯t be said to be a result of a single misunderstanding or disagreement. It would be closer to the truth to claim that it was a result of Saulus¡¯ bizarre decisions that left Venna with no choice but to challenge them.


    ¡°Listen. When you said that you wanted to turn me into a real queen, I took it to heart. Over the last few days, I desperately struggled to learn what my new role in your great plan would be.¡±


    With her face finally calming down, Venna sat down on a chair opposite to where Saulus was sitting. With just a few meters separating them, he could adore her beauty in all its magnitude¡­ That is if he had the energy to raise his head from his cupped hands.


    ¡°I think I understand what is causing our current discord.¡±


    Suddenly changing the topic, Venna simply waited. Only when Saulus finally raised his head and looked in her eyes did she again pick up the conversation.


    ¡°You are desperately trying to fulfill your promise to my father, all the while being just as desperate to protect me. But listen, Saulus. You can¡¯t protect me forever.¡±


    Leaning towards the man and reaching forth with her hands, Venna forced the otherwise fearless general to look at how serious her expression was.


    ¡°I know how much you care for me, and you can trust me, I care for you just as much. But you cannot keep me clean from the dirt of this world. I will whine. I will curse. I might even end up crying¡­¡±


    Letting go of one of her hands that she used to hold Saulus, Venna hid her face behind the free hand as she said that. Even with how serious she was about the topic, she still ended up blushing while uttering those intimate confessions.


    ¡°But ultimately, I don¡¯t want you to spare me the brutal details. I¡¯m involved in everything just as much as you are. And I think I deserve to know the truth.¡±

 Chapter 28

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly how I explained it before, and pretty similar to what you pointed out yourself. Right now, we need as many powerful backers as we can get, and given that none of the existing powerhouses will be willing to back us up¡­¡±


    Saulus could never fight against Venna. Even though she didn¡¯t use her power that often, the queen was also perfectly aware of how easy it was for her to twist him around her pinky.


    ¡°So you decided that you will create new powers on your own? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just directly control it all?¡±


    Now that the girl calmed down, she made a surprisingly good listener. Once she cast away the typical prideful attitude of always being right about any topic she was asked about, Saulus¡¯ lectures quickly started to make sense.


    ¡°There is a set limit to how much we can do ourselves. It¡¯s better to get half of a huge cake than the entirety of a tiny one, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Smiling at his own thoughts and the compromises he had to carve out in the past, Saulus shook his head.


    ¡°Listen. We are only as strong as our friends and retainers are. No matter how big of a force I amass on my own, they still need to be fed, housed somewhere and trained. In order to have all of those aspects secured, we can¡¯t just rely on what we can do ourselves. It¡¯s too much.¡±


    Just like it was true in the legion, the country as a whole ran on exactly the same set of rules. A ruler had to appoint people that would gather taxes, organize armies or enforce laws. It was the ruler¡¯s job to keep them happy and loyal no matter the costs¡­ Because each of them had their own subordinates that needed to be kept in check.


    ¡°Okay, there is no need to nail this point down over and over again. But that doesn¡¯t explain how could you just trade away an entire province like that! Wasn¡¯t our goal the complete recovery of the Burn Household? How can we ever achieve this goal if part of our lands¡­¡± ¨C Saulus¡¯ eyebrow twitched ¨C ¡°¡­ will be held by our damned enemy?¡±


    Venna¡¯s outrage was understandable. As great of a job being a maid for Saulus was when it came to hiding her identity, it certainly didn¡¯t expose her to the wide world of politics. With no exposure from which she could gain experience, it was only expected for some bits of na?vet¨¦ to remain in her head.


    The na?vet¨¦ that Saulus had to crush on the spot.


    ¡°The land that Bloy and I understand, under the name of the eastern province, already lies within the border of our dear neighbors. What you might fail to realize, is that it¡¯s the place where most of my veterans come from. Be it the first or second legion, it¡¯s even the case for the majority of the volunteers.¡±


    The fall of Burn Kingdom saw all its neighbors jumping at the opportunity to gobble some of its lands. Both of its northern neighbors used some ancient claim from when the lands of the northern empire stretched all the way from what was currently named the western provinces, all the way to the easternmost city of the Kinland republic.


    Studying it for a while confirmed that the northern empire indeed fell apart into three brotherly households, but the fact that it all happened way further in the past than just several generations ago made it nothing more than a simple excuse. In the end, no one had any doubts about what the reshuffling of land really entailed.


    With Kinland to the east and Shifia to the west splitting the northern half of the country between themselves, Retesia swept through everything that was left. In the recent past, Shifia founded half of the first Retesian legion all the while Kinland continued to provide both coinage, recruits and most importantly, safe harbor on its lands. In that setting, any attempts at renegotiating the territorial changes of the past would be futile if not counterproductive.


    ¡°So you are saying that those lands of my Father¡¯s kingdom will be lost forever? Ah, sorry. I allowed the emotions to get the better of me.¡±


    Looking at the queen currently caving in under the burden of the reality of their situation, Saulus¡¯ expression softened. Once again, there was no fault in Venna¡¯s lack of a sense of realism in the political theatre.


    ¡°Listen. While it¡¯s only my guess, I think both Shifia and Kinland are willing to help us not only destabilize their biggest threat in the region but also receive your blessing regarding the fate of the eastern province. By helping us regain the southern half, they wish to keep the north¡­ And a small part of this north, something I was sure they would demand anyway is now under dispute as a free trading zone. I think it¡¯s better to get partial income from an entire province that already provides us with most of the supplies than just give it up like that.¡±


    Sitting heavily down on the chair, Saulus hid his face in his palms. Seeing his body slightly shaking, Venna suddenly wondered if she might be acting a little bit foolish. For her, the lands to the north were so distant that she didn¡¯t even recall them being a part of her fatherland. But for the childhood friend of hers, they were not only the pieces of the puzzle he was set on the gathering but also important chips on the negotiating table with the neighbors.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I overreacted. Will you forgive me¡­?¡±


    Putting the pride in the lands and titles of her father against the sweat and blood of her old friend, Venna understood her fault at once. Even though Saulus was behind the current solution of the northern problem, even though he spoke about it so openly as if it was the only possible choice¡­


    It was the young general that carried the true burden of giving up on the lands that used to be a part of the Burn household.


    Because it was ultimately Saulus that traded those lands away.

 Chapter 29

    ¡°A delicious game. Now I know why the central province was always famous for its strong cuisine.¡±


    Seated across a huge table in the main hall of the royal palace, Saulus and his retinue continued to enjoy the food. Not even the hint of a tense atmosphere managed to bring down the spirits of the group of people that were gathered.


    Over the last three weeks, the days were pretty hectic. From one task to another. From one meeting to another council. Sleeping only the absolute minimum, no one even remotely interested in joining the circle of power could find a single spare moment.


    ¡°With how used we are to this delicious taste, we barely pay it any mind, so focused are we on looking for novelties elsewhere. May our sour wine wet your throats to make this deal even better for as long as it can last!¡±


    Raising his cup in a cheer, Saulus actually smiled at Bloy. Despite the differences stemming from different allegations, the last couple of days had forced the two of them to throw their petty opinions aside and join hands. Because in that one instance, everyone that was currently residing in the main room of the palace, shared the same goal.


    ¡°May our new lands grow plentiful wheat so that we can add some of our beer to the table!¡±


    With a man standing up on the right side of the table, yet another cheer shook the otherwise cultured place. Sitting at the top spot at the table, with Saulus to her right and Gabriel to her left, Venna disregarded propriety as the queen, joining the drinking game with ease.


    I should¡¯ve taken better care of her¡­Seeing how easily his childhood friend chugged down one cup after another, Saulus suddenly became aware of a strange feeling of defeat coursing through his veins.


    ¡°But seriously¡­ How you played them out at the crossroads¡­ That one is on you¡­¡±


    Leaning over the table, Bloy reached out with his cup. Striking Saulus¡¯ mug and causing a small spillage, the young soldier raised his hand and took a huge gulp. In spite of their previous conflict or rather, their unspoken animosity, the general followed the gesture before chugging his own drink down.


    ¡°Thanks for the praise. To be honest, it was more of a lucky shot rather than a well-planned strategy. I just figured that if we give them any chance, they would simply jump on it.¡±


    With the memory of that grand success in Saulus¡¯ head, his lips inevitably climbed upwards on his face.


    ¡°Because in the long term, those several carriages worth of supplies do not matter at all.¡±


    Finishing the story on his own, Bloy momentarily turned around to hit the cup of his adjutant that accompanied him at the table. Just by seeing the two of them, Saulus could tell that even in such an elite force like the Pleiades, the second spot in the pecking order belonged to ¨C as one could expect ¨C Bloy¡¯s woman.


    After all, no matter the country, no matter the organization, no matter the situation¡­ Some universal rules of human behavior would always manifest.


    ¡°Well, in theory, they could use them to quicken their counterattack¡­¡±


    Picking up on the discussion with joy, Saulus suddenly stopped his mouth from moving when he heard a female voice in his right ear.


    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡±


    Even with all the drinks that she already had, Venna was still mostly clear headed. While her gait swayed a bit and her gaze had an illustrious spark in it, no one in the room would dare accuse the queen of being drunk.


    ¡°Ah, right. We never had the chance to tell you.¡±


    Quickly masking that he was perhaps hiding something, Saulus instantly put on the expression of a child that had messed up. Taking a quick peek at Bloy first, as if he wanted to determine whether his old rival was interested in joining his story, the general¡¯s head quickly moved back towards the queen.


    ¡°It was back during those two days when we disappeared. We took a small detachment to the east. With how we were limiting our actions to the areas to the north at that time, we managed to find out about a huge transfer of armies from the southern development area.¡±


    Taking a quick stop to flush his throat with a sizable sip, Saulus quickly picked up the story again.


    ¡°We somehow managed to fool them into thinking that we wanted to destroy their cargo. In order to stop us from doing so, the majority of the force retreated back to the development area, while a smaller group ended up surrendering to us. With this, we fully established ourselves on the northern plains as the last fortress on the old imperial road. Oreta was deprived of the required supplies and surrendered shortly after!¡±


    Finishing his story with a huge shout, Saulus leaned to the back with a gleeful expression.


    It wasn¡¯t even about the great success and achievement that he scored. It wasn¡¯t about the glory of his actions that would be passed down in the history books. The general, for the first time in a while, realized how fun his current life was.


    Compared to the hellish period when he had no choice but to fulfill orders while Venna¡¯s safety was hanging by a tiny thread¡­ The times before were dark, and so was the future. With the civil war only starting, the time of forming the factions was reaching its midsts. Soon, with the alliances established, all forces would clash to determine the fate of the war.


    This moment of relaxation, of joyfully telling prideful stories to friends and brothers-in-arms. The moment of drinking fine beer and feasting on insanely delicious meat. The moment when tomorrow didn¡¯t seem to be as dark¡­


    ¡°This is but a moment of respite, that we soldiers face.¡±


    Under some strange impulse, Saulus¡¯ lips opened up and he uttered those words by a long-forgotten poet.


    ¡°Tho¡¯ in a battle, fateful do we seek our souls¡¯ trace.¡±


    As if only Bloy heard Saulus¡¯ voice, his lips finished the phrase of the poem.


    With this moment of the unusual union of the minds breaking, the two soldiers smiled at each other. There were things that put an unmovable barrier between the two of them.


    But they no longer had to trouble themselves with it.

 Chapter 30

    ¡°Outrageous!¡±


    Screaming at the top of his lungs, the envoy of the southern nobles was clearly having trouble breathing.


    ¡°I will not be advised as to what your silly self considers to be outrageous. Take this pest out of my sight.¡±


    Watching over Venna¡¯s baby steps as a ruler, Saulus stood beside her throne. There was absolutely no point in offering his own advice right now. Before the current status quo would be over, he had to make sure that Venna would become a capable leader. Only by turning her from the simple marionette that she was now into a proper ruler on her own could he make sure that even if the rebellion ultimately failed, she would still prevail.


    ¡°Yes, our queen!¡±


    Saluting Saulus¡¯ childhood friend, the guards near the lower steps before the throne rushed forward, grasping the man under his arms and gently guiding him away.


    ¡°Next!¡±


    Not wasting any time, Venna instantly called for another meeting. Given the number of people interested in relaying their worries and problems to the queen, it would take a few days just to deal with the line that had already formed outside of the palace.


    But there was a deeper meaning to this ritual. The one reason why currently all the emerging rulers of various factions held exactly the same kind of local court and dealt with the problems of insignificant serfs.


    Because that was the time-honored tradition of instilling basic laws for a country where the old order had fallen apart.


    ¡°My queen!¡±


    Watching as yet another lowly peasant dared to directly call at Venna, Saulus could feel his hands tighten up. As observant as he was, it didn¡¯t escape his attention that this form of reaction occurred whenever a person meeting with Venna would turn out to be a man, no matter his social status.


    If not for that damned tradition¡­Not bothering to even attempt dissecting what those feelings meant, Saulus allowed his thoughts to fly far away from the throne room of the palace.


    Now that the three most important cities in the west were in the hands of the rebels, nothing could stop the insane flood of resources from both neighbors of the reemerging Burn Kingdom. Given how the price for all this help was paid way back during the fall of the kingdom, Saulus wasn¡¯t going to be picky when it came to where more supplies would come from.


    ¡°I hereby sentence you to be a free man, unbound by the loyalty to your former lord. Next.¡±


    Solving a matter that completely escaped Saulus attention, Venna swung her hand at the guards, showing an impenetrable and cold face to the crowd.


    This was the role of the ruler. To rule. Not to be some kind of hero, a great general who would lead the troops to grand victories. Not a scientist or a mage that would bring forth innovations that would, in turn, change people¡¯s lives for the better.


    A ruler was someone who could make all of this happen by carefully picking the people that would serve him and enforce laws that everyone would abide by. And right now, Venna was setting the foundations of the so-called ¡®law of commons¡¯ where local, low-level tribunals would try to follow the way she was passing verdicts today.


    And that explained the enormous amount of scribes, artists, painters and even roaming troubadours. They weren¡¯t here to mark down this historic moment so that later generations would know of Venna¡¯s importance. Their job was to ensure that once they left and spread across the entire country, the word of Venna¡¯s just processes and decisions would spread as well.


    ¡°Sir, we have a delegation from the development area, waiting for a meeting with the queen.¡±


    In theory, the ritual of judgments was unbreachable. For as long as it would last, everyone and anyone was bound to wait for its conclusion.


    But that was the official side of things. Once Saulus received the report, his eyebrows rose for a bit, only for his expression to return to its usual the very next moment.


    ¡°Good. Push them in for the next spot.¡±


    Sending the aide off, Saulus watched how the tiny female ran unnoticed through the side alleys of the throne hall. In just a few moments, the proceedings of the ongoing trial were already reaching their end, and Saulus had his doubts that Venna could even understand what was going on.


    In a moment, the procedures that she had just learned to follow would be broken. But with how important the approaching meeting would be to the entire rebellion, Saulus couldn¡¯t take any chances with making them wait.


    ¡°Hey, Venna¡­¡±


    Tugging gently on the delicate cloth of her dress, Saulus brought Venna¡¯s attention on himself.


    ¡°We will be having a very important meeting now. If I slide my finger down your palm, then go easy. If I press my finger against a single spot, press them harder. If you aren¡¯t able to keep up¡­¡±


    Taking a quick glance at the petrified face of his childhood friend, Saulus once again felt a painful sting on his soul. With everything he had done so far, he hoped that his eyes would never again be forced to see the terror on the face of this precious girl. But as it was now, he couldn¡¯t do a single thing.


    ¡°If you need help, just grab my finger.¡±


    There was absolutely nothing wrong protocol-wise for the highest general of the country to stand right beside his queen, especially during a potentially dangerous meeting. After all, through the ages, the position of chief in command would usually rest in the hands of the strongest warrior within the household, making Saulus nothing more but a glorified bodyguard of his queen for the duration of the meeting.


    ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s bring them in.¡±


    After shaking her head clear of all the doubts that appeared in it a moment before, Venna looked directly at the doors through which the next applicant was supposed to come.


    And exactly against what the tradition would advise, once the doors of the hall opened up, a richly decorated diplomatic envoy from the development area of the south entered.


    ¡°Great General, Your Majesty, Queen of Burn Kingdom.¡±


    Lowering his head whenever he mentioned someone¡¯s name, the pretense of the envoy would most likely go unnoticed. If only Saulus wasn¡¯t a veteran..not only on a true battlefield, but also its way worse counterpart; the court wars.


    ¡°You will address the queen first and foremost. If you think your barbaric lack of etiquette enforced by the former patriarch is still in use, then you better leave this place before I order my people to hack you down!¡±

 Chapter 31

    ¡°Aghhh¡­ That was exhausting!¡±


    Throwing herself on the bed right off the march, Venna didn¡¯t present any of her royal qualities while doing so. Smiling just at the corners of his mouth, Saulus adored the girl¡¯s small fit. Even when angry, she was simply adorable.


    But this momentary feeling passed quickly, replaced with a deep sigh. Even being a veteran of official and lengthy work, Saulus found the day surprisingly harsh.


    From dealing with unruly nobles, all the way to the tense moments of important, diplomatic meetings, Venna wasn¡¯t at fault to be tired. In fact, she fared through those tasks with grace, quickly accustoming herself to the majesty of her role.


    ¡°At least we got those pesky idiots out of the way.¡±


    As much as Saulus wanted to be good to the locals, he felt the day had been wasted on dealing with their minor problems, and his mind refused to accept that serfdom even existed. Adding how used to these things he was, he could only imagine how hard the day was on the royal girl beside him.


    ¡°But seriously? Stealing bees? Are those people blind to the war all around them?¡±


    Bringing up one of the more depressing bits, Venna hid her face in her hands. For a moment, her body shook as if she was crying before she suddenly moved back into a sitting position.


    ¡°As much as it pains me to say it, it¡¯s this kind of work that can slowly make the difference. Contrary to the former patriarch, those are your people. And if you won¡¯t waste a little of your time to potentially make a great change in the lives of those poor people, why would they risk everything just to contribute to your own plans?¡±


    Getting slightly philosophical, Saulus rested his back against the wall as a deep sigh left his lungs.


    ¡°But bees? Argh, there is no point talking about it with you!¡±


    Refusing to accept Saulus¡¯ lecture, Venna once again threw herself down at the bed. Diving deep into the pillows, she continued to murmur something, yet its meaning luckily escaped Saulus¡¯ ears.


    ¡°Either way, now that the annoying part is finally done, let¡¯s move to the next stage. With the reunification of the two most important cities into the reborn Burn Household, we now hold all the chips to unify the rest of those lands. While the matter of the south remains, I think I will push Bloy with his Pleiades to take control of the east. This would buy us some time to focus our attention elsewhere.¡±


    Taking a quick glance at the map of the former Retesia hanging on the wall, Saulus¡¯s thoughts escaped from the room and moved to the vast plains of the Burn Household hinterlands.


    Right now, nearly the entirety of the west and central plains were already under their control. With Bloy taking care of the eastern cities and farmlands, there was only one direction where Saulus could put his focus.


    ¡°The south?¡±


    Raising her tone to turn her sentence into a question, Venna stopped acting as if she was sleeping as rapidly as she started it a moment ago, turning her head around with curiosity.


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s ultimately where the main danger lies. No matter what we will do, those two cities need to be eradicated or taken over. We can¡¯t afford to let anyone else control the only other road that leads to our hinterlands.¡±


    Moving from beside the wall, Saulus approached the map on the wall. Scanning it with his eyes, he raised his hand and pointed his finger at the city of Galdo, resting right on the wide plains between Aldo and Mengia. And directly to the south of it¡­


    ¡°If we hurry up with taking over Galdo, we could try to force the two-winged movement. With the bulk of the forces moving through the main road, I could get some cavalry for a rapid attack at Mez¡­ Or no, nevermind. With the road layout in the area, I could only bring mobile troops while the enemy could push reinforcements from all three big cities on the imperial tract. But the same applies to them¡­¡±


    Catching himself by his chin, Saulus started at the single point outlining the small city of Galdo. Despite lying nearly perfectly between the two major cities of the province, it was connected by road only to Mengia, out of the two of them. Be it the better prices that this trading hub offered for the products from the plains or just sheer coincidence that made it end up like this, this was a fault that Saulus simply couldn¡¯t stand seeing.


    Especially with how just a little bit to the west from Galdo, Allice¡¯s river flows straight for Aldo!


    ¡°What about Rylas and the first legion? Do we have any news about their plans?¡±


    Noticing how the rebellion¡¯s general had fallen into his own thoughts, Venna asked pointedly, to shake Saulus free and bring back his attention.


    ¡°So far, nothing. But that brat already gave out his terms for the cooperation. If we want to join hands as friends once again¡­ We have no choice but to face our enemies on our own. Still, somehow I get the feeling that Rylas won¡¯t be able to afford to allow a huge and hostile military presence right on his borders.¡±


    Shaking his head to clear his mind, Saulus turned away from the map and looked at his queen, comfortably spreading her arms across the entire royal bed.


    ¡°So ultimately, we have no choice but to defeat those forces to our south. But if that¡¯s the case, wouldn¡¯t it be better to just deal with it as quickly as possible?¡±


    Turning her head to the side to express her curiosity, Venna looked right into Saulus¡¯ eyes.


    ¡°That could work, but only in the short term. Take a look at our situation from another perspective. Right now, we are on the verge of connecting with our silent supporters from both the north and east. Once we regain control over those trade routes, an unbelievable amount of gold will flow into our hands, allowing us to make full use of the huge and populous area we do control. Forcing our way right now would only mean serving ourselves up on a silver platter to the second of the southern governors.¡±


    Finally deciding to take a seat, Saulus reached the peak of his personal courage as he sat beside the girl. As if following his example, Venna straightened her body up.


    With how uncommon it was for Saulus to get close to her on his own accord, the words that would follow were bound to be of huge importance.


    ¡°With the parts of our next steps all said and done¡­ Try to take a moment of your time and look at how far we have moved.¡±


    Smiling, Saulus raised his head to look at the ceiling before focusing his sight at the wall in front of him. This time, no hesitation appeared in his eyes.


    ¡°From scrambling any forces that we could and playing in the shadows, to improving the lives of the common folk and forging strategies for military success¡­ If this change doesn¡¯t define our progress, then I don¡¯t know what will!¡±

 Chapter 32

    ¡°Sir, we are almost there!¡±


    Sitting back in his saddle, Saulus shook himself awake when notified by one of the soldiers. Taking a moment to stretch his tense muscles, he looked to the front. Even at this distance, if one knew what to look out for, it was easy to pinpoint the location of the settlement mentioned by the soldier.


    ¡°Good. I was getting tired of all this travelling. I can¡¯t wait to stretch my legs properly!¡±


    With the smoke rising from just behind the horizon, it didn¡¯t take long for the general¡¯s entourage to finally arrive at the site. But what Saulus expected to be a small village filled with only serfs and freemen, turned out to be a small city!


    Establishing any military presence directly on the outskirts of the city was something that only took enemy offensive into account. As such, with an entire detachment of the second legion making its way over here, the officers that were sent ahead uniformly agreed on one point.


    They needed to construct a camp.


    ¡°To think that all these different kinds of peddlers found their way here so quickly¡­¡±


    Still atop his horse, Saulus rode through a simple wooden gate, entering the inner palisade area of the campsite. Given how the entire construction followed a standard set of rules and ideas, the young general could easily navigate through what seemed like a mess of tents and buildings with ease.


    ¡°General! It¡¯s a pleasure to welcome you to our humble abode.¡±


    Raising a small commotion, thanks to Saulus¡¯ arrival, the head officer of the camp quickly moved out of one of the few finished constructs. Saluting with his fist to his chest, he looked at the general before moving his sight meaningfully towards the doors of the building.


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s it in terms of my rest. Go and take my horse to the stables, I guess I need to be brought up to speed with the local affairs.¡±


    Jumping down from his mount with a grace belittling his earlier whining about the lack of comforts during the journey, Saulus followed after his officer to the insides of the primitive building. In fact, it would be more precise to call it a loosely insulated shack than a proper construction. Only the presence of massive tables with all sorts of maps decorating their desks could make one aware that this wasn¡¯t some kind of oversized restroom.


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯m perfectly aware that we should purge all this scum as soon as they appear¡­ But the sea of information they are bringing to us is just too valuable. While obviously, no one will refuse the order to purge them now, I would like you to consider our motives first¡­¡±


    Not daring to stop his movements even for the slightest of moments, the officer quickly gathered the papers from all over the shack before piling them all up in front of Saulus.


    ¡°What are those? Reports?¡±


    Just a single glance at the pile of paper was enough to cause Saulus¡¯ head to explode with pain. Even thinking about going through all of those brought the general near his limit.


    Fighting with himself, Saulus still reached forth with his hand and picked up the first sheet of paper. After quickly scanning through its contents, the expression on his face changed a bit, with his hand moving to get another paper. One by one, what had seemed like an annoying and arduous task turned into a festival of surprises, with each page bringing even more insanely valuable information than the previous one!


    ¡°Okay, now I see what you meant. These papers are akin to a treasure trove. But the news from the south? I really don¡¯t want to believe it.¡±


    Throwing the piece of paper on the table, Saulus allowed his subordinate to scan its content. With the younger soldier¡¯s pupils dilating, it seemed that he was finally beginning to understand the true meaning behind this report.


    ¡°Sir¡­ Are you really sure you want to take this account seriously? In the end, those pieces of information mostly come from peddlers¡­¡±


    Moving his eyes between the paper and his general¡¯s face, the camp officer was clearly hesitant to accept the words written on the report as the given truth.


    ¡°It¡¯s not only this one. Here, take a look at these as well.¡±


    Taking a moment to sort through the papers that he went through already, Saulus quickly passed them to his soldier as soon as he managed to find the ones he was looking for.


    ¡°Oh, Firstborns¡­¡±


    With his focus now oriented on the things that Saulus brought to his attention, the soldier finally managed to understand why those reports concerned his general so much. Saulus simply stepped away from the desk before sitting heavily on a simple chair.


    ¡°With that, there is no doubt. We are no longer capable of taking over Mez.¡±


    The general didn¡¯t even need a map at this point. Even though there was no road that would connect the nearby Galdo with the city of Mez to its south, it would only take a small, mobile unit to cross the plains separating those two locations directly. But with the news of both of his southern enemies rallying their forces directly in Mez¡¯s proximity, it was now clear that any attempts at flanking his southern opponents would only lead to needless and pointless casualties.


    ¡°Those damned loyalists¡­ Eh, I guess there is no point whining about it now. They might be stupid to follow that joke of a patriarch, but that doesn¡¯t mean they are bad at their job. Well, at least we can enjoy the wide support of the locals¡­¡±


    Saulus looked with amusement at the confused face of his subordinate.


    ¡°Sir¡­ I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    Only after taking some time to enjoy the slightly awkward situation did Saulus release a deep sigh before pointing at the remaining stack of papers left at the table.


    ¡°Outside of the information about the south, there is one thing that you can learn from those reports. As little time has passed since the Royal Trials, people are seeming to take notice of how much better their lives could be under the new regime.¡±


    Standing up from his chair, Saulus moved towards the table before picking up some random reports and scanning through their contents.


    ¡°People are turning their tools into weapons.¡±


    Passing the paper down to the younger officer, Saulus looked through another one.


    ¡°People had enough of the former regime¡­¡±


    Passing paper after paper, Saulus quickly grew bored with pointing out the general feeling one could get from the reports.


    ¡°To make things easier for you to understand, people saw a gust of freedom and prosperity in the actions of our Queen.¡±


    Dropping all the papers back on the table, the soldier now faced Saul with a serious look.


    ¡°Locals are willing to join the fight to make Venna¡¯s promises come true. Not because they love her, but because they believe she will finally allow them to build up their fortunes for the future. And it is this drive that you need to learn how to take advantage of!¡±

 Chapter 33

    ¡°The southern raid is called off.¡±


    Making this statement bluntly, right in the faces of his officers, Saulus noticed how the expression on the commander of the third company¡¯s face soured. With the invasion cancelled, that he was supposed to lead all on his own, Saulus would expect him to throw a fit and even threaten rebellion¡­ If he was commanding over a normal army, that is.


    Instead, hanging his head low, the middle-aged veteran took a moment to calm himself down. After a short while, perfectly aware of how everyone was monitoring his every move, the commander of the third company moved his head back to its straight position.


    ¡°Sir, if I may implore, what are the reasons for this decision?¡±


    Instead of allowing his ambition to take the better of him, this middle-aged man quickly proved that he was the right person in the right position. By the time he finished his question, his face showed that he already made peace with the new situation.


    ¡°There is only one reason. The enemy already took the city. That raid was aimed at harassing our opponent and stalling his moves, but regretfully, we are no longer capable of achieving that. Sending you off to the south like that¡­¡±


    Shaking his head for a moment, Saulus dropped it. Sometimes, things were best left unsaid. He continued,


    ¡°We would just lose too many men. Even if we could still mess around the enemy flank, it would cost us too many recruits. Let¡¯s not forget that we are not commanding the veteran army. Most of those with experience went to the other side of the hostile land. Just like they should have, to stall the greater threat out of the two we need to face.¡±


    Pointing his finger at the map, Saulus hovered it in a circle around the northernmost and central city of the enemy lands.


    ¡°While he holds two of the three major cities on the road, I think it¡¯s safe to assume he will take Mez under his wing as well. But as strange as it might sound¡­¡±


    Moving his finger down on the map, Saulus pointed at the last enemy fortress that separated the Burnian hinterlands from the friendly legions to the south.


    ¡°¡­ it¡¯s the governor of Gaudio that we need to be wary of. He might only control a single, strictly militaristic town, but it would be naive to ignore his strength. Even before the rebellion, the Patriarch himself exiled him there. Some said that it was because he feared this man¡¯s sheer power, others believed it was an attempt to reinforce this location. After all, Gaudio is the one chokepoint and resupply station that strangles our lands. If we ever want to prosper, it needs to be eradicated.¡±


    This time, it wasn¡¯t about taking over the lands controlled by some minor noble or already defeated enemy. Even though Gaudio served as a hub for all the Retesian colonies set on the fertile central plains, Saulus didn¡¯t care. Even taking this fortress wouldn¡¯t do any good. Outside of the problem of supplying and upkeep of it, there was still a risk that it could be easily taken by a counter-invasion.


    Set in the very middle of a formerly population-deprived plain, it had no natural defenses to rely on. Whilst its formidable fortifications would make it expensive to starve it or outright storm it, given the lack of any other advantages, the enemy could simply block the fortress and create a makeshift road around it.


    That¡¯s why it had to disappear from the maps. For as long as there was a possibility to establish a supply station there, that land would hold importance. Without the protection of the fortress, the Retesian colonists would lose their hub, forced to move back south. Keeping those plains depopulated was one of the national policies of the destroyed Burn household.


    Returning in his memories to the times before all hell broke loose, Saulus could picture the old kingdom sitting above the map while reading the reports from the census. Apparently, there were some plans to colonize this rich area, but in order to effectively do so, those lands required a far greater population. Otherwise, not only would the average settler suffer poverty, his humble abode would become a ladder for the enemies to climb into the already rich hinterlands.


    ¡°With that said, I can only tell that much about the governor of that place. I joined the court too late, missing my chance to learn more about him. But just from the rumors going around the Patriarch¡¯s capital, it was extremely risky to mess around with that man. Anyway, that¡¯s it, this will conclude our meeting today.¡±


    Suddenly shaking all the troubling thoughts away, Saulus looked at the faces of the small crowd of men gathered around the table. Gently standing up from his seat, he looked at the officer of the third company.


    ¡°As we will be turning this place into a stronghold to stop any raids on our side, I need you back in Mengia. Go get your men ready as soon as you can. I will advance with my personal guard first.¡±


    Suddenly leaning over the table, Saulus released a deep sigh. From this alone, anyone could see how tired he was.


    ¡°Sir, but¡­¡±


    Attempting to protest, the commander of the sole mobile unit of the second legion stood up, only to be silenced by a gentle wave of Saulus¡¯ hand.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for that. I need to get back to the capital without delay. Now that the matters here are settled¡­¡±


    Stopping his sentence in the middle, Saulus looked up at the two high officers managing the third and fourth company respectively.


    ¡°We will follow our orders.¡±


    Reacting in unison, both men sprang up. Giving out their best salute, they confirmed that they understood the general¡¯s instructions.


    ¡°Good. That means I¡¯m free to go. Ayden!¡±


    Loudly calling the name of the already standing officer, Saulus stepped away from the table.


    ¡°I will give you the tour of the perimeter. I know we are in the middle of a damned plain but I might be able to come up with something. Come.¡±


    As much as Saulus wanted to leave for Aldo, he still had to see some things through. Even though he was not an engineer himself, the records of the ancient ways of reinforcing the ground were safely kept deep within his memories. Contrary to the officer of the company tasked with defending this area, Saulus still had way greater insight into the topic.


    ¡°Sir, we will also prepare. The guards unit will be ready in an hour.¡±


    Even though the journey north was relatively short, Saulus¡¯ guards still had to make sure their mounts had enough feed to last. They had to don their armors, check their weapons, organize into formation. Being a soldier himself, he accepted this kind of delay as just a part of military life.


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s meet at the entry to the camp then. Don¡¯t be late!¡±

 Chapter 34

    All the way to this point, even the worst campaigns that Saulus took part in didn¡¯t come close to how tiring his current lifestyle was. From the moment he finished the inspection of the open ground around the camp in the south, Saulus had no other choice but to race back north.


    Unable to count how many days he had gone without proper sleep or even a short rest, Saulus grew to enjoy the boring time of traveling far more than ever before. Something that used to be the least liked part of life in the military for him, turned into a rare chance for Saulus to detach himself from everything.


    Riding on the horse, with the wind caressing his face, he could finally rest a bit. But just as he regained a small semblance of energy, the gates of Aldo closed behind him as the group reached their destination.


    As annoying as it was, even this city couldn¡¯t be considered a safe-zone for him. Stuck with an entire unit of personal guards, something that Venna forced on him right before he left, moving back to the palace took him nearly four times as long as it would have taken him to travel it on his own.


    But even the palace itself didn¡¯t bring comfort to his tired body. As soon as Saulus reached his private room, he had to sit down and read through a sizable stack of reports about the events he missed while inspecting the defenses in the south.


    Going one by one, Saulus properly inspected a huge chunk of the documents before finally raising his head from his desk. By now, the sunny weather of the afternoon on the other side of the window had already turned into the gray color of the late evening. Casting his eyes down, he could see that the remaining amount of reports he had to read would keep him awake through the entire night to come.


    As tough of a task as it would appear, Saulus simply ordered one of the maids to bring him a small barrel of a light, refreshing beer before getting to work. Emptying a small glass for every portion of the reports he went through, Saulus sipped away through the entire night¡­


    But when morning came, the pile of papers was replaced by a small stack of new documents, personally written by Saulus.


    ¡°Sir, how can I be of assistance?¡±


    With one of the butlers responding to his call, Saulus stood up from his desk. Taking a moment to regain the strength in his legs, he unsteadily pointed his hand at the set of orders on the table.


    ¡°Take them to the office. My people there will know what to do with those.¡±


    Patting the shoulder of the butler on his way out, Saulus had to recall this moment later on to understand how inebriated and exhausted he must have been to get so familiar with a servant.


    With his legs carrying him towards his next job, Saulus recounted everything that he decided in the past few moments. Thinking about it, he couldn¡¯t help but realize that the decisions that would normally require the approval of the monarch, he was making all on his own.


    But that was what times of rebellion required. If he had to convince a huge group of people that diverting more than half of all their resources to the north was a good idea, the chance to do so would waste away before even a half of them got around to approving it.


    Thankfully, with how he was organizing the entire uprising in the first place and how he had the ruling queen¡¯s full trust, Saulus didn¡¯t need to bother justifying his actions. Because some things couldn¡¯t be brought to public knowledge. Even if everyone knew about something happening, there were times when one had to keep his mouth absolutely shut about it.


    And the huge scheme of former Retesian neighbors pouring an insane amount of wealth and manpower into the already rich lands of the northern Burn household could never be openly confirmed. Saulus¡¯ two northern neighbors would involve themselves only for as long as it remained nothing more but a rumor.


    ¡°Sir! Thank God you are here already!¡±


    By the time Saulus managed to reach the central hall of the palace, one of his administrative officers noticed his presence and instantly caught up to him.


    ¡°I have the reports with the highest security lock possible. I am only to deliver them right into your hands!¡±


    Bringing yet another stack of out of nowhere, the young officer failed to notice how Saulus¡¯ entire body convulsed when seeing even more papers. Not even the fact that the sealed envelope clearly contained only a few pages mattered.


    Pushing his own repulsion away, Saulus reached forward and grabbed the letter. Breaking the seal on it, he quickly pulled the short note from within before scanning it.


    ¡°This idiot¡­¡±


    Muttering under his breath, Saulus shook his head before hiding the note in his pocket.


    If you are almost done, then why are you still in the north¡­ Thinking to himself, Saulus had no choice but to cast thoughts about Bloy aside. No matter how quickly the Pleiades would manage to squash the last remaining pockets of resistance in the north, it would still take them too long. Even though their loyalty could be questioned, Saulus had no other choice but to rely on their help.


    Initially attempting to move forward, Saulus suddenly stopped by the window. Being on the third floor of the palace, he had a nice view of nearly the entire city below. And even from as far as he was looking, he could easily spot the busy crowd on the streets.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! The inspection will take place in two weeks!¡±


    Suddenly realizing this fact, Saulus sobered up from his exhaustion in a second. The constant pressure of scrambling to put all the pieces together for this reborn household to survive made him miss the fact that he was currently well behind schedule!


    With two weeks until all the preparations would have to most likely conclude, the young general suddenly faced the perspective of finally lying his body to its well-deserved rest.


    ¡°Only two weeks of this fake peace left, huh?¡±

 Chapter 35

    ¡°Come on, how long are you going to keep working? Everyone needs at least a quick break!¡±


    Thinking about his current situation, Saulus only gripped his pen tighter before returning to work. No matter how ridiculous the ongoing event would look to anyone brazen enough to spy on the two of them, he couldn¡¯t allow this mischievous girl to pull him away from his duties.


    Not during the last day of relative peace.


    ¡°You know I need to finish this. I promise, once I get this paperwork done, I will join the royal entourage. Now, go and have fun yourself. What¡¯s the point of being the queen if your life is even duller than it was before?¡±


    Smiling gently in response, Saulus attempted to shoo the girl away. As little hope as he had in his actions actually being successful, the disappointment clearly showed up on his face when Venna refused to leave.


    ¡°To think that a retainer would dare to refuse a direct order from his queen¡­¡±


    Muttering those words under her breath, Venna tacitly looked away. Saulus¡¯ face changed instantly. Slowly standing up from his chair, he approached the girl before grabbing her chin and forcing Venna to look him in the eyes.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you wish to use your royal powers for, then I will listen. I just want to make sure you are perfectly aware of what your choice entails.¡±


    It would be a lie to claim that Saulus knew what to expect. From one side, he saw Venna trying her hardest to be the best queen that she could be. But from the other side, there was no denying how attached she was to him, making it all the harder for her to accept his absence during the initial moments of festivities.


    ¡°Eh, you are no fun. Fine, stay and work yourself to death!¡±


    Venna¡¯s face twisted in slight annoyance as she jumped from her spot and stormed out of the room. Thankfully, she remained cool-headed enough to keep her real self within the room, returning to her queen-like appearance as soon as the doors opened.


    ¡°I will come as soon as I finish this urgent part of work. You know I would never forgive myself if something were to happen because of my oversight.¡±


    The sentence directed at nothing but a set of doors, Saulus hid his face in his palms. Even with the immense workload of managing the economy of an emerging country, Venna wasn¡¯t making things easy for him, either. Even if she couldn¡¯t be blamed for how new this situation was for her it didn¡¯t change the fact that the two of them had a different perspective of what ruling was.


    For Venna, governing a country was always something that was distant yet close. Distant, because she wasn¡¯t involved in ruling during her father¡¯s regime and later on because she had to hide her true identity, for years. But it was also something close, as she always bore the royal blood of the Burn household, capable of claiming a Firstborn¡¯s heritage with it.


    To her, ruling meant to give orders, settle the differences, and honor the worthy. For Saulus on the other hand, ruling was no different than a huge workload of an administrative job. Because in order for the Queen to decide on how to settle a matter, she had to know what the entire matter was about. And it was Saulus¡¯ job to construct a stable country where Venna could enjoy her part of ruling.


    With his thoughts in a slight disarray, Saulus forced himself to continue reading the papers one after another, putting his signature and wax seal whenever he deemed it necessary. Every single paper that he checked and signed would result in some kind of group experiencing the crown¡¯s favor or wrath. Every wax seal he stamped meant that something would change.


    But there were some papers that he could only read, leaving the decision of what to do with them for the Queen herself. Yet another point that his childhood friend most likely failed to notice.


    ¡°So they will cooperate after all¡­ And here he was, making me worry¡­¡±


    Putting the note away that the palace received from the emissary from the south just this morning, Saulus stretched back on his seat. Before he noticed, the sun had already moved past the breaking point in the skies, heading behind the horizon.


    The last paper that Saulus opened up finally took the greatest worry off his shoulders, and the general released a deep sigh before standing up from his workplace. Stretching his limbs for a moment to improve the blood flow, Saulus felt the energy slowly returning to his exhausted limbs. Soon, he cast aside his comfortable clothing before changing to a suit befitting the head general of a rebellious country.


    Stepping outside the palace was already a magnificent experience. With its entire inner architecture considered a work of art, one could think that he was watching the history of the fallen household of Burn while walking through the corridors, with all the subtle changes to the decoration that appeared in the outer areas of the complex. But today, this feeling was reinforced with the fact that starting right at the palace¡¯s courtyard, a huge festival was taking place.


    Officially, it was actually an inspection. According to the tradition that even the patriarch decided to keep after conquering the lands, both Venna and Saulus were supposed to inspect the livelihood of the townspeople by taking a walk through the main street of the city. With golden coins tossed for every step of the Queen, this kind of event was simply too expensive to be held outside of huge ceremonies, like coronations.


    But for Venna right now, it was a relatively inexpensive way to harness the gratitude of the people. An opportunity that a weak queen like herself needed to take. Yet it didn¡¯t mean that this event could be considered wasteful.


    ¡°They really pushed forward a lot¡­¡±


    Usually, the entire festivities could last for the entire day and night given how the royals liked to walk through even the most obscure streets of the city. Yet from the looks of it, Venna had to somehow find out about the poor economic state of the land, by forcefully cutting the minor alleys in favor of the main streets of the city.


    ¡°This little¡­¡±


    Even though he was whispering, Saulus didn¡¯t dare to put Venna¡±s current title at the end of it. Not in the middle of a huge crowd that bustled in Aldo¡¯s streets.


    There was a reason why he allowed and even inspired the organization of this event himself. Right now, this rebel country had no economy to speak of. While there were a lot of coins and goods moving from north and east to the capital, if Saulus were to just distribute it like that, the price of everything would plummet. As strange as it was, an event like this one was the best way to inject huge sums into the pockets of everyday citizens, forcefully kicking the economy in the rear and starting it up!


    ¡°There you are¡­¡±


    Finally catching up to the royal entourage, Saulus didn¡¯t need to be a strategic genius and former spy to notice how angry Venna was. Or instead of being angry, her face told him that she was simply disappointed. Instead of enjoying the cheers of the population, she walked as if it were a march of shame.


    ¡°Look who finally found some time to assist his queen¡­¡±


    Even though everyone¡¯s attention was on the queen, the thick blanket of veteran guards that shielded them from the crowd was more than enough to let the two of them speak relatively freely.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. Please, don¡¯t sulk anymore. I brought some great news!¡±


    Only with unusually energetic movements of his hands did Saulus manage to force Venna¡¯s attention on himself. With a big smile on his face, he caught the Queen¡¯s eye before whispering.


    ¡°Rylas promised to take the southern general on himself. Right now, we are good to go with everything!¡±

 Chapter 36

    Just like Saulus said, everything was already set in motion before the festivities ended. It wasn¡¯t something uncommon for generals to do; while most of the citizens celebrated the queen¡¯s presence, the last units of the legion continued to pour from the city¡¯s gates.


    One company after another was setting off on a short journey to the south, aiming to converge at the trade city of Mengia. With the considerable amount of carriages packed between every unit, anyone could guess that they were leaving for a long time, despite the short distance required to travel.


    That was one of the quirks about the eastern plain of northern Retesia, or as it was called by anyone other than its former Patriarch, Burn lands. While Mengia was set at the major crossroads of the two most important trading routes in the lands of Venna¡¯s household, it was Aldo where the greatest concentration of wealth occurred.


    Even though it was mostly a traditional element of local society, ever since the trade routes to the north opened up, Saulus was no longer capable of changing this fact. So instead of fighting the inevitable, the young general decided to ride the wave of the extreme amounts of wealth that their neighbors poured into his treasury.


    After all, once the civil war was over, those subsidies would amount to pennies out of the profits that their dear neighbors would rack from a free-trade deal!


    However at this moment, the mastermind behind nearly everything that was happening within the restored Burn household was silently cursing his fate while moving through the palace corridors.


    ¡°The Queen herself summons Sir General before her majesty. You are expected to arrive posthaste, sir.¡±


    In the end, the main event of the festival lasted into the early hours of the next day. With the entire legion already out of the city by that time, the streets were now busy with merchants packing all their belongings and riding south to look for the chance to make a fortune. With the organized supply-lines already set, now it was the time for the private investors to fill the remaining space.


    And while all of that was happening, Saulus had no other choice but to return from the outer ring district of the town to the palace.


    Just how quick was she to return¡­ Firstborns, give me the strength to keep up with her. Shaking his head in constant disbelief at the actions of this mischievous girl, Saulus arrived at his destination. Standing in front of a set of thick, wooden doors, he raised his hand and knocked a few times.


    ¡°Come in!¡±


    Only after receiving the invitation did the young general dare enter. Even though they were close, he was still invading a lady¡¯s room. Keeping to etiquette was second nature for him.


    ¡°Just how angry can you be? You know we are on the verge of the war officially erupting¡­¡±


    Saulus was baffled at how quickly Venna returned to the castle after parting ways with him, once the main event of the inspection ended. Did she rush back with all her speed, tasking someone to carry her, or take a ride on a horseback, or just run on her own two feet? No matter which option she chose, none of them was fitting for her current status.


    And that could mean only one thing, reinforcing Saulus¡¯ faith that if this was the level of the current royal mischief, she would most likely end up as a widely loved and respected monarch. If she was using her means to make him waste the time of walking through the entire city, it means she considered this kind of annoyance to be a punishment good enough for angering her. All the while the closest person for comparison, the former patriarch of the Retesian household, was known for even going as far as executing people that infuriated him!


    ¡°I know, you don¡¯t need to repeat it every single time you see me.¡±


    Sitting on a comfy chair right beside a huge window in her chamber, Venna didn¡¯t even bother to turn her head around. Staring into the endless darkness of the night on the other side of the glass, her sleepy expression only brought how adorable she was up a notch.


    ¡°Then what might be the reason for your summons, your grace?¡±


    As soon as Saulus spoke those words, he realized just where he made the mistake. Even if there was some lingering anger in the girl in front of him for how long he took to finish the job, it was most likely already subsidized by the good news from the south. But as if he was the last possible idiot, he sparked the fires of her anger once again.


    ¡°What did you call me here for, Venna?¡±


    Fixing his mistake, Saulus relaxed his posture. Being the general of the rebellion was taking a toll on his mind, slowly forcing him to abandon his true self. To abandon who he was as a butler back in the palace!


    ¡°Have a glass of wine with me.¡±


    Taking a moment to scan the entire chamber, Saulus noticed several stacks of papers piling up on a nearby desk. Right now though, they were serving as the special cup holder for the queen. Thankfully, given how they mostly consisted of simple reports on the cheapest possible paper, Saulus didn¡¯t need to worry about some kind of potential ally getting insulted by a letter dirtied with dried-up wine.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Instead of insisting she answer his question, Saulus followed her request. Grabbing a random stool from the middle of the room and placing it against the wall beside Venna¡¯s seat, Saulus rested on this makeshift chair.


    Without any further words, the girl pulled out a huge bottle filled with dark, violet liquid before procuring another cup from a mysterious hideout. Pouring the glass, Venna finally allowed herself to look at Saulus¡¯ face. Her cheeks turned red as she passed the cup to her old friend and supporter.


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    After gently striking one cup against the other, the two of them took a few sips of the expensive liquor. Its rich aroma screamed how costly it had to be, making both of them guilty for just drinking it instead of properly savoring the taste.


    ¡°Returning back to your first question, I know about the war. While I play a sweet idiot for the folks, I hope you don¡¯t think that indeed I am one. Here, take a look.¡±


    Turning her head away with a wry smile, Venna once again looked at the stars while handing a piece of paper to Saulus. Quickly scanning the content of the letter, the young general could feel his eyes widening up.


    How the heck did this not go through my hands first? That was the only question that appeared in his mind. With how everything was organized, there should be no way for such vital information to be missing from his desk. Unless it was buried somewhere under other, less urgent matters¡­


    ¡°You do realize that this paper¡­¡±


    Raising his hand and shaking the letter a bit to bring Venna¡¯s attention back to the world of the living, Saulus attempted to calm his face a tiny bit.


    ¡°Yes. It means once again you will be going to work, right?¡±


    Hearing the deep sadness in her voice, Saulus looked at the cup in his hand. With the letter announcing that the hostilities at the border had already started, he was needed on the frontlines as soon as possible. He would never forgive himself if his absence there would cause the collapse of the entire rebellion.


    Looking at it from another perspective, however¡­maybe they don¡¯t need me there at all. With that sudden thought appearing in Saulus¡¯ head, he looked at his queen with a wide smile.


    ¡°Yes and no. Yes, I need to hurry up to the south to take command of the forces and make sure everything goes according to plan. But no. There is absolutely no reason for me to rush there right now.¡±


    In the end, Saulus¡¯ greatest challenge was to accept his limitations. He couldn¡¯t take care of everything from the frontlines and there was still a lot of important paperwork awaiting in his study.


    Right now, his presence alone wouldn¡¯t change a thing at the frontline. With all the forces already deployed and fortified on their positions, it would take a considerable amount of time for either side to change the stalemate. And that meant, he would be better off remaining in the capital for a while.


    ¡°So, without further ado¡­ Cheers?¡±

 Chapter 37

    ¡°Sir¡­ Sir¡­ Excuse me, sir¡­¡±


    Slowly prying his eyes open, Saulus looked towards the source of the disruptive sound. An attempt to look at the window to check the height of the sun above the horizon failed spectacularly as the wave of a sudden headache struck him.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    Noticing the change in the aura around Saulus, the servant that was calling out to him changed his tone a bit.


    ¡°What time is it?¡±


    Closing his eyes to avoid the repulsive light of day, Saulus looked towards the servant.


    ¡°Just past the second ringing of the city¡¯s bell, sir.¡±


    After a momentary clash between his will and his easygoing side, Saulus finally forced his body up. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he once again attempted to look at the window. For some reason, even with the answer voiced, the general failed to understand what was happening.


    ¡°Wait, it¡¯s already that late? Why the hell didn¡¯t you wake¡­¡±


    Before he could even finish his sentence, Saulus suddenly leaned forward over the edge of his bed. As the convulsion shook his entire body, the young man managed to stop himself from vomiting only with the utmost effort.


    ¡°Direct order from the Queen, sir. Do not wake him up before the second ringing. He should still manage to prepare for the welcoming ceremony then. Exact words of our Queen, sir.¡±


    Lowering his head to even quote such disrespectful words towards the second most important figure in the entire rebel nation, the servant poorly hid the shivering of his body. Even struck with a devilish hangover, Saulus could easily notice it.


    ¡°Merciful firstborns¡­ Dang, I don¡¯t have time for that!¡±


    With the realization of the meaning behind what the servant just relayed, striking Saulus like a bolt of lightning, he jumped out of the bed without any further delay. In just a piece of undergarment covering his most vital parts, he jumped towards the big dressing area, filled with fancy suits that he occasionally had to wear.


    And just as expected, his diplomatic robe was already ironed and prepared for him to put on. Not daring to waste a single second of valuable time, Saulus quickly donned his new clothes before coming out. Even though as a soldier, he didn¡¯t really care about being seen or not, but he needed to keep up appearances.


    ¡°Where is my water?¡±


    Coming out to the open area of the room, Saulus looked at the servant. While Mengia had a lot of great benefits to offer, both in terms of available services and proximity to the front of the war, it severely lacked the staff in regards to manning up the governing places!


    ¡°Sir¡­ I¡¯m so deeply sorry¡­¡±


    Instead of causing such a young person to have a heart attack over something as minor as lack of water, Saulus simply waved his hand before stepping towards the doors.


    ¡°Nevermind. I don¡¯t have the time to wash anyway. Lead the way to the audience room. On one foot!¡±


    Saulus didn¡¯t want to act oppressive towards this clearly stressed servant, but time just wasn¡¯t on his side. With fear only helping to move faster, the two of them quickly reached the open office of the queen, otherwise called an audience room.


    ¡°Head general of the Freedom Army, Sir Saulus!¡±


    Noticing the approaching duo, the herald didn¡¯t bother to give either of them the time to tidy up their appearances after dashing to this place. With the doors opening right away, Saulus had no other choice but to straighten up his back, raise his chin and enter the chamber with confidence.


    ¡®Freedom Army¡¯ my arse¡­ But I guess that¡¯s the official standpoint we need to assume on the record¡­Hiding the ironic smile that craved to appear on his lips as he was announced, Saulus moved just a few more steps forward before resting on a chair directly near Venna¡¯s throne.


    ¡°How was the night?¡±


    Taking a quick look at the hall, Saulus could breathe a sigh of relief. With no Bloy or his officers present in the chamber, it meant he made it in time. But the person responsible for such a huge potential mishap was now asking him how his night was?!


    ¡°Lengthy¡­ At this point, it feels unnatural for me to have a proper night of sleep.¡±


    Still angry at Venna¡¯s small ploy, Saulus took a few deep breaths to calm his emotions down. Ridding his soul of this pointless anger, the young man finally looked at his queen¡¯s face, only to notice a small, pleased smirk on her lips.


    ¡°You really are a¡­¡±


    Before Saulus could finish his comment, the deep baritone of the herald drowned him out.


    ¡°Sir Bloy and the generals of the renowned Pleiades!¡±


    Announcing the guest, the herald gave a signal to the guards at the door. Pulling a set of ropes, they put a complicated system of levers and pulleys into motion, prying the huge and heavy wings of the massive doors open once again.


    ¡°Your majesty, sir Saulus¡­¡±


    After approaching five steps into the chamber, Bloy suddenly stopped. Falling on one knee, he bowed to the duo sitting at the head of the room.


    ¡°We have heard of your exploits. There is no need to lower your head in our presence.¡±


    Speaking up from her throne, Venna correctly used the detached, royal form. By referring to herself as ¡°us¡± and ¡°we¡±, she openly indicated what position she wished to hold in society once it stabilized.


    ¡°It¡¯s a great honor to hear such praise from your lips directly, your majesty.¡±


    Following the diplomatic protocol to its last letter, Bloy moved three paces forward before stopping once again, this time permanently.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to have such a skilled general in my service. But let¡¯s stop with the pleasantries if you won¡¯t mind¡­ General¡­¡±


    Casting a short yet meaningful look at Saulus when she called Bloy a title that, so far, belonged only to the childhood friend beside her, Venna quickly focused her attention back on the man in front of her.


    With a silent nod on Saulus¡¯ side, Venna continued.


    ¡°We heard a fair share of stories detailing your daring exploits in the north-east where you were deployed. If you could sum up your actions and achievements related to your mission in just a few words, it would be of great use to us.¡±


    The initial tension caused by how important both this meeting and Bloy¡¯s news would be was already gone. Even though Saulus didn¡¯t really like the man during the early stages of their cooperation, this was the moment when he could prove his loyalty. The question was, to whom would he pledge his faithfulness to?


    ¡°My queen¡­ I came here with great news. We managed to recover the entirety of the north-eastern lands. And that means all of the trade routes connecting our great nation to its supporters are now active. In fact, we expect the first merchant caravan to reach the city in less than a day.¡±


    From the way Bloy formed his sentences, Saulus could already answer the question that appeared in his mind just a moment ago. In the end, Bloy was someone who would put his coins where his mouth was. And given the choice between an endless service in an elite unit and becoming one of the great nobles of the emerging household, it seemed that he made the choice that Saulus had silently hoped he would.

 Chapter 38

    ¡°Let¡¯s welcome the first wave of brave merchants who have travelled through the war-driven lands to make sure we won¡¯t be lacking food, weapons and other necessities!¡±


    Sitting beside Venna on a special, elevated platform, Saulus shook his head while quietly releasing a sigh of relief.


    For the love of firstborns¡­ I know I forced this job on him, but can¡¯t he like¡­ Hurry up? Muttering under his breath, Saulus already saw plenty of ways to indirectly punish one of his officers. Even though it was his first time publicly addressing the crowd, he was given explicit orders to keep it simple. Yet, from what the messengers reported, the caravan had already been waiting for a while at the gates, waiting for that damned idiot to stop blathering on.


    ¡°Everyone! Look towards the gates! Our friends and saviors are here!¡±


    Only after enjoying the sound of his voice for a prolonged period of time, did the selected officer bother to conclude his lengthy speech. What was even worse, this tense and joyous moment had already turned bland, with everyone in the crowd nearly yawning openly, if not for being in the presence of the queen herself.


    ¡°Next time, let me pick someone for the job.¡±


    Sitting right next to Saulus, just a single seat away from the queen, Bloy leaned towards the general whispering. Even though the two of them were quite at odds before, the opportunity of this civil war had forced them to put the past behind them and focus on the future.


    ¡°Guilty as charged. I will leave that to you from now on.¡±


    Whispering the reply, Saulus pretended not to notice the bolts of lighting that Venna was casting at them from her eyes. While her face was perfectly calm and focused, a small wrinkle atop her forehead hinted at how bored she was in reality.


    ¡°Look! They are here!¡±


    ¡°Everyone, cheer for them!¡±


    The sounds produced by the crowd quickly escalated with the appearance of a lengthy line of carriages pouring into the city. While a trading hub like Mengia didn¡¯t suffer much from the scarcity of resources that any war would bring, even its citizens knew how bad the situation was outside of the city walls. For them, those carriages brought with them opportunity and hope.


    An opportunity to once again start making money like in the good, old times. With Retesian conquests putting the entire province at the borderlands of the Patriarch¡¯s domain, the flourishing markets that were the trademark of this area turned obsolete. But now, with the main, northern trading road fully in Saulus¡¯ hands, people at Mengia could finally sell their wares for their actual price rather than what the Patriarch forced them to sell it for.


    And there was hope. Hope that the refugees would stop swarming the city once its markets prospered again. And hope that all the reforms that Saulus implemented to kickstart the local economy would be maintained along with the regime of the generous general.


    ¡°Little do they know¡­ This trade route will suck the life out of this place. It will be pretty hard to compete with those merchants with how we need to focus on the war right now¡­¡±


    Putting on his iconic, ironic smile as he looked towards the crowd, Bloy couldn¡¯t stop the bitterness from flowing out of his mouth. Thinking objectively, his words formed good advice on what to look out for, for the queen. The only reason Saulus couldn¡¯t really be thankful for this advice was due to how Bloy was one of the masterminds behind the entire scheme in the first place.


    ¡°Huh? Wait, Saulus¡­ Didn¡¯t you tell him?¡±


    Acting all surprised and joining the little talk between her generals, Venna looked at the two former rivals from the corner of her eye.


    ¡°Ah, right. Bloy, you took over the entire east so you might have missed the main plan for the south¡­ But we are not expecting to endure any heavy fighting for now. Not before some pieces are moved into their respective places. Not yet.¡±


    Smiling, Saulus was silent, denying any explanation to his former rival. As petty as it was, seeing Bloy¡¯s face turn slightly annoyed when he realized Saulus¡¯ play was the greatest reward that he could have hoped for.


    ¡°Okay, but what does that have to do with the merchants? I know the terms of the help from our neighbors. They would never let go of the opportunity for tax-free passage for their merchants.¡±


    There was no need to even bring out the map. Even though Venna wasn¡¯t as fluent in geography as the two generals, she was perfectly aware of the position of where her household found itself on the map.


    Located right on top of the major part of the ancient road, it was the only proper connection between two of their friendly neighbors. Ever since the Burn kingdom lost its autonomy, this trade route was cut by the Retesian patriarch¡¯s edicts, instantly cutting away a major portion of income for all three of the regions.


    And now, with the trade route once again opening up, there was no doubt that their helpful neighbors would ask for some slight favors regarding the taxes that they would otherwise be expected to pay.


    With ancient tradition stating that the amount of tax a merchant would pay by using the road depending on the length of the tract that a given household held, it would normally be the major source of income for the reemerging Burn household. That is, if those taxes wouldn¡¯t be abolished due to the deal that both parties signed even before the first batch of subsidies arrived!


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s all experience a word and a blessing from our benevolent Queen!¡±


    With the caravan already approaching the royal stage, Venna had no other choice but to remove herself from the conversation. After all, they could talk about it at any point in the future and right now she had an important duty to fulfill.


    ¡°Citizens of Mengia! I am your queen, Venna of the Burn bloodline. It is a pleasure and a great honor to be a guest in this magnificent city.¡±


    Starting her speech, Venna immersed herself in reciting the words that Saulus had forced her to memorize over the last two nights. Rather than going with the flow like that incompetent soldier from before, the Queen¡¯s performance had to be perfect.


    ¡°I humbly request for you to start preparing the local parties for a great hunt. Even if we can get provisions from our neighbors, it can¡¯t hurt to have a stockpile of our own. I think it will also serve as a great boost to the morale of our soldiers if they could see some meat in their porridge.¡±


    Leaning just enough to the side to make his words hearable to his former rival, Saulus glanced at the face of the leader of the Pleiades.


    ¡°That makes sense. We both know how awful it tastes¡­ Thinking about this, I heard you refused to eat anything better than what you ordered your soldiers to be served. Was that a factor you took into account while preparing this plan?¡±


    Curving just the corners of his lips in that slight, ironic smile of his, Bloy shook his head just a few short moments later, as if wishing to take back his words.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for that nudge. But it just made me recall an interesting story I heard back in the east.¡±


    Turning silent with the obvious intention of making Saulus inquire for more details, Bloy turned his face back towards Venna. The fact that his eyes stopped for a moment just below the line of her waist didn¡¯t escape Saulus attention, putting him even more on edge than he already was.


    ¡°Okay, you can stop keeping me tense now. What did this story tell?¡±


    With a tone signalling that he was conceding, Saulus moved his eyes back to the crowd cheering every word from Venna.


    ¡°Apparently, one of the big nobles from the old regime surrendered¡­ But for some reason, instead of losing his head, he lost all his wealth and status. The rumors say he is hiding in plain sight, in one of the villages right between Mengia and the frontline. You might want to check it out when you head south.¡±

 Chapter 39

    ¡°Sir, we got urgent news from the front! The military is requesting your presence as soon as possible!¡±


    Recalling the moment when he received this report, right after Bloy mentioned what he should do once travelling to the south, Saulus unintentionally tightened his fists.


    There is no damned way that he didn¡¯t know about it. This guy¡­ May the judgment of the firstborns over his soul be as harsh as his character is! Cursing, Saulus barely managed to keep his face perfectly calm. Being the head general of the entire rebellion that he was, he couldn¡¯t afford to show his emotions openly.


    Yet, this task to keep his expression stable turned out to be quite challenging when more and more signs of the ongoing war continued to appear in his vision.


    Back in Mengia, if someone wasn¡¯t informed, they may miss the fact that a huge civil struggle had erupted. Only by travelling a fair distance to the south could one notice the constant changes that this once fertile ground for colonization was going through.


    Starting with the very caravan that Saulus hitched a ride with, the fact that something this huge was travelling to the south was already game-changing for the locals. No matter whether they were under the Burn of the old or the newer Retesian rule, it was always the locals organizing themselves in bigger groups and then travelling north to sell their goods at the market.


    Outside of the military convoys, that was the truth that the locals knew. But now, it had changed.


    The route that was north heavy and almost always free to travel to the south now turned to be busy in both directions. At this point, Saulus had no choice but to be thankful to Retesian engineers that turned the former mud tract that cut those lands and turned it into a proper road suitable for military use. Even if they did it for the sake of their own war-plans, the wide road was now of great use to those who were supposed to be suppressed by it in the first place.


    But the further south the group travelled, the more signs of war-effort Saulus could spot. From temporary camps for the injured soldiers, through huge campsites of private merchants aiming to generate profit, all the way to the smuggler camps defying Saulus¡¯ rule with how they were openly established.


    Most of those temporary campsites were something that would be eradicated sooner or later. The type of war that Saulus aimed in the south made it a crucial point to enclose his enemies in their respective provinces, with no access to the external markets and resources. But dealing with those war-profiteers could wait.


    Because the report that Saulus received was indeed urgent.


    According to the note that the messenger passed to him, the situation at the front was quite dire. While the Retesian loyalist wasn¡¯t insane to the point of sending in the mages so early in the war, apparently the enemy forces implemented some kind of tactic that the second legion couldn¡¯t really cope with.


    Keeping in mind all the defenses that he ordered to be prepared in advance, Saulus was quite curious just what kind of maneuvers could make his soldiers so confused. Even if he wanted to blame it on how inexperienced his soldiers were, it wasn¡¯t the case for their respective commanding officers.


    ¡°Sir, we will reach the war camp soon.¡±


    Forced outside of the imaginary shell that Saulus liked to create around himself whenever he fell deep into his thoughts, the young general looked at his coachman with a confused look on his face.


    ¡°Ah, sorry. I was deep in thought. Thanks for the info.¡±


    Even though he was a general, that didn¡¯t mean Saulus felt that he was better than people like this coachman. It wasn¡¯t his achievement to be placed in Venna¡¯s family all those years ago. Just like he followed a certain path through life, so did this coachman, meaning, there was absolutely no reason for Saulus to be rude to a serviceman!


    Turning his sight away from the recovery camps that grew denser and denser the closer they got to the actual frontline, Saulus aimed his eyes towards the direction the caravan was heading towards. And just like the coachman proclaimed, he could already see both the walls of the small city nearby and the smoke from the endless battlefield hidden on the other side of the settlement.


    ¡°Dang it¡­ That many recovery camps¡­ Those fires¡­ Was I wrong about their ability to stand their ground?¡±


    Uttering those words to himself, Saulus suddenly stood up from his seat. Even with all the improvements that Retesian engineers did to the road, it still wasn¡¯t smooth enough to keep the carriage perfectly stable. Avoiding tripping on the wobbly floor only thanks to his own agility, Saulus brought his knee up before placing it on the side-wall of the carriage.


    Before he could give out an order, one of the soldiers pushed his horse forward, lining it up with the carriage before jumping down from his horse. Running a few steps after the brave jump, one of Saulus¡¯ personal guards quickly regained his balance and joined the marching group of infantry behind the carriage.


    ¡°Men, on me. I want to see what the hell is going on there.¡±


    That single order was more than enough for Saulus¡¯s personal company. Consisting of nothing but hardened veterans that he had already trusted with his life on several battlefields in the past, they stood in stark contrast to what the majority of the second legion represented.


    In just a few moments, a group of ten riders jumped ahead of the long line of the caravan, quickly riding past the city and to the open field where a single detachment from the second legion was holding the hordes of enemies back.

 Chapter 40

    ¡°What the heck did they do with my plans¡­¡±


    Muttering to himself as he rode past the last line of the local defenses, Saulus tightened his fists. Leaving this place in the hands of his officers seemed like a good idea when he did it, but seeing how the commanding officer of the defending army managed to butcher his fortification plans made the general reconsider his choices.


    ¡°Sir, we shouldn¡¯t go any further. Beyond that line, the true warzone begins.¡±


    Saulus¡¯ unit didn¡¯t remain fully cohesive during this quick scouting of the area. Even behind all the fortifications that protected his force¡¯s camp, venturing to the areas that could be struck with an attack at any given time was something to be avoided.


    With two of his guards warning him against going any deeper into the mess of the fortifications, Saulus pulled the reins of his horse back. Those two men were sent forward to scout the situation of further fortifications, and from the looks on their faces, the situation was even worse than what Saulus could see with his own eyes.


    ¡°Bring me the commander of the forward detachment. I need to have a talk with him.¡±


    Jumping down from his saddle, Saulus ignored the previous warnings and jogged towards the closest ditch. Shaped as a reverse slope, it was basically a descending depression dug directly into the plain, with a makeshift barricade made with wooden bails at its front.


    Originally, it was supposed to be just one element out of the imposed fortification scheme, but from the looks of things, it turned into a simple bunker all on its own. From a perfectly designed fortification allowing all the lines of defense to support each other during an attack, this specific ditch was turned into a graveyard for the soldiers who would be insane enough to remain in it during an attack.


    ¡°Sir!¡±


    A soldier bearing lower-officer insignia on his legionary uniform reported.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Angling his head to the side, Saulus looked at the soldier with curiosity. For a simple officer like the man before him to approach him directly, it was a huge mistake protocol-wise. And that meant that there had to be some important reason for the young officer to risk his position like that.


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯m Beneth from Myrra, I was appointed as the secondary engineer¡­ I know I¡¯m crossing the line by asking you directly sir, but was this place supposed to adopt the Kakashian fortification system?¡±


    Hearing the inquiry, Saulus eyebrows shot up. He didn¡¯t expect the random officer at the front to know the actual name of the schematic he had in mind while ordering the construction of those fortifications.


    ¡°Yes. That was indeed my intention. What should I make out of the fact that you are asking this?¡±


    Now fully focused on the young man in front of him, Saulus felt as if he had touched on the potential reason behind the butchering of his plans. Sadly, he wasn¡¯t given any time to actually finish the discussion.


    ¡°Attack! Seventh bunker, third region!¡±


    A loud voice sounded from a simple, wooden tower nearby. Saulus could hear the same report repeated with the faint voices from the other watchtowers securing the vision over the no-man¡¯s-land.


    ¡°Sir, please! We tried to convince our commander to adopt the schematic, but we were refused. What should be an impenetrable line of fortification turned into traps for our own brothers! Please, talk with¡­¡±


    Pushing the boundaries of what he was allowed to do, the soldier moved two steps closer towards Saulus before beseeching the supreme commander to act. Regretfully, his desperate expression froze on his face when a stray arrow suddenly penetrated his throat.


    ¡°Attack! Third bunker, second region!¡±


    The next moment, a small detachment of horse archers passed by, showering the area of fortifications with arrows.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Saulus¡¯ guards didn¡¯t even need to receive an order. Before even a single bolt could endanger their superior¡¯s health, Saulus was smashed to the ground under the weight of several, fully-armored soldiers.


    ¡°Get off me. I need to watch this!¡±


    Even when using all his might and ordering his people at the same time, Saulus was unable to move from under their combined weight. Barely capable of breathing, it seemed as if his men had turned deaf to his orders.


    ¡°Attention!¡±


    Seeing no other choice, Saulus ended up using the most basic of commands. But to his surprise, the guards hesitatingly moved away from the pile of bodies, freeing the general.


    Not willing to waste this chance, Saulus dashed into the ditch, taking cover behind a sturdy-looking part of the barricade. According to the schematic, this barricade should protrude from the earth only as high as one¡¯s arm while a simple, wooden cap was supposed to cover the deeper part of the trench. But while this mistake in the construction was most likely the main reason behind the casualties ramping up, it also made it easy for Saulus to observe the events.


    After riding past several bunkers already deep within the lines of the defenses, the enemy cavalry used the free space between the ditches to retreat. With no further attack being announced, the entire event came to a close barely a few minutes after it started.


    And while there were some enemies that were unlucky enough to somehow encounter friendly fire, a huge procession of healthy soldiers carrying their injured commanders away quickly proved how effective this attack was for Saulus¡¯ opponents.


    ¡°Firstborns¡­ Have mercy on me¡­¡±


    Watching the rows of bloodied soldiers, Saulus felt a painful sting on his soul. Those people were injured because he irresponsibly left the wrong person in charge. In a sense, he was responsible for their wounds and for the deaths of their brothers-in-arms.


    But now, it would change. Even with all the losses, the entire situation could be turned around. While turning those damned ditches back into what they were supposed to be was no longer possible with the enemy lurking at every step, there was a simple and relatively cheap way to turn them into an effective defense.


    ¡°Sir, the commander of the region¡­¡±


    As Saulus stood up from behind his cover, one of his guards came to report while pointing his hand back at the camp behind them.


    ¡°To hell with him. Gather the men, we need as much wood as the lands around us can provide.¡±


    There was no point dealing with that idiot right now. Even if it meant spending way more time on the frontlines that Saulus initially intended, he had already decided to ensure the frontlines would be secure. After all, the entire strategy that he designed for the coming months relied on this place holding the enemies off with ease!


    Looking to the back, Saulus noticed a man in an elaborate uniform approaching his position while accompanied by two of Saulus¡¯ personal bodyguards. Terror mixed with anxiety as the local commander approached his supreme superior.


    ¡°Sir, I can explain¡­¡±


    Not even letting the officer excuse himself, Saulus pointed at the closest ditch.


    ¡°Start with the last line and work your way towards the front. Connect all the ditches with thick but low barricades, one that horses won¡¯t be able to jump over. If you fail to finish it in time¡­¡±


    There was no need for Saulus to finish his words. Everyone present in the area instantly understood the underlying threat behind his message. But just to make sure everyone was perfectly aware of the situation, Saulus didn¡¯t bother with being tactful.


    ¡°¡­ you will be executed for sabotage and treason.¡±

 Chapter 41

    Initially, Saulus¡¯s stay was supposed to consist of just a single night. Cramming the inspection of the front line, meeting with the officers, and some speeches for the legionaries into the tight schedule, he initially wanted to just return north as soon as possible.


    But with the state of the second most important frontline across the entire south in shambles, Saulus had no other choice but to modify his initial plans.


    ¡°Make sure to spread the news organically. Just like we know a bit about their moves, they ought to look for clues on our side as well.¡±


    Casting a glance towards the incompetent officer who was almost responsible for the collapse of the entire army, Saulus stood up from the sizeable table.


    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to let this ruse go unused. Prepare the men. Vesser, I will be counting on you with those two tasks.¡±


    Turning his head to the leader of his bodyguards, Saulus only needed that single look to push the middle-aged veteran into action.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Standing at attention, the burly soldier then hustled from the shack that was supposed to fill the role of the local headquarters. Once again noticing the poor state of the building, Saulus shook his head, wondering where all the engineering manpower of this detachment was. Even though the ditches at the frontline were impressive, they could be done by the hands of regular legionaries. Even if the commanding officer was clueless about this more prolonged type of warfare, there was no doubt that he had some subordinates clearly mastering the topic of military engineering.


    But Saulus couldn¡¯t do anything about it right now. Instead of cursing at the reality before his eyes, he preferred to take that energy and turn it around on his enemies.


    ¡°Sir, are you really sure? Revealing the news of your arrival so openly¡­ Won¡¯t that provoke a heavy attack?¡±


    The commanding officer asked, hesitantly raising his head. Once again, Saulus¡¯ opinion of the man spiraled. Not because he was unable to look at the situation from the wider perspective, but because this kind of hesitation would make him powerless during a conflict.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. As sure as I am about you being unable to fill the role of commanding officer here. I had hoped that this blunder with the fortifications was just some misunderstanding, a problem with the messages going missing through the chain of communication¡­ Nevermind. As of today, you are returning to service as the secondary officer of the company. According to procedure, the new commanding officer of the company will be¡­¡±


    In the legions, once a commanding officer overseeing the entire detachment was killed, his place would be taken by the head officer of the first company of the said detachment. With this spot freed, everyone below would move up by a rank, always keeping the most experienced soldiers near the vital positions within the unit.


    ¡°That would be me, sir.¡±


    Stepping up, the same officer that dared to overstep his boundaries before bowed to Saulus. A single look at his face was enough for Saulus to spot the hints of doubt, but they were quickly overshadowed with determination.


    ¡°Good. I take it you understood what I meant with remodelling the fortifications?¡±


    Even though Saulus didn¡¯t intend for this exact man to become the chief commander of the troops located in this part of the frontline, it actually worked out pretty well. Given how the main focus of the early stage of warfare would be on stalling the enemies, his expertise in military engineering would definitely come in handy.


    ¡°Sir, yes sir! If I may though¡­¡±


    A slight nod of Saulus¡¯ head was enough to encourage the young officer into speaking his mind.


    ¡°I would like to keep the ditches as they are. We could move the barricades from their entry to the spaces between each ditch, using them as initial cover behind which we could construct proper walls. Otherwise, if we attempt any sort of construction directly on the frontline, we will most likely suffer heavy casualties in the process.¡±


    Hearing the gentle protest of the officer, Saulus smiled. Just as quickly as his predecessor was decreasing his own value with each passing second, the newly appointed chief commander of this section of the frontline was gaining points in the eyes of the general.


    ¡°Your intentions are good, but it would cause too much delay. I will give you an opening as soon as the enemy attacks. I already have directed a lot of the manpower bought from the city and supplied you with building materials. Although the window might be quite short, it will still be better than nothing. What¡¯s more¡­¡±


    Before Saulus could even finish explaining his plan to the new commander, the ringing of the watchtowers¡¯ bells announced that their enemy was attempting yet another attack. This time, however, despite the inevitable casualties that the attack would result in, Saulus was ready to receive it!


    ¡°Man your posts! Tonight, we are going to take revenge on those bastards!¡±


    Rallying the men as he ran out of headquarters, Saulus cast his sight at the frontlines. Even though the sun was already hanging low over the horizon, its rays still allowed him to observe the proceeding of the events.


    ¡°First unit ready!¡±


    ¡°Second unit ready.¡±


    By the time the third unit reported their readiness, the report from other groups started swarming the area around Saulus as well. All the while the enemy cavalry was racing through the open fields between the ditches, killing anyone who was too late to hide in the earthy hole.


    ¡°Not yet¡­¡±


    Watching keenly how the attackers poured deeper and deeper into the line of the useless fortifications, Saulus didn¡¯t even notice when one of the attendants put the heavy armor right on top of his body.


    ¡°Not yet¡­¡±


    With each passing second, the area around the general continued to organize, with people turning from a mindless crowd into perfectly formed units. Even if most of the legionaries from the second legion were amateurs, their lack of fighting experience had nothing to do with the drills they had to engrave into their souls during their training!


    ¡°Not yet¡­¡±


    Still fully focused at the front, Saulus only allowed his attention to waver when he felt a nudge to his side.


    ¡°Sir, your banner¡­¡±


    This was the main part of the scheme that Saulus had come up with. Raising his eyes back towards the enemies, Saulus tilted the corners of his lips into a devious smile.


    ¡°Soldiers, slow pace forward march.¡±


    Rather than shouting the orders to intimidate both his own men and the force that would surely oppose them, Saulus opted for a silent order. Nevertheless, the fact that the small crowd of armed men started to move all at once proved that orders could be said rather than shouted in order to bring effect.


    ¡°Not yet¡­¡±


    Whispering to himself as his sizable group closed into the first line of fortifications, Saulus continued to track the movements of the enemy unit. Ten steps away. Five steps.


    ¡°NOW!¡±


    Suddenly dropping all the pretense of a stealthy approach, Saulus shouted. The next second, the sharp sound of a trumpet could be heard across the battlefield, signaling the start of the attack.


    And then, just as the southern cavalry approached what looked like just one ditch amongst many, Saulus¡¯s heavily armed bodyguards emerged from the hole. With their spears aimed at the enemy¡¯s side and their horses already heated for battle, the enemy unit was instantly pinned in place, unable to disperse under the constant threat of Saulus¡¯ elite troops.


    ¡°ATTACK!¡±


    Swinging his personal banner in the air, Saulus kicked the sides of his horse, charging forward. The next moment, the hastily assembled crowd around him rushed forward, following his lead.

 Chapter 42

    In theory, it was unwise for Saulus to risk his own skin in a small skirmish like this. His sword alone was far from making any kind of difference in the fight, especially with how he managed to momentarily create an overwhelming advantage. But those soldiers of the enemy, those cavalrymen that had caused so many losses to the second legion already¡­


    They had to witness his presence, his banner and his wrath before escaping and spreading the news!


    ¡°Attack!¡±


    Shouting at the top of his lungs, Saulus dashed forward. Given the relatively minor scale of the skirmish, he didn¡¯t really have anything to worry about. Unless some insanely unlucky hit found its way through the gaps in his armor, there was hardly any chance of him getting injured, not to mention sustaining lethal wounds.


    ¡°Follow the general!¡±


    Obeying the previous agreement, the legionaries didn¡¯t hold back their shouts either. In the end, this entire plan wasn¡¯t about defeating a single unit of the enemy skirmishers but sending the message back to their main camp.


    In just a few moments, Saulus¡¯ unit crashed into the mix of bloodied human bodies. There was hardly anyone left in the saddle. Only about half of Saulus¡¯ bodyguards managed to remain atop their mounts, spreading destruction to anyone unlucky enough to appear beside them. Out of the enemy soldiers, only a few at most could still overlook the fight from the level of their saddles.


    ¡°Kill them all!¡±


    ¡°For the General!¡±


    ¡°No mercy!¡±


    Soon, what was initially a pretty organized fight, turned into the typical chaos of a proper battlefield. Rather than keeping the formation, both sides split apart. Thankfully, the great numerical advantage on Saulus¡¯ side quickly turned the tide of the skirmish, forcing the enemy into a retreat.


    ¡°Give chase! We can¡¯t let them escape!¡±


    As soon as the first of the enemy soldiers started to flee, Saulus shouted as loudly as he could. Announcing the fact that the fight was already won should serve a productive effect; the enemy learning that now was the time to escape. That is, if Saulus had ever planned on keeping the news of his arrival hidden!


    ¡°Retreat! Retreat!¡±


    Mixing with Saulus¡¯ voice, the desperate orders of the commander of the enemy unit sprung the remaining soldiers from the South into a decisive retreat. With only a few people remaining in the saddle, Saulus played along for a moment before recalling his troops back to his side.


    ¡°Okay, we don¡¯t have much time. Beneth, it¡¯s your turn now.¡±


    Once the field where the skirmish took place cleared out, the entire area exploded with human activity. All across the entire line of fortifications, men would run towards the ditches to pull out the materials stored at their bottoms. Others would dislodge the barricades that protected the front of the ditches and move them to the side, enclosing the free space between each separate ditch.


    ¡°This ruse should buy us some time. How much will depend on what the enemy¡¯s general thinks of our play, but you should have more time than necessary to at least set the defenses for the perimeter. Once you are done with that, you can use it as a cover while reinforcing the deeper defenses.¡±


    Instead of organizing the urgent work himself, Saulus advised the new commander of the frontline before turning his back and moving towards the safety of the camp. Taking part in the fight had already been enough of a huge risk, a risk that Venna would surely get angry for once she learned about it. For the sake of his safety within the walls of the capital, Saulus had no other choice but to turn tail.


    ¡°It will be done, sir. I already ordered staff to look busy around our backline. With all the movements and bustling, even if the enemy has spies in our camp, they won¡¯t be able to tell that the appearance of reinforcements is nothing but a ruse.¡±


    That was the core of the entire plan. By exposing Saulus¡¯ banner and his face directly to the battlefield and reinforcing this by creating activity within the camp, they could suggest to the enemy that something big was about to happen here. Be it an infusion of fresh forces into the battered frontlines or preparation for a huge-scale attack, southern forces would have to take countermeasures against it.


    Saulus bought quite a lot of time for his troops with this plan. Because even if the enemies to the south learned that today¡¯s skirmish was nothing but a ruse, it would still take them quite a while to confirm. And that would allow Beneth to fulfill his urgent mission of reinforcing the joke of the current fortifications and turn them into proper defenses!


    ¡°Good. I will be leaving things in your hands then. I have to stay here for yet another night, otherwise there won¡¯t be enough witnesses to my presence. Once things are moving smoothly, you can pay me a visit at headquarters. I will try to devise some emergency tactics for you to implement if the situation suddenly worsens.¡±


    After the near-miss of a total collapse of Saulus¡¯ flank, the young general was unwilling to just let things be as they were. If he wanted to make use of his superior economic situation over his southern enemies, a total stalemate on the front was the one thing he couldn¡¯t risk.


    ¡°Sir, if I may¡­¡±


    Clearly not used to his role yet, Beneth tentatively sought Saulus¡¯ attention.


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    Rather than scolding the man for his lack of self-confidence, Saulus blessed him with a gentle smile. It was basically his first day as chief officer. The first day when he would take main responsibility for the fates of all the soldiers on the frontline. Installing some confidence in him with just a smile was a small price to pay for a great result.


    ¡°I¡¯m quite positive that the enemies will try to attack once the sun sets. Would you be so kind as to observe how the situation develops during the clash? While I¡¯m sure I can construct the desired defenses properly, I don¡¯t want to lose more men than necessary because of some, even slight oversight.¡±


    Lowering his head despite Saulus¡¯ gentle expression, Beneth asked while tightening his fist. With his face turning slightly more towards the whitish side, his knuckles seemed to tremble a bit.


    ¡°Sure thing. We wouldn¡¯t want too many unnecessary losses, would we?¡±

 Chapter 43

    Up in the general northern area of the continent, the winters were relatively warm. While the men still had to cover themselves in thick furs and use fire to ward off the cold, there were hardly any disturbances to conducting warfare. While full-scale assaults or sieges would be a pretty tough challenge due to the constraints of how much food one could obtain and deliver to the troops, there was only one other downside that made any invasion pretty frustrating to organize.


    The days were relatively short.


    Two hours since the skirmish concluded, the sun finally took its rest behind the line of the horizon. The local workers, both military and the civilians, were contracted out from the nearby city. They worked for as long as the reddish light allowed them to discern the ground from the dangerous ditch, and the work had progressed at an astonishing rate.


    Before the last ray of the sun left the area, the foremost line of the ditches was already transformed into a deadly blockade that no cavalry unit could overcome. Even if it didn¡¯t pose much of a threat or even an obstacle to the infantry, there was hardly any chance of the southerners pulling up footmen so deep into the no-man¡¯s-land.


    ¡°Sir, they are coming.¡±


    Standing on a small hill located slightly behind the three lines of fortification, Beneth brought his hand towards the slight, flickering lights in the distance. What Saulus took for some fireflies soon appeared to be a small unit of horsemen travelling through the open plains with torches.


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s see what those fortifications are worth.¡±


    Saulus kept his focus on the unit approaching directly from the south. With no road connecting the two camps, they would just storm right into the innards of the defenses, wreaking havoc whenever they managed to catch someone off-guard.


    The watchtower system occasionally managed to warn everyone about the incoming attack, but the enemies rarely had any problems with getting away with their raids nearly scot-free. The depressing ratio of the fallen legionaries and the enemies that bit the dust in the area was proof of how effective this tactic was so far.


    But right now, the unit of horsemen found themselves in a quandary.


    Instead of a wide-open area between the ditches, perfectly marked with the torches of the guards¡­ They were faced with a completely dark field. Only the lights of the distant city seemed to shed some light on the area, keeping nearly the entirety of the defensive structures in the dark.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Some orders were exchanged at the front of Saulus¡¯ defenses. Way too far to even have a shot at hearing them, Saulus could only guess what was going on in the heads of the enemy skirmishers.


    Outside of the fact that the young general had changed his tactics, they had no way of knowing what Saulus changed them into. And that forced them to make a move they had not trained for.


    ¡°What are they doing¡­ Are they dismounting? Did they lose their minds?¡±


    Whispering to himself as he watched the proceedings, Beneth proved how baffled he was. Looking at him, Saulus couldn¡¯t help but smile. The potential loss of men aside, he could tell how excited this newly appointed commander was. Not because of the looming fight, but because the fortifications that he organized would soon be put to test.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get so anxious. You are no longer capable of influencing what will happen. This is the toughest part of being a commander. Watching your orders unravel, fully aware of how you are powerless to change them, once in motion.¡±


    While that wouldn¡¯t be the case with his veterans from the first legion, Saulus was perfectly conscious of how limited his moves were right now. Even after a few days worth of ongoing conflict, the second legion was far from being experienced. If any greater change of plans were to happen, the legionaries would surely lose their way and turn the organized battle into pure chaos.


    Forced to do nothing but watch, the two of the soldiers continued to observe every move of the enemy that they could see in the dim light of their own torches. No longer constrained by the lesser maneuverability from the saddle, the former cavalry quickly discovered a simple blockade that stopped them from entering the insides of the defensive lines. And just as those soldiers started to run around, learning more and more about the simple barricade¡­


    The entire wall suddenly lit itself up. With torches suddenly exploding with bright light all over the section where the enemies could be heard, the southerners lost their element of surprise. And before they could form up or organize any sort of defense, Saulus¡¯ soldiers appeared on top of the walls, aiming their crossbows down at the enemies.


    A sudden gust of wind made all the fires flutter for a moment. And then, the salvo was opened.


    A flurry of bolts instantly made their way towards the disorganized ranks of the enemies. Their light armors, a celebrated product of the southern lands, proved to be worthless in the face of this simple weapon. While full of drawbacks during an open-field battle, this weapon proved to be way too effective even for Saulus¡¯s liking. But in the situation he was in, he no longer had any right to hold himself back.


    ¡°Good. It seems that it works for now.¡±


    There was no denying that the first attack from the south faced the greatest challenge. With absolutely no idea what they were up against or even the ability to see the new defenses from far away during their approach, those poor soldiers were at the mercy of Saulus¡¯ relentless archers.


    And those soldiers, who experienced the constant threat of the raids and inevitable slaughter, were now more than happy to pay their oppressors back in kind!


    ¡°I think that will be it for today.¡±


    As soon as Saulus noticed the first enemy soldier throwing his weapon away and raising his hands in a sign of surrender, the general lowered his scope before hiding it in an expensive casing. For a tool as expensive as this one, even the most delicate cloth was still too rough.


    ¡°Sir, if you are still set on moving out first thing in the morning¡­ No, nevermind. Please, go have some rest, sir. I will make sure everything is dealt with properly.¡±


    Changing the direction of his words as soon as he opened his mouth, Beneth managed to catch Saulus by surprise. Who could¡¯ve known that he would grow so quickly? I might find some good use for him in the future!

 Chapter 44

    ¡°Sir, it¡¯s already time. Please, do not make things hard on me¡­ It¡¯s nothing personal, I¡¯m just following orders¡­¡±


    Forced back to the living with those words spoken in a hesitant, scared tone, Saulus had no choice but to pry his eyes open. A single glance towards the window confirmed that the sun had yet to grace the world with its warm rays. Turning his head to the only source of light within the room, Saulus nodded at the petrified servant.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I asked to be awakened at this hour. There is nothing for you to fear.¡±


    For some strange reason, outside of the capital city of the new state, Saulus never had any trouble sleeping properly. Maybe it was the relaxation caused by his journey, maybe it was nothing more than the feeling of urgency he experienced whenever he cast his eyes upon the face of his childhood friend. Whatever the reason behind his sleepless nights at the capital was, his nights outside the city were far more pleasant.


    And yet, he had no choice but to ignore such a great opportunity to finally have some proper rest. The entire ruse Saulus was a part of, forced its rules upon his life. That¡¯s why, instead of leaving with all the honors and comforts due his rank, Saulus was forced to escape from the frontlines like a cornered rat. After all, this was the only way in which he could help the local garrison uphold the propaganda claiming that he was right there, at the front lines!


    Dressing in just a few moments, Saulus quickly followed after the soldier. Ten minutes later, they reached a simple shack, like many around the military camp. If not for the presence of a dozen horses, one would never be able to tell that there was anything special about this place.


    ¡°Is everyone ready?¡±


    Without even seeing anyone, Saulus risked being taken for an idiot when he asked the empty surroundings of the building. But instead of keeping his image as a madman, his men who were preparing for the departure within said shack quickly responded.


    ¡°Sir, yes, sir!¡±


    Pouring out of the building in the wobbly light of the torches, Vesser led the way for the team of Saulus¡¯ personal bodyguards. Wearing nothing but simple, light armor, they looked starkly different from how they presented themselves on the battlefield just a day ago. With their distinctive, black sets of armors safely hidden within their bags, it would be hard to guess that this particular group of horsemen guarded the most important military figure in the entire rebellious state!


    ¡°Then let¡¯s not dawdle here and let¡¯s go.¡±


    Approaching the nearest horse, Saulus placed his shoe in the stirrup before jumping on top of the horse¡¯s back. With his bodyguards following his example, he was finally free to return to the north. Even though he was already late by a day, there was still one more place that he wanted to visit.


    ¡°Venna will kill me¡­ Well, I will have to deal with it once I return, I guess¡­¡±


    Fighting with his own thoughts as the small group finally set off, Saulus couldn¡¯t help but squirm in his saddle a bit. The commander of the entire rebelling state, chief general of two legions and mastermind behind the plot which uprooted the power of the formerly warmongering Retesia household. Also, a man shivering at the thought of displeasing his childhood friend and queen.


    These kinds of dark thoughts accompanied Saulus all the way to the first and only pit-stop on his journey back to the north. Even with the great hunt being organized as he jumped down from the horse, Saulus still decided to pay this legendary ancient noble a visit.


    Initially, he was someone that just appeared out of nowhere during a conversation that Saulus had with his retainers. He only started paying attention to him once he realized how popular he was in the military camp that he set up!


    Even though there was no direct contact between a small village that Saulus just entered with his men and the entire military camp, all the legionaries would talk about during their free time would be the appearance of this legendary figure.


    Jumping down from his horse, Saulus looked around the village. As expected, the appearance of an armed group like his scared most of the locals off, making them enclose themselves in their seemingly sturdy, wooden huts.


    So stupid¡­ As if hiding away would do them any good if we actually came here to rob and kill them¡­Shaking his head, Saulus recalled a single sentence that one of the ancient scholars had used to describe the household system that reigned supreme across the entire continent.


    ¡°You are pretty arrogant for someone with such a flammable house¡­¡±


    Muttering those words to himself with a slight smirk on his face, Saulus suddenly looked to the side. Contrary to what the rest of the villagers had already shown to him with their behavior, one man didn¡¯t bother to hide. Rather, he was actually approaching the group with a confidence that only someone who was perfectly aware of his own importance could have.


    ¡°Great Sage Markus, seventeen year of the peacock, third year of his service at Liveratus court. Am I right?¡±


    Leaning his head to the side, this sturdy looking, middle-aged man openly smiled at Saulus while locking his arms against his chest.


    ¡°Right? Hearing such a detailed description kinda scares me off.¡±


    Shrugging in response to the middle-aged man¡¯s vocal nudge, Saulus could feel that there was something deeper happening. For some reason, in the presence of this man, he felt as if he was back in the cadet¡¯s camp, where some old loser without any hobbies decided to turn the lives of the cadets into a nightmare. For the first time in ages, he felt as if the person before him was far more than capable of taking him on in an intellectual field.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, sir. Even though it¡¯s our first time meeting, I have heard a lot about you.¡±


    Putting his strange feelings aside, Saulus regained his composure and smiled at the man.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not the first time we are meeting, though? But it cannot be helped, you were just a young cadet when I first saw you. And yes, the pleasure is mine.¡±


    Uttering something that Saulus wasn¡¯t sure whether to take as a joke or some foreboding message, the middle-aged man reached forth with his hand. His face still filled with that kind and serious smile was somehow the only thing so far that had managed to get Saulus to feel tense.

 Chapter 45

    ¡°First off, thank you for your hospitality. The tea here is indeed remarkable. Unfortunately though, I have no choice but to request that we drop the small talk. I really wish we could take things easy¡­¡±


    Putting down the half-empty cup filled with the greenish, delicate drink on the table, Saulus stretched his back on the simple stool he sat on. Even though the village looked relatively prosperous from the outside, it was hard to spot even a single piece of needless luxury or comfort inside the unofficial mayor¡¯s manor. Unless it was a personal quirk of his to live in such crude conditions, Saulus couldn¡¯t help but add this little stone of information to the mosaic he had mentailly built of this village in his head.


    ¡°But you are in too much of a hurry to afford that. I understand.¡±


    Nodding his head as if Saulus¡¯ relatively rude remark was something plainly obvious, Rand grasped the handle of the teapot before refilling both of their cups.


    ¡°Well, now I have to say, it¡¯s quite unnerving when you can finish my words for me, sir. But I guess I had it coming.¡±


    Nodding his head in gratitude for the service offered, Saulus picked up his cup and brought it to his lips. After learning the grade of the tea, he didn¡¯t dare to gulp it. Taking a moment while holding the cup by his face, Saulus appreciated the rich aroma of the drink for a short moment before taking just a tiny sip.


    Allowing the herbal drink to flush his mouth, Saulus finally swallowed it. It refreshed the inside of his mouth, somehow helping him relax a little. This tea was really worth its weight in gold. And seeing how crafty and intelligent Rand was, Saulus was quite sure that he was aware of the value of such tea just as much as he himself was.


    ¡°I hope you won¡¯t mind this kind of quirky personality of mine.¡±


    Picking up his own cup, Rand brought it to his lips before repeating exactly the same ritual that Saulus just performed. The fragrance, the texture and only lastly, the actual taste. But after this small show of how high-class his manners were, Rand¡¯s face suddenly tensed up as he put the cup down.


    ¡°But let¡¯s get to the real topic. I think I know why you are here, and if I¡¯m right, then I won¡¯t be able to help you. My influence outside of this village¡­ Is non-existent. Just like I never heard any rumors of the youngest general in Retesian history to flex his ancestry, I don¡¯t think banking on my lineage would do anyone any good either. Not after my banishment.¡±


    Confirming rumors while creating countless new questions that Saulus instantly wanted to ask, Rand only smiled when he noticed the emotions rushing across Saulus¡¯ face.


    Realizing that he just let his guard down, Saulus quickly composed himself before lowering his head in disappointment.


    ¡°Then my visit here was a complete waste of time, wasn¡¯t it? Outside of the chance to drink such a great cup of tea.¡±


    Catching how rude his remark could sound in Rand¡¯s ears, Saulus quickly added some praise. Just to save himself any trouble if this man were prideful.


    ¡°There is no need to be so wary around me. I do understand the value of your time, sir. After all, we have quite a huge-scale war going on around us, don¡¯t we? It would be unbecoming of me to keep you locked in this place due to common pleasantries.¡±


    Placing his cup of tea back to the table before standing up, Rand was raising his hand to point at the doors when his movements suddenly froze.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve watched your movements for quite a while already. If this was a normal war, your efforts would be far more than sufficient to win¡­ Eh, nevermind.¡±


    For a moment, it seemed as if Rand was a completely different person. But it all only lasted for a short moment. Before Saulus could act in any way or form on it, Rand¡¯s face returned to its usual smile, signifying that it was now over.


    ¡°If this was a normal war¡­ Would you explain what you mean by that?¡±


    Even though Saulus was really in a hurry, given how he was already late for his duties in the north, the fact that he stopped to ask this question only signified how puzzled he was by it. Sadly, just a single glance at Rand¡¯s face was enough to make him realize that asking this question was completely and utterly pointless.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. Sometimes¡­ It feels like some thoughts just randomly enter my head. I hope you will forgive me for that.¡±


    Lowering his head while apologizing, Rand made it impossible for Saulus to keep digging further. After all, this entire talk was possible only thanks to his goodwill, so by making it clear that trying to push his limits would be not welcomed, he effectively stopped Saulus from doing so.


    ¡°Sure. But given your intellect that I heard so much about on my way here¡­ What would you say about joining my personal council? While I can¡¯t guarantee you a seat in the royal one, I will be sure to repay your help with¡­¡±


    Before Saulus could finish his offer, Rand stopped his words by raising his hand in a universally understood gesture.


    ¡°Once again, I will have to apologize. I bound my fate to this village. Before I fulfill my promise to the people here, I can¡¯t leave. But as a farewell gift, let me tell you one thing.¡±


    Guiding Saulus back to the doors, Rand kept mute all the way to the point when the two of them had to go separate ways. Only then did he open up his mouth.


    ¡°Just like I did, your ancestors are watching you as well. Keep up the good work, young man. You are the key to making the future of this war-striven land a bit brighter.¡±


    Sending Saulus off with those words, Rand stood on his doorstep while watching Saulus rejoin his unit and ride off to the north. With the sun reaching its breaking point on the dome of the skies, they really had to hurry in order to make it back to Mangia before the sun set.


    ¡°Your children grew up splendidly. Randel, are you watching him?¡±


    Whispering those words into the calm air, Rand looked to the side. With the military force now gone from the village, the locals were quickly returning to their mayor¡¯s house. And just like before, the strange look on Rand¡¯s face that appeared when he said the second part of farewells that Saulus had no way of hearing, turned back to his usual, smiling expression.


    ¡°Come on guys, how could you leave me all alone like that? What if they came here to claim my tea? What would you guys drink during the celebratory times?!¡±

 Chapter 46

    ¡°What a strange man he was¡­¡±


    With the sun already setting, Saulus had no other option but to order his men to slow down considerably. In a relatively short time from now, Saulus would have no other choice but to order the torches to be lit, otherwise, they would end up stranded in the middle of nowhere, just a short ride away from the comfort of their quarters in the city!


    ¡°Sir, do you need someone to keep an eye on him? While I understand that you have respect for him, is it really a good idea to keep such a powerful and potentially dangerous person around without any oversight? Who knows who he sides with¡­¡±


    The relationship between Saulus and his direct guards was quite different, especially for the strict regime of the legion¡¯s set of rules. But as surprising as it could be to those outside of the ranks, the general¡¯s guards were not a part of the legion in the first place.


    Selected from the most loyal veterans who bound their future to Saulus, they had a special kind of relationship with their superior as well. While it would be unthinkable for the high officers to approach Saulus so openly with their personal views, Saulus didn¡¯t even bat an eye when Vesser voiced his concerns.


    ¡°No one¡¯s side. He is on the side of the village he lives in. Did you notice how strange that entire village was? Or rather, did you realize that his village is less than a year old?¡±


    Already lighting a torch, Saulus graciously took the chance to turn his whining into a proper discussion. Even though Vesser was more focused on using his sword than his brains, that didn¡¯t mean he was stupid.


    ¡°Just a year? That would explain the wide array of housing types, out of which the worst was already abandoned. But a year? With all due respect sir, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to create such an organized structure so quickly.¡±


    Just like Vesser said, setting up a village was not an easy task, even at the border of the plains formerly used for colonization. From the land deed required to stop the local lords from taking advantage of the newly established place, through setting the fields, rearing the animals, hiring some artisans¡­


    To a point, some of the more advanced problems could be solved by trading with nearby cities or just setting up stalls directly on the main trading road¡­ But that still required a lot of time. In reality, though, the greatest giveaway to how actually rich this village was, lay in the existence of the stables.


    ¡°Now that I think of it, tell me. How many horses did you see in the stable? I mean, the horses owned by locals.¡±


    Leaning his head to the side, Saulus glanced at his trusty soldier with a small smirk on his face. Even though he never entered the stables himself, all the other hints that swarmed his attention back at the village allowed him to make a general guess.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I think¡­ five. Yeah, there were five horses in the stable.¡±


    Hearing the answer, Saulus¡¯ smile turned even brighter as he moved his head to its natural position. At the same time, the long efforts of trying to light the small package of dried-up plants with his flint finally paid off, allowing the general to light up his torch before passing it to his friend.


    ¡°And now, tell me. How many boxes did you see back in that stable?¡±


    This single question alone was enough to put Vesser into a mute mode. Once again, this crafty soldier patiently took his time to analyze both the words that Saulus said directly and what was implied behind them.


    The reason why Saulus was so focused on the horses in regards to the village was quite simple. This was the easiest way to evaluate how prosperous it was. While there were a lot of ways to replace horse labor with the use of other animals, it was still the horse that was most versatile, easy to tame and inexpensive on the market.


    ¡°Sir¡­ I think I know the answer¡­ But it¡¯s just too strange for me. Or could it be¡­¡±


    After taking his time to analyze Saulus¡¯ question, Vesser finally looked at the general. Yet, he hesitated. Only after a long while, accompanied only by the sounds of more and more torches lighting up, did Vesser finally dare to respond.


    ¡°Sir, if I¡¯m not wrong, there seemed to be at least forty boxes in the stables.¡±


    Hearing the answer, Saulus smiled. With their horses walking at a pretty slow pace due to the limited light that the torches could cast on the road, there was barely any clamor that would make it hard for him to catch Vesser¡¯s words.


    ¡°In a year, this man organized, moved and settled the population capable of establishing a permanent presence. From the few glances of the areas I got, they already have their fields tended and waiting for the harvesting season. The amount of free space in their stables only shows how grand of a plan Sir Rand has for this village of his. And that means¡­¡±


    Stopping his sentence before finishing it, Saulus glanced at his friend riding his horse barely two steps away from him. This time, Vesser didn¡¯t need almost any time at all to finish Saulus¡¯ words for him.


    ¡°He will be too busy managing his village to bother causing problems for us?¡±


    At this point, it was hard for the young general to turn his smile even wider. Talking with his friend like that and leading him to the same conclusions that Saulus himself reached was strangely addicting.


    ¡°Yeah. If he¡¯s capable of turning an empty plot of land into a potentially prosperous village in such a short amount of time¡­ I don¡¯t want him to encounter any problems from our people either. It¡¯s people like him that will bring prosperity not only to their location in particular but to the entire area of our household at large. That¡¯s why I only have one request for you and the rest of our unit.¡±


    Looking forward, Saulus strained his eyes for a moment before finally noticing the first, dim lights of the city hidden in the darkness of the setting day. Given how the light of the torches made it harder to notice slight lights in the distance, it could only mean they were already in the proximity of the city of Mengia.


    ¡°Not a word. I don¡¯t want anyone to know I met that man. For now, it will be better to keep him as nothing more but a legend.¡±

 Chapter 47

    The village itself was pretty small. Located a fair distance away from the local road, its position on the map was the main reason behind how obscure Saulus expected it to be. But standing in the middle of this tiny settlement, surrounded by nothing but nice houses, Saulus suddenly doubted his judgment.


    Or rather, he realized that he had failed to account for the man standing in front of him. With him in the equation, all his calculations and predictions fell short of their mark.


    The village itself wasn¡¯t eye catching. Simple buildings which housed the local farmers were no different from what one could see all over the continent. Some made with wood, others made with stones, while small parts were constructed with reinforced mud. But as strange as it might seem, Saulus noticed marks proving that this underdeveloped area was long obsolete.


    ¡°Sir, I can¡¯t quite recall¡­ When could be¡­ Or nevermind, that kind of talk can wait until later. For now, would you mind telling me where I could temporarily set my soldiers?¡±


    Smiling gently at the prominent person before him, Saulus nodded towards his bodyguards. Still mounted atop their horses, they didn¡¯t look the least bit calm. For them, even such a seemingly peaceful village was a potential source of threat. Especially how not even a single inhabitant, outside of the former aristocrat, dared to show themselves.


    ¡°It seems that these men truly have picked their leader wisely. As for a place to stay¡­ I¡¯m worried that the stables are the most that I can offer right now. I¡¯m quite certain that you already noticed this, sir, but we do not waste anything here. Be it space, tools or time.¡±


    Smiling with a certain degree of mystery behind his cheerful eyes, the man pointed his hand at a building that stood just a bit taller than its neighbors. Noticing the gesture, Saulus turned his head towards his men, urging them to follow the given direction.


    Saulus didn¡¯t think he had given away any hints that he noticed. Saulus liked to uncover the little secrets of others to make them act in ways he wished. Having the tables turned on him in this unexpected scenario enlightened Saulus as to how others felt when he acted in a similar manner.


    Or maybe this former noble standing in front of him was just perfectly aware of what this village looked like upon closer inspection? Maybe all the traces and hints that Saulus used to derive how life looked here were planted in advance, aimed at suggesting a certain train of thought in him?


    Unable to determine, all Saulus could do was to press on with the conversation. Only by clashing his words against the voice of this prominent man could he obtain more info to deduce the reality of this place.


    ¡°Would you mind if we sit somewhere? I believe my men are far more than capable of settling themselves in. Am I right?¡±


    As reluctant as Saulus¡¯ guards were to leave their commander, not a single one of them dared to oppose his command. If the general wanted to speak with someone in private, it was their job to make it happen.


    ¡°That¡¯s indeed the case. How about we sit down at my place? I could spare you some fine root beer. Trust me, once heated up, it¡¯s perfect to ward off the chill of the winter.¡±


    From how this middle-aged man instantly turned around on his heel before heading back towards the buildings of the village, it was clear that this was his plan all along. Unable to fight off the feeling that he was following the path that this strange man set for him way before this meeting ever happened, Saulus could only shrug it off as he followed the former noble.


    ¡°It just occurred to me, I never asked for your name, sir. If I may ask for the honor¡­¡±


    After a few moments of following the man, Saulus sparked up small talk to keep both of them occupied during this short journey. As such, he pretended not to know the man¡¯s name.


    ¡°Oh, that seems to be true. As pointless as introductions are in our situation, it is still a part of common courtesy, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Raising just a single corner of his mouth in a mischievous smile, the middle-aged man stopped in his tracks before facing the younger general.


    ¡°My name is Rand. I do not have a family name and as such cannot be associated with any powers that you might potentially hope to bring to your side. As long as you remember this point, sir, our cooperation might flourish.¡±


    Breaking all the etiquette of the old, Burnian court, the former noble reached out with his hand towards Saulus.


    ¡°From how you claimed you met me during my time as a cadet, I assume you are perfectly aware of my personal information. But surely, following common sense rather than the stiff rules sometimes is a better option.¡±


    Grabbing the arm of the middle-aged man, Saulus shook it energetically.


    ¡°I¡¯m Saulus in the service of the Burn household. I currently wield the position of the supreme commander of the reborn Burnian forces. It¡¯s an honor to become your acquaintance.¡±


    Surprisingly, Rand¡¯s handshake was akin to steel. Even though his fingers were slender, they gripped at Saulus¡¯ wrist like some kind of snake. But what was even more surprising, was how this prominent man finally concluded their short journey in front of the doors leading to the least conspicuous building in the entire village.


    While it was clear that he was the leader, one would never come to such a conclusion if only presented with his house. Completely lacking any decorations or other useless stuff built just to improve the prestige of a particular person, it was nearly the same as other buildings that covered the area.


    ¡°Please, come in. Even though this village is remote, I can guarantee the quality of our drink with all my heart!¡±

 Chapter 48

    The sound of the doors slamming open was most likely heard by everyone within the palace. Prying his tired eyes open, Saulus forced himself to look towards the entrance of his chamber.


    Firstborns gracious, spare me¡­Standing right in the entrance, Venna simply stared daggers at her childhood friend. Her once beautiful hunting outfit was now all in wrinkles, indicating how long it had been since she last wore it. Judging from how late Saulus was, she most likely hadn¡¯t taken it off since she put it on two days ago!


    ¡°Hello¡­?¡±


    Trying his chances at casually greeting his queen, Saulus could only watch as a long wrinkle appeared right on top of Venna¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Do you even realize how late you are?¡±


    That was the number of words that Venna was willing to spare for her friend at fault. Still casting bolts of lightning from her eyes towards the poor general, she clearly didn¡¯t care what the reason was for the delay.


    ¡°Yeah. Important stuff came up when I was inspecting the frontline. Apparently, I made a mistake by selecting an¡­ unsuitable person to oversee the entire area. If not for my intervention back there, the war would already be lost.¡±


    Saulus intentionally overestimated the potential drawbacks of letting that incompetent fool keep his post as the commander. Even though the fortification he ordered him to set failed to achieve any of their targets, the problem of pushing a huge amount of troops through the empty plains between the camps remained. This meant, no greater invasion could follow through the side of the front unless the southern loyalists were willing to make great sacrifices.


    But the war wasn¡¯t about great deeds committed by the heroes and lords striving to reach the level of glory necessary to be accepted into the true houses of firstborns. It was about one¡¯s ability to station his troops in a desirable place. It was about the ability to properly feed them. In the end, rather than making it impossible for the enemy to overwhelm a given unit, all that a sensible general had to do was make it too costly for the enemy to attack!


    And that was the reason behind the current stalemate at the front. The harvest season had yet to begin, making it a tough task to provide huge armies with the necessary amount of provisions. For now, the war was all about checking the position of the enemies with a limited number of soldiers while preparing everything for the true invasion.


    The great hunt that was supposed to start two days ago was also one of the means to obtain more food. And given how barren the lands of the southern loyalists were, obtaining the required amount of meat could be the difference between winning and losing!


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    The wrinkle had yet to disappear from Venna¡¯s face. Thankfully, the fury cleared out from her eyes, replaced with just a slight annoyance.


    ¡°Either way, get the hell out of the bed. I know you are tired after the long journey, but we can¡¯t hold the hunt any longer. Even Bloy has started to act weird due to the delays.¡±


    Shaking her head as she finally revealed the reason for her foul mood, Venna didn¡¯t even bother to look away when Saulus stood up from the bed. With nothing but his underwear covering his most important parts, he took the peeping queen as punishment for all the delays that caused their supporters to get a little restless.


    Trying to ignore the prying eyes of his childhood friend and currently his queen, Saulus quickly grabbed his clothes to dress. Even though he arrived at the palace in the dead of the night, some servants proved to be more than capable of perfecting their job, preparing the hunting outfit in Saulus¡¯ wardrobe in advance.


    ¡°Tell me, are they restless because of the delay, or because of how we are slightly too close to the start of the harvest season for comfort?¡±


    Just like in ages prior, this was the main limitation behind conducting warfare. But right now, it was also the one thing that decided the deadline after which the silly play at the frontline would turn into a proper meat grinder. And given how even slight changes of weather or even just luck alone could push the date for weeks, there really was no time to spare.


    ¡°Both, or so I think.¡±


    Finally bored with staring at Saulus¡¯ scarred muscles or maybe just sated with what she saw already, Venna turned to the side before resting her back against the frame of the door. Dropping her head low, she brought her right thumb to her mouth before starting to bite at her fingernail.


    That¡¯s a new thing¡­Taking note of this unusual behavior of Venna, Saulus finished his preparation. Quickly reaching the side of his queen, he bowed curtly before offering her his arm.


    ¡°My queen, I might not be the best or even the most handsome choice, but I¡¯m worried you have no better choice in terms of who could accompany you to the hunt.¡±


    Lowering his head in a slight bow, Saulus had to hide the same lips that were uttering those words in worry that he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop a slight smirk from appearing on his face.


    ¡°You¡­ YOU!¡±


    Instantly flaring up just like Saulus hoped she would, Venna lashed at him without even a shred of hesitation. With her fist playfully hitting his side, Saulus noted with surprise that her attacks¡­ actually hurt. Obviously, not like a sword cutting one¡¯s skin open or a spear penetrating deeply into his innards, but they could still be felt.


    Yet another thing that changed about Venna during Saulus¡¯ absence.


    I wonder if she is going to change so much I won¡¯t even be able to recognize her¡­Taking a sad guess about the future, Saulus shook his head to throw those thoughts away. There was absolutely no point in thinking about it. Rather than wasting his time on useless thoughts, Saulus placed his hands on Venna¡¯s shoulders, enduring her constant yet still playful beating until the girl finally managed to calm herself down.


    ¡°Okay, now that you understand I was just playing with you, let¡¯s stop wasting time. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Locking Venna¡¯s arm under his, Saulus wrapped her hand around his arm as he led her through the corridors of the palace. From the vivid commotion coming from the windows of the building, it was clear that the news of his arrival already spread through the entire city, prompting everyone interested to start preparing for the hunt.


    Most of them considered the great hunt to be an enormous opportunity to mingle with others, make new contacts or just spend their time on leisure. But that didn¡¯t matter. Because under the surface of noble games of tag in the forest, every single hunter that Saulus¡¯ men managed to find in the last two weeks would tirelessly work to bring as much meat to the legionaries mouth as they would be humanly capable of!

 Chapter 49

    Looking at the grand procession of all kinds of nouveau riches, nobles and other members of the highest social standing, Saulus found it really challenging not to openly curse. Even though it didn¡¯t serve well for his outfit, he was already back in the saddle, riding right beside the queen.


    Those idiots¡­ Don¡¯t they know that we are at war? Thinking to himself, Saulus put a bright smile on his face when yet another noble attempted to greet him. Right now, the only saving grace of the entire situation was his position as the Queen¡¯s personal guard, saving him from all the troublesome court skirmishes.


    Give me all the jewels they wear for today¡¯s hunt and I could create two more legions in a year¡­The journey from the city to the forest where the hunt was organized wasn¡¯t that long. This location was picked mostly because of that exact reason. With how the official part of the event was aimed at strengthening the bond between the people who made up the higher class of the social ladder, it had to be comfortably close.


    ¡°So? What do you think?¡±


    As soon as the front of the group reached the stage where the event would take place, Venna nearly jumped in her saddle to see what kind of reaction her old friend would have. Yet, to her disappointment, Saulus kept his face perfectly calm.


    When compared to the military-grade of organization, the entire resting area of the great hunt simply looked bad, and also because the young general was simply too tired to care about it. For Saulus, the great hunt was all about getting supplies for his troops. As for whether the nobles and rich folk would enjoy their stay a bit closer to nature, he couldn¡¯t care less about it.


    ¡°Hello? Are you sleeping already? No, that can¡¯t be, your eyes are open¡­ Wait, are you playing with me? How dare you!¡±


    With Venna¡¯s changing moods quickly leading her voice to reach the limits of a safe range, Saulus managed to snap out of his daze. Shaking his head for a moment, he looked to the side at his queen.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, could you please repeat what you said?¡±


    Instead of pretending to be lost in thought, Saulus simply allowed Venna to see how tired he was from the look on his face.


    ¡°I was just asking what you thought about this place¡­¡±


    Slightly pouting, Venna turned her head away. Given how she was nearly at the very front of the entire procession, this was one of the last moments when the two of them could have a relatively peaceful talk.


    ¡°For a party aimed at nobles? Great. It has this raw feeling to it capable of making them feel as if this part of the hunt has nothing to do with actually obtaining as much meat as we can. In terms of practical sense, most of the stuff here is absolutely pointless.¡±


    Even since Venna became Queen, or rather ever since she decided she wanted to truly act like someone wearing a crown, Saulus had distanced himself from court life. With all the necessary preparations for the incoming onslaught, he simply didn¡¯t have the time to bother with mostly pointless shenanigans.


    Sadly, this also meant leaving Venna alone with all the troubles that the nobles liked to cause, even during damned wartime. And given how she wasn¡¯t used to being in the middle of everyone¡¯s attention, it was only a matter of time before she would bend under the pressure.


    ¡°Hey¡­ I know that this entire thing¡­ I know it¡¯s pointless to invite those nobles here in terms of military sense. I just thought that it would allow me to¡­ No¡­ Who am I trying to lie to¡­¡±


    Suddenly turning silent, Venna slightly blushed before hiding her face in the copious lace of her dress. Puzzled by this kind of behavior, highly unusual to Venna, Saulus attempted to pry into her soul by looking at her reddish face, before the situation forced him to drop his attempts. They finally arrived at the spot where they were bound to leave the horses behind.


    ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t know what you were trying to say, but as long as it¡¯s within my power, I will do my best to give you whatever you desire. You can treat it as my payback for swarming you with all those boring, yet important duties.¡±


    As soon as the two of them jumped down from their mounts, Saulus quickly approached Venna before the crowd would inevitably find them. Now that they were on foot, the official part of the procession was done. But that also meant that there was no longer the official barrier that stopped others from mingling with the queen, given how this was the main purpose of this otherwise useless event!


    ¡°Then take me to the hunt! The real one, I mean!¡±


    Perfectly aware of how short they were on time to have a private conversation, Venna didn¡¯t dare to miss the opportunity. Instantly getting closer to Saulus, she whispered those words into his ear before running away just as quickly. Before Saulus could react in any way, she was already gone in the sea of nobles that wanted to offer her their favors and company alike.


    Oh Firstborns¡­ Give me the power to understand women, as that¡¯s the one thing I¡¯m lacking. Shaking his head to get rid of the surprise that his childhood friend presented him with, Saulus stepped aside from the main point of the crowd¡¯s congestion. Even though Venna was surrounded by nobles from all sides, a unit three times the size of Saulus¡¯ own bodyguards company was hiding within the crowd, ready to intervene if any danger were to appear.


    What¡¯s so fun about real hunting in the first place? Isn¡¯t it just bloody work? Thinking to himself, Saulus moved away from the crowd before sitting down on one of the chairs sprawling all over the wooden platforms. Initially prepared for the tired hunters to get some rest while having fun talking with others, they now served as a great vantage point, allowing the general to observe the entire area.


    But well, since that¡¯s her wish, then who am I to refuse her?

 Chapter 50

    ¡°Everyone, hurry up! The hounds picked up on something!¡±


    Following the crowd of nobles with ease, Saulus couldn¡¯t help but be amazed at both the theatrical talent of Bloy and the actual skill of the hunters that had to waste their time providing joy for the crowd. Bloy was somehow capable of having convinced everyone that their activity actually had anything to do with hunting. The hunters managed to corner wild game despite all the commotion raised by the slow and noisy group of nobles.


    ¡°Is this how hunts usually look? I¡­¡±


    Sitting in her saddle, Venna was pretty unhappy. Even though Saulus promised whatever she wanted, it was clear that the current activity was nothing more than a play designed for those who had no idea what hunting in the forest was actually like.


    ¡°My queen!¡±


    Using a somewhat louder voice, Saulus managed to stop her rant before anyone could hear it, and before Venna said too much. Sadly, doing so attracted quite a lot of attention, forcing him into the one role he thought he had left behind when the rebellion started.


    ¡°It¡¯s still quite dangerous for you to be so close to the hunters! What would our people do if you were to be hurt? Please, reconsider!¡±


    Saulus played the role of a worried servant, fully devoted to protecting his superior. Thankfully, from the slight wrinkles appearing on the side of Venna¡¯s eyes, it was clear that she caught his drift. After all, she was still one who knew him best, along with his sworn military brothers.


    ¡°Dear General, as wise and courageous as you might be on the battlefield, this is not the frontline. With all these skilled people surrounding us, how could there be any danger? If I were to desert the hunt due to the slightest of risks, how could I expect you and your men to risk your everything for my sake?¡±


    Instantly turning the blunder into an opportunity, this time it was Venna who caused Saulus¡¯ eyes to squint a bit in surprise.


    For Infidious¡¯ sake, how did she manage to learn her job so quickly?! Stunned by the way in which Venna turned the situation around to make the most of it, Saulus stood frozen in place for a moment, unintentionally attracting even more attention with his unusual behavior.


    ¡°You are truly wise, my queen. It seems that I have spent too long on the frontlines to be ready to return to the life that gracious Firstborns projected for us.¡±


    Referring to the firstborns was always the best way to escape from a tough situation. As little as Saulus himself believed in their god-like legacies, it was something that he was always willing to use when convenient. And seeing how nearly the entire crowd brought their heads down in respect once the name of those legendary ancestors of humanity was brought up, it seemed that today would prove to be no different from all the others.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I guess I¡¯m the one at fault for forcing you to return so hastily from the area of conflict. Speaking of which, I hope our heroic soldiers are doing a great job at halting the enemy.¡±


    Seeing how this damned girl managed to maneuver her way from one topic to another, quickly changing the focus from him actually being at fault to turning him into a stressed-out hero, Venna once again proved to greatly exceed the expectations that Saulus had.


    ¡°There were some accidents and mishaps¡­ But yes. At least until the harvest season begins, I¡¯m quite positive that the south should be secured. And with the enormous help of our northern brothers¡­¡±


    Taking a quick glance at Bloy, Saulus made sure that this new friend of his didn¡¯t have the look of disapproval. Given how he was still the main point of communication with the two countries that had invested in Saulus¡¯ rebellion, it was better to be careful to not cross the line with him.


    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t think there is anything to worry about in the long term. Graced with your blessing, my queen, we are sure to bring our rebellion to its just and glorious victory.¡±


    Almost choking on those diplomacy-oozing words, Saulus forced a smile on his lips as he spoke. Even though he had hoped to leave these kinds of theatrics behind him with the start of the rebellion, it seemed that nothing had changed in that regard. Once again, the frontlines would be the only place where he could truly speak what laid on his heart.


    This public and fake conversation between the young general and his queen would normally extend for at least a few more exchanges, but thankfully with the sudden sound of whistles, everyone¡¯s attention was brought back to the hunt.


    ¡°A boar is coming! Ready the spears!¡±


    The nobles rushed forward. Quickly creating a circular formation, every single one of them held nothing but a long spear. With additional spikes growing from the front of the weapon, it was the perfect tool for stopping a mad, charging animal.


    Whistle.


    ¡°That¡¯s the signal boys, it¡¯s about to hit us!¡±


    The excitement of the nobles was palpable. In a flash, even those not taking part in the direct clash with the animal grew excited. But while nobles were digging the backsides of their long spears into the ground before pointing its blades towards the direction that the whistle came from¡­ Saulus noticed that in this moment, Venna was free from people¡¯s attention.


    Waiting for the moment to reach its climax, Saulus stared intently into the woods. Soon, with a desperate cry of pain, a wild boar rushed out from between the trees, charging directly at the long line of humans. And right at this moment, Saulus suddenly took a step to the side, tugging Venna¡¯s dress.


    ¡°Once the heat of the hunt dies off, go get some rest in your tent. I will give you what you wanted.¡±

 Chapter 51

    ¡°Sir, everyone is ready.¡±


    As it turned out, the entire event was a huge success. At least, in terms of the fun everyone seemed to have. But instead of joining the party and drinking with everyone, Saulus opted to stay completely sober. Instead of donning casual clothes now that the pretend hunt was over, the general was covered from head to toe in the winter officer¡¯s uniform of his legion.


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s start the operation. Units one and two, move out.¡±


    Used to covert sabotage missions, Saulus felt no pressure when giving his orders in a quiet voice instead of shouting them so loud everyone would hear them through the noise of the battle. Quiet or loud, it didn¡¯t matter. His veterans would listen to his directions either way.


    ¡°Group one in position.¡±


    The report came when Saulus openly moved out from the forest, travelling towards the queen¡¯s tent. By the time he reached the tent he was aiming for, the whisper from the location where the second unit hid announced the beginning of the plan.


    ¡°My queen, if you would excuse me, may I come in?¡±


    Normally, entering the private tent of the monarch right after retreating due to a bad mood would be considered either a great honor or signify an even greater arrogance. Thankfully, not only was Saulus the second most important person in the entire rebellion, but he was the one who orchestrated the entire situation in the first place!


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you Saulus! Come in.¡±


    Responding as if there was absolutely nothing going on, Venna invited the general inside. But once Saulus stepped into the tent, he froze.


    ¡°What the hell do you think you are wearing?¡±


    Now, safely hidden away in the Queen¡¯s private tent, he could finally speak what was really on his mind. And seeing Venna dressed in the most elaborate hunting suit he could ever believe existed, Saulus felt his strength leaving his entire body.


    ¡°What? Isn¡¯t it cute?¡±


    Looking down on her own figure, perfectly accented by the design of the dress, Venna looked at her childhood friend with a puzzled look. Changing her expression to one of mischief, she swirled around, presenting her looks from all possible angles.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Venna asked with a slightly flushed face, once her body stopped moving. Even though her daily life didn¡¯t require all that much of physical activity, Saulus wasn¡¯t willing to believe that just turning herself around like that was enough to make her red from exhaustion. And that meant her face could imply only one thing.


    ¡°You look really beautiful, no, adorable in it. But didn¡¯t you want to experience a proper hunt? If you just wanted to spend some time with me in peace, then you would surely know that hunting is not the occasion for that outfit.¡±


    Taking a risky guess and openly voicing it, Saulus had to do his absolute best to stop his surprise from appearing on his face when he noticed how Venna¡¯s blush only grew brighter. Before the situation got out of hand, he cleared his throat to bring Venna¡¯s attention back.


    ¡°Here. I brought a proper outfit with me, just in case. Now, tell me. Do you really want to go hunting? Because if not, then I will call it off¡­¡±


    Dropping a small package containing light, leather armor, Saulus pointed his hand towards the outer end of the tent, behind which his men were standing by. But before he could even finish his sentence, Venna proved that even being a queen didn¡¯t slow her reaction time down.


    Rushing forward, she caught the package without a shred of hesitation. Almost failing to stop before crashing right into Saulus, she quickly backed a few steps away, with her cheeks reaching the limit of how red they could turn.


    Seeing how Venna moved to unpack his small gift, Saulus didn¡¯t dare stay in the same place. Turning around on his feet, he approached the side of the tent before sitting down directly on the ground.


    ¡°I will take it as a yes. If you were to go into a forest in that dress, you would lose half of it on the random branches before we would find even a single animal. Taking all the noise and inconvenience into account, it would end up as a stroll in the forest rather than a proper hunt. This outfit will make it easy to move around without alarming the animals.¡±


    Given how the real hunt that was going on in the background, and the event for the nobles couldn¡¯t merge into a single organized entity, the part of the forest near their current position should be full of the animals that were escaping the onslaught in the other parts of the woods. That alone should make fulfilling Venna¡¯s task fairly easy, yet it didn¡¯t mean they could get careless. Especially with the other kind of threat that he had to keep in mind.


    ¡°Okay, okay. Just give me a moment to change.¡±


    Already facing away from the girl, Saulus didn¡¯t need to move at all. Soon, the rustling sound of the cloth rubbing against skin reached his ears, suddenly turned into a deep desire to take a peek at what was happening behind his back. Thankfully, even the elaborate dress that Venna was wearing was rather easy to take off, while the leather armor had to be easy to put on. Before his curiosity could take the better of his morals, the enticing sound finally ended.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Finally turning around, Saulus could take a look at Venna dressed in something that, in his book, fitted her far more than the elaborate clothes she had to wear as a queen. Even though the cut of the armor was fairly simple, it still did a good job at bringing forth all the charms necessary for the girl to be considered beautiful.


    ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s not waste any time. The sooner we depart the better the chances that no one will notice!¡±

 Chapter 52

    Instead of taking the normal way out of the tent, Saulus waited for Venna¡¯s signal of readiness before approaching the back of the living compartment. There, with just a gentle move of his hand, a small knife appeared in his palm, cutting the cloth of the tent open.


    ¡°Sir, Madam, this way please.¡±


    Before the two of them moved out to the open area, the quiet voice of Vesser reached their ears. Given how it was the leader of Saulus¡¯ personal guard that was responsible for preparing their little escape, this was one of the rare moments where he would listen to his subordinate. In this instance, both the chief general of the household and its crowned head, the queen herself, obediently followed the directions of the veteran.


    ¡°Firstborns gracious, this is so exciting¡­¡±


    Whispering directly into Saulus¡¯ ear, Venna could only blame the peculiar situation for not being able to notice his reaction. And it was quite picturesque, as Saulus never expected Venna to suddenly close in on his side before uttering those words in her gentle voice, directly into his eardrums.


    ¡°We are just sneaking out, what¡¯s¡­ ah, nevermind. I already managed to forget how much you hate to be stuck in one place. Well then, let¡¯s just get away from the camp so you can finally have some fun.¡±


    Changing his tone as soon as he took notice of that one particular point, Saulus moved his hand on top of his chest. If someone were to look at his face right now, they could see how it was slightly twisted with a look of intense, emotional pain.


    Not like hunting is any fun, to begin with. Come on, isn¡¯t it just a type of work like any other? As long as she gets to enjoy herself for at least a little while¡­Looking at the queen crawling right beside him, Saulus lips suddenly curved up in a gentle smile. The look of exhilaration, the sense of freedom that was oozing from her was enough to relieve the exhaustion that he was coping with at the current moment.


    Lacking sleep wasn¡¯t anything new for Saulus. From guarding duties in his early military days, through sleepless nights when the terrors of the past visited him in his nightmares¡­ For Saulus, exhaustion was no longer just a minor annoyance to deal with, but a relentless part of his daily life. And as much as Venna¡¯s aura was helping him relax, whenever he felt his focus waver a bit, Saulus would tightly press his fingernails against the inner palm of his hand so that the pain would wake him up.


    In the end, the forest is not a natural habitat for humans. This place, as calm and eerie as it seemed to be, was a place where humans were no longer the top predators. Even though the entire outing was aimed at helping the queen let off some steam and relax, it didn¡¯t mean Saulus or his men could relax as well.


    ¡°Sir, we are out of everyone¡¯s view now. As long as we are moving quietly, we should be able to get off of the ground.¡±


    Somewhere in the near distance, Vesser propped his upper body on his arms, scanning the area before reporting back to his superiors. Even though they were following his directions so far, it didn¡¯t mean authority suddenly changed hands.


    ¡°Good. Is everything else ready?¡±


    Finally allowed to stand up straight as a human should, Saulus didn¡¯t wait to put his idea in motion. As soon as his back was straight once again, the young man stretched his hand to Venna, who was still gathering herself from the ground, and helped her get up properly.


    ¡°Now we walk just for a little bit more.¡±


    Pointing his hand towards the deeper parts of the forest, Vesser didn¡¯t bother to wait or even to check whether the two of them were ready to continue moving forward. He simply started walking towards the direction he pointed his hand at, assuming that neither of them would dare to miss the opportunity.


    But it wasn¡¯t an act of arrogance or his attempts to make the most of the moment when he seemed to have the authority. It wasn¡¯t like Vesser wouldn¡¯t dare to do so. His exploits on the campaigns with Saulus proved that he had the guts to do even more audacious things. Right now, the only reason why Vesser was acting the way he did, was to not attract the attention of anyone who could potentially see them.


    And turning around to control someone¡¯s movements was the greatest giveaway of such a person¡¯s potential importance.


    ¡°For Firstrborns¡¯ sake, I can¡¯t wait!¡±


    Allowing herself to get excited a bit, Venna gave away her mood with her words. Taking a look to the side, Saulus could tell from how her hands were trembling in anticipation that the small vacation he had prepared for her was exactly what she needed.


    For such a free-spirit like her, as the saying went, being confined in the most luxurious of cages was still nothing but confinement. Even if she forced herself to cope with it just like Saulus did with his exhaustion, some breathing room was still necessary to keep going.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We are in the right place.¡±


    After just a short walk through the woods, the small group finally entered a small clearing in the forest. Initially aimed to be a storage area for all the foodstuffs necessary to keep the hunting going, it was ultimately abandoned. Due to the delays, the workers had more than enough time to prepare simple shacks where the wares could be held, leaving this spot completely free.


    There were several wooden poles stuck to the ground, with a small herd of horses bound to said poles. Two crates full of hunting equipment laying by the side only reinforced the image of this place turning into a proper headquarters of a hunter¡¯s group.


    ¡°I hope you do remember how to shoot from a bow.¡±


    Finally capable of speaking openly, Saulus turned his head to Venna beside him, only to see her already running towards the horses. Shaking his head, Saulus followed after her, before grabbing her arm and forcing her around. Only when her surprised eyes looked deeply into Saulus¡¯ did he speak.


    ¡°Whatever happens during the hunt, do not leave my side. Even though we are going to hunt game, it¡¯s still risky. We don¡¯t know what might attack us during the hunt. So, can you promise me with all your soul that you won¡¯t stray further than three steps away from me?¡±

 Chapter 53

    ¡°Okay, okay. On my faith in firstborns, I promise.¡±


    Venna knew Saulus for long enough to recognize the moments when he was joking, and the ones when he was absolutely serious. And right now, his face indicated how focused and set on this question he was.


    ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s start with the equipment. First, our main weapon for the hunt. The bow.¡±


    The entire idea behind this hunt wasn¡¯t about obtaining meat. That matter would be solved by the thousands of hunters that roamed the woods in another area, supported by nearly as many logistical workers and cooks tasked with turning the hunted game into relatively long-lasting rations.


    The only reason why Venna was in the woods and listening to Saulus¡¯ lectures about how the standard hunting routine worked, was to get herself away from the court life, even if only for a short moment.


    ¡°Do you get everything so far?¡±


    Taking a moment to make sure Venna was following his short lecture, Saulus cast a quick glance at the girl nodding her head before moving his eyes back towards his hands buried in one of the crates.


    ¡°Good. Once we manage to hit the prey with one or two arrows, rather than chasing after it, we will get down from the saddles and track it from there. The trail of blood should be more than enough to find where it will fall to its death. Also, the most important bit.¡±


    Finally finding the piece of equipment that he was looking for, Saulus pulled it out of the crate before approaching her. With all the excitement that was filling her for the upcoming adventure, she couldn¡¯t wait for the lecture to end, already jumping on top of one of the horses. Safely lodged in the saddle, she looked down at the item that her childhood friend brought.


    ¡°A knife? What for?¡±


    Taking the sharp piece of metal from Saulus¡¯ hands, Venna looked with curiosity and surprise at her retainer.


    ¡°This will be your last line of defense. If something bad were to happen¡­¡±


    Taking a momentary break, Saulus took an additional breath to prepare himself to utter the words of the worst possible scenario.


    ¡°If something bad were to happen, rendering both me and my men unable to help you, this might save your life. I know it looks silly, but without proper training, a knife is the best weapon for an amateur like you. And when we take your past in the kitchens into account¡­¡±


    Referencing the time when Venna was still pretending to be just one of his maids, Saulus hoped to turn her attention away from the implications behind what he said. Because while this hunt was a great opportunity for the Queen to relax and let off some steam, there were a lot of potential threats lying in wait for her appearance in a secluded area like this exact forest.


    ¡°Okay. But we both know that neither you nor your people will be able to save me from something¡­ This knife would only help me to take my own life. Is that what you wanted to say?¡±


    With her face darkening, Venna audibly swallowed.


    ¡°No, for Firstborns¡¯ mercy, no. If anything of this sort were to happen¡­ Just do your best to stay alive. Slash with it, cut with it, poke with it¡­ And never think about claiming your own life again. Can you promise me that?¡±


    As soon as Venna mentioned suicide, Saulus¡¯ face turned red. His fists tightened, his teeth clattered against each other. Faced with the idea of his queen, his childhood friend and his beloved girl taking her own life out of desperation, it seemed as if a dense wall of intense heat suddenly hit him straight in the face.


    ¡°Well¡­ Okay. Under the firstborns¡¯ watch, I promise not to make any attempts on my own life unless I find it absolutely necessary and the only way out. Does that satisfy you?¡±


    Turning her sight towards Saulus once again, Venna looked at him with a strange glint behind her eyes. Too tired and too agitated by the recent wave of emotions that struck him, Saulus only managed to nod his head slightly before finally passing the knife to Venna¡¯s hand.


    Moving a few steps back as soon as she hid the weapon at her belt, Saulus didn¡¯t dare to waste any more time. Hunting would be possible only for as long as the sun would grace the world with its bright glory, putting a definitive time limit on this leisure activity of theirs. Given how there was absolutely no time to waste, Saulus quickly hopped on his horse¡¯s saddle, before guiding it towards Venna¡¯s mount.


    ¡°Remember, just a few steps away. While I know this entire thing is meant to let you relax and forget about your position for a moment¡­ No, who am I trying to lie to.¡±


    Suddenly closing in on her, Saulus leaned away from his saddle, nearing his lips to Venna¡¯s ear.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to take it if anything were to happen to you. Not because you are a queen. If I really wanted, I could come up with tons of candidates to be a marionette for me. You are not to step away from me, simply because I don¡¯t want to think of losing you, period.¡±


    Forcing himself to be a bit more honest than usual, Saulus returned to a normal position on his saddle right as Venna¡¯s face suddenly exploded with redness. Hiding her blush by turning her head away from the man, Venna failed to respond to his words.


    Noticing how his words made the girl flustered, Saulus smiled lightly before scanning the woods around them. Out of twenty people assigned to this mission directly from his personal unit of veterans, ten of them were already atop their mounts, awaiting the order to move out. The remaining group was ordered to lay low and secure their backs from the shadows. Looking at the line of the trees, Saulus failed to notice the presence of even a single person outside of his ten mounted men.


    And that meant not only that the other group from his unit was already properly deployed, but it also signified that all the preparations for the hunt were already done. And that, in turn, left Saulus with just a single thing to say.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

 Chapter 54

    ¡°We will leave our horses here. They seem to be alerting the game.¡±


    Stopping the slow step of his horse to a complete stall, Saulus halted the entire group by raising his hand. Rather than jumping down from his horse¡¯s saddle, he opted to descend to the ground slowly and gently, even going as far as to commit the crime of actually using his stirrups.


    ¡°Otto, Berner, can you watch the horses?¡±


    Turning his head to the two soldiers who happened to be the nearest pair, Saulus brought the reins of his mount towards them even before the soldiers could answer. Not because he knew how they would respond. Because outside of the pretense of camaraderie during the hunt, they were all in the middle of an insanely important mission, making fulfilling orders an absolute priority.


    ¡°Sure thing. Just leave it to us.¡±


    Otto responded with a smile.


    ¡°Good. Venna, keep your promise in mind, please. Two steps away from me at most.¡±


    Knowing what was most likely about to happen, Saulus continued to repeat the words of her promise as if it was some kind of magical mantra. Maybe because she knew that she had to rely on his help right now, or maybe she just wanted to be a good, obedient girl, but Venna didn¡¯t protest, getting down from the horse and hugging Saulus¡¯ side.


    ¡°Sir¡­¡±


    A gentle whisper from the side alerted them.


    ¡°Kerek, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Noticing the face of one of his legionaries covered in camouflage to make it harder to spot him, Saulus didn¡¯t hesitate to name him out.


    ¡°Sir, I found a stray deer nearby. Do you want to have a shot at it?¡±


    Finally, after quite a long time spent roaming around the forest in the saddle, something slightly more interesting would happen. As pleasant as it was to have a silent small-talk with Venna without any worry of being bothered by some jealous or overambitious nobles, their lack of success with the hunt was putting everyone down quite a lot.


    ¡°Venna? You interested?¡±


    Asking her this question was more of a formality. Just from how her eyes lit up when she heard Kerek¡¯s report, it was obvious that if not for her promise to Saulus, she would already be running towards the mentioned spot.


    ¡°I surely am. What kind of hunt would this be if we returned empty-handed?¡±


    Gracing Saulus with one of her adorable smiles, Venna caught his hand, as if wanting to ensure she wouldn¡¯t leave his side even in her current excitement. Feeling the delicate fingers of his childhood friend tightening around his palm, Saulus felt a slight shiver travelling down his spine.


    Even though they have known each other for so long, her touch was still all that he needed to lose his composure. Right now, only the dark premonition about what kind of events could soon transpire stopped Saulus from fully focusing on just how pleasant holding hands with Venna was.


    Following after Kerek proved to be a good decision. Obediently following his gestures to lay low and be silent, their small group of three finally managed to spot the prey they were looking for ever since the hunting started.


    ¡°Do you want me to take the first shot?¡±


    Saulus asked Venna, patting the hardwood of his own bow. Before she could even voice her answer, he already saw the answer in her eyes.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Shaking his head while putting on a wide, honest smile, Saulus couldn¡¯t stop himself from patting the girl¡¯s head.


    ¡°Go on. Let¡¯s see how good you are with the bow.¡±


    Pretending to ignore the shocked stare of Kerek, Saulus calculated the distance and the trajectory the arrow would need to take to reach the deer. With this done, the young general put one of his fingers in his mouth, before licking it all over and raising it up. Feeling the cold on the side of his finger facing their target, his anxiety died down a bit.


    ¡°Sure. I bet you will be surpr¨C!¡±


    Stopping herself in the very last moment from exclaiming her last word in a loud voice, Venna froze in place, looking towards the deer to see whether her mishap had alerted it. Thankfully, just as it was before, the animal continued to feast on the delicious grass, unaware of the threat that was looming over it.


    On the other hand, seeing how her mishap didn¡¯t end up becoming a disaster, Venna breathed a sigh of relief before readying herself for the shot. Putting an arrow on the bow and holding it with three fingers while controlling the pull of the weapon by tracking her mouth with her thumb, she took aim without standing up and revealing herself. For a moment, time seemed to stop. Judging from how far the bow bent, from the angle the girl was shooting at, the weight of the arrow¡­


    Although not precise at all, Saulus calculated that her arrow had a chance of piercing the animal. Covertly placing an arrow on his own on his bow, Saulus continued to scan her every move.


    And then, Venna released the arrow.


    *Swish!*


    The sound of the metal blade cutting through the air alerted the animal. Not wasting any time, it reared on its hind legs, before jumping forward¡­ But what would normally save its life from an actual, accurate shot, was also the reason for its downfall.


    By rearing the way it did, the deer raised its body high up, basically putting itself in the path of the arrow that would otherwise have missed!


    ¡°It¡¯s a hit!¡±

 Chapter 55

    ¡°I think it was a lethal hit. As long as we follow the trail, we should be able to claim the prize. While I don¡¯t want it to be too early¡­ Congratulations, my queen.¡±


    Watching the trajectory of the arrow with his entire attention, Saulus was completely sure that his opinion was right. Struck right in the middle of its stomach, the deer wouldn¡¯t fall down anytime soon¡­ But given how it instantly jumped into a frantic escape, the bolt stuck in its insides would quickly make its demise certain.


    ¡°You said it yourself. Don¡¯t offer your congratulations before we confirm the kill. But if I did it¡­ Oh Firstborns, I can¡¯t wait to taste how a game I hunted myself would taste!¡±


    Listening to Venna¡¯s words as his eyes trickled over the forest vegetation in search of tracking clues, Saulus stopped in his tracks. Turning his head to the queen, he smiled gently yet with a hint of sadness in his eyes.


    ¡°My queen, if that was indeed a kill, I would recommend using a portion of the meat to reward the most loyal nobles and retainers. It would be a great honor for them to receive a gift like that.¡±


    In the end, even this leisure activity ended up getting influenced by damned politics. While it was already pulling Saulus¡¯ mood down, seeing how Venna¡¯s face instantly soured when he brought the topic to the surface didn¡¯t improve his morale either.


    If only we had more time¡­ If only there was another choice¡­Still unable to come to terms with the decision he made about the hunt, Saulus had to constantly face both his worries and his feeling of guilt. Because there was a reason why he took twenty veterans for the mission that would require two or maybe three at most.


    ¡°We will think about it once we catch it. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Venna pulled herself up and started walking towards the spot where the deer was hit. By the time she arrived, Kerek was already down on his knees, inspecting every last trace that the wildly escaping animal left in its dash.


    ¡°What does it look like?¡±


    Not having that much hunting or tracking experience as his own men, Saulus didn¡¯t bother to pretend otherwise. Rather than sabotaging their efforts for the sake of some childish pride, asking an expert was simply a better option.


    ¡°Seems like its wound is quite painful, meaning it will lose its strength faster. While it¡¯s only a rough guess, we should be able to catch up to it in about five to ten minutes.¡±


    Taking a look around the area where the deer used to feast on the grass, Saulus attempted to locate hints that gave so much information to Kerek. But the general was simply clueless about what he was supposed to look for.


    ¡°Good. Lead the way then.¡±


    Taking his subordinate¡¯s word, Saulus didn¡¯t bother to pretend that he knew how the man managed to deduce the distance said deer could cover or how long it would take them to get there. Doing so would not only put him in a tough spot if anyone were to seek his help with hunting, but it would also be easily taken as an attempt to claim Kerek¡¯s discoveries for himself.


    And that was something that no sensible general would ever do to his soldiers, not to mention the most loyal group of veteran bodyguards!


    From then on, the entire group picked the pace up once again. Without any intention to hide their approach as they already had the prey on the track, there was no point in wasting a lot of time trying to act silently. Right now, being loud worked in their favor, as it could easily scare off most of the predators who may want to drag the wounded deer off on their own.


    ¡°Hey, I can see it!¡±


    One of the soldiers shouted to the rest. Using the nearby tree as a ladder, the man climbed several meters up before straining his eyes, pointing his hand in a certain direction.


    ¡°There is a deer¡¯s body over there!¡±


    With his head moving towards the direction the man pointed, Saulus¡¯ face suddenly darkened. Instead of rushing towards the site right away and enjoying the moment of victory with his queen, he stood frozen in place. Even when Venna attempted to pull him forward, she found with surprise that her old friend didn¡¯t budge even a tiny bit!


    ¡°Saulus? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Since her forceful measures failed to achieve any effect, Venna attempted sounding him off.


    ¡°Ah, sorry. I got lost in thought. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Raising the corners of his mouth in a false smile, Saulus replied before finally moving from his spot. Yet, though his lips were smiling, there was no joy behind his eyes.


    ¡°Oh, I can see it! Look!¡±


    Soon, Venna brought her arm forward, pointing towards a certain place in the forest. Following her lead, Saulus looked in the direction she pointed at. And just like she said, a corpse of a deer with a long arrow protruding from its side was waiting for someone to claim it.


    ¡°So¡­ Is it the right time to openly congratulate you, now?¡±


    For a moment, seeing the deer¡¯s corpse seemed to slightly improve Saulus¡¯ mood. But just as he was about to repeat his earlier words of encouragement, his face suddenly tensed up.


    ¡°NOW!¡±


    Lunging forward, Saulus leapt directly at Venna, pushing her down and pinning her to the ground.


    ¡°Ughh.¡±


    Moaning from the pain of a wound that suddenly pierced his back, Saulus could only tighten his teeth, while still holding Venna tightly against the ground. Turning his head around, he could see the entire forest exploding in flashes of light, only for the sound of metal hitting against metal to vibrate through the moist air within the forest the moment later.


    ¡°What? What¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Pinned underneath her old friend, Venna¡¯s face was filled with surprise, shock and¡­ happiness?

 Chapter 56

    ¡°Stay down. Don¡¯t move from this spot.¡±


    Still holding Venna¡¯s body down against the ground while shielding her with his own body from the top, Saulus took a quick look around the area.


    Just as expected, the attack came right before picking up their prey, when they were lowering their guard. And from how slow Saulus was to react to the ambush, it seemed that the enemy still managed to achieve some sort of surprise with their attack.


    But it didn¡¯t mean all was going south. From the few looks he took in at the battle going on around him, there wasn¡¯t all that much to fear. While the bodyguards that had followed them ever since they left Venna¡¯s tent to go hunting were busy fighting off the attackers, a small group of five men, which he supposed were to use the opening to either kidnap or assassinate the queen of the rebellious household, were currently turned to scrappy pieces of meat under the swords and axes of the second group of Saulus¡¯ men.


    ¡°It seems that hiding them in the shadows wasn¡¯t just me being overly cautious¡­¡±


    Muttering to himself, Saulus suddenly closed his jaws as a wave of pain travelled up his spine all the way to his brain. Even though he was injured already a few moments ago, his body was now starting to communicate it to his mind.


    ¡°Saulus, what is going on?!¡±


    Flaring up, Venna pressed him for answers. While her face was flushed due to how tense the current situation was, Saulus had no time to admire it.


    ¡°The harvest season is just around the corner. Do you remember when I spoke of how that one damned general in the south would be a tough opponent?¡±


    Recalling the moment when he talked with the queen about the moves that their household had to take to survive, Saulus barely fought his desire to start cursing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±


    As little experience as she had in managing an entire country or seeing through schemes, this time Venna managed to quickly catch the hint.


    ¡°Yeah. I knew something like this was going to happen, sooner or later. That¡¯s why I was so happy to help you out with the hunt. By giving them this sudden and unexpected opportunity, we forced the enemy to make a move rather than letting them do whatever they want once you¡¯re back in the capital. At this point, I don¡¯t think I need to mention how it is actually easier to protect you here, in the forest, than in that damned city of schemers and traitors?¡±


    Seeing how some of his veterans had managed to take down their respective opponents and were now forming a protective circle around the two of them, Saulus finally dared to stand up. Only now when he pushed his body up did he notice the actual reason behind Venna¡¯s bright blush.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry for that¡­¡±


    Instantly taking his hand off the girl¡¯s breast, he turned his head to the side, attempting to hide his own embarrassment. For others, it might seem as if he was worried about punishment for touching his Queen like that, even if it was an accident that happened in the heat of the moment. Thankfully, moving his body up caused Saulus¡¯ back injury to flare up, allowing him to use the immense pain to distract and wash the impure thoughts from his mind.


    ¡°General, don¡¯t move. We need to remove the bolt.¡±


    Noticing the anguish of their commander, the veterans didn¡¯t waste a single moment. With someone jumping to them with makeshift bandages made from a piece of cloth he tore from his dress, someone else was already setting up a small fire. By the time the initial clash finally concluded, Vesser was already heating his personal knife in the small fire, completely ignoring all the blood and guts sprawled all over his face.


    ¡°Sir¡­ I think you know it¡¯s gonna hurt like Infidious wrath. I¡¯m sorry in¡­¡±


    Instead of finishing his sentence, the commander of Saulus¡¯s bodyguards pulled the bolt out, before slamming his red-hot dagger directly into the leftover wound.


    ¡°UGH.¡±


    Tightening his jaws to the point where his teeth started to hurt as well, Saulus didn¡¯t dare to make any greater sound. Without the confirmation that the area was perfectly clear, revealing the position of someone important enough to have his wounds tended to before the fighting fully concluded would be sure to attract a lot of unwanted attention right now.


    ¡°Sauly¡­ Are you okay?¡±


    Struck by the sight of the immense pain on Saulus¡¯ face, Venna managed to quickly overcome her earlier embarrassment. Rolling on the ground as to not make herself a bigger target, she got closer to the man before springing up a bit. Grabbing his lowered head between her arms, she pulled Saulus¡¯ face right to her chest, tightly hugging it.


    ¡°Please, be quick. I can¡¯t stand seeing him like this.¡±


    With his face hidden in her breasts, Saulus could only guess from the tone of her voice that by this point, Venna was already on the verge of tears. As pleasant as it was to know that she cared about him so much, an ocean of rage filled his soul instead.


    Because it didn¡¯t matter how adorable a girl could be with tears in her eyes. What was important, was killing, mutilating and torturing to the death all those who were responsible for her tears!


    ¡°Sir, just a litt¡­.¡±


    This time, the situation took a turn for the worse. Not even bothering to pull his knife gently out of the wound, Vesser cut directly through Saulus¡¯ healthy flesh as he freed his weapon, only to turn desperately around and raise his silly weapon above his head.


    CLANG


    The sound of the metal hitting metal resounded once again.


    DAMN IT. Fully filled with pain and wrath, Saulus ignored his wound, turning around towards the new threat. As pleasant as it was to be cuddled by Venna the way he was just a moment ago, there was no way he would abandon the fight just to enjoy himself for a little longer.


    ¡°We need one alive!¡±


    Shouting at the top of his lungs, Saulus lunged forward, leaping headfirst directly into the stomach of the enemy whose overhead attack Vesser barely managed to block. Pinning the man to the ground, Saulus headbutted the attacker¡¯s nose with his forehead, before suddenly rolling away. In a state of shock after receiving a powerful hit like that, the enemy couldn¡¯t react in time.


    As the young general backed out with the adrenaline pumping through his veins, Vesser followed his lead and lunged right on the top of the enemy, only to sink his still hot blade directly into his heart.


    ¡°Enemies! More enemies coming!¡±


    A voice from the side of the now dying battlefield quickly announced that they still were in a pinch. With seven out of the twenty bodyguards already injured, out of which four were no longer capable of fighting, the situation started to look grim.

 Chapter 57

    ¡°Everyone, front-wedge on me!¡±


    With the enemy reinforcements coming and Saulus¡¯ troops already exhausted, the general could only try to slow down the defeat. Unless his counterplan for the ambush backfired due to the treason of some of his allies, then just stalling the fight, for now, would be enough.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Following Saulus¡¯ orders without a second of a doubt, the still healthy soldiers dragged the injured ones towards Saulus¡¯ position, before forming two angled lines fronted towards the center of the wedge.


    At this point, both of the injured legionaries that could still stand and fight joined Saulus, forming the second line of the center of the wedge. Even though the three of them could still fight, there was no denying that their injuries would greatly lower their capability of facing the enemies, making the second line the best place to utilize both their skills and presence.


    Protected by the trees from the sides, with the three heavily injured legionaries and Queen herself stuck in the safest spot of the formation, Saulus¡¯ troops now had to wait. There was no way for them to leave the injured aside. Not yet. Not while there was still a chance that they could defend their position.


    And then, the enemies appeared.


    Swarming from the woods like insects, it was clear that they held a great numerical advantage. But as grim as the situation looked to be, Saulus quickly noticed that the people that attacked them at first were not only far better equipped, but also far better fed.


    The crowd that was now standing just a few steps away from Saulus¡¯ formation, unsure how to react to the tight line of battle-hardened men, was closer to a bunch of bandits gathered together than a serious military unit. And it actually made sense.


    Even though the forest beside Mengia reached almost all the way to the southern province controlled by the patriarch loyalists, it would be insanely hard to sneak any amount of people through the border. Even if doing so was relatively easy, providing them with enough supplies that would allow the force to travel to the civilized areas already severely limited the potential numbers of the covert troops.


    And from this simple fact, Saulus conjectured that while they initially faced veterans; the reason behind a relatively high toll of that short fight on his own veterans, right now their enemy consisted mostly if not entirely out of some random bandits for hire.


    If fighting alone, just for the sake of winning, Saulus would quickly order his men to turn from wedge into V-shape formation, instantly pressing the attack. Using the experience of his men, it would be an easy job to dent the enemy forces before rooting them and forcing the collapse of the entire group. The many times when Saulus¡¯ legionaries acted as the policing force and took down entire bandit dens only served as empirical proof of his thoughts.


    But right now, Saulus couldn¡¯t do such a thing. He could not expose the core of his formation, where both the Queen and the heavily injured men were!


    ¡°Do not fret! Think about the rewards! Go and get them, boys!¡±


    The shouts from the leader of the group in front of them quickly brought some order to this otherwise completely unorganized group. With a few more words, they reorganized, turning into a relatively uniform square.


    ¡°ATTACK!¡±


    This time, it wasn¡¯t the same voice that uttered the command. But with how focused on the enemy Saulus was, he failed to take immediate notice of it.


    Following the command, the enemies rushed forward. With just a few steps separating the two groups, it took just seconds before men once again clashed against men. The clanging of swords ensued. Relatively safe in the second row, Saulus finally gave up on his knife, opting to go for the sword hanging from his side.


    Once the general¡¯s blade appeared on the battlefield, the pressure on the front group of the formation quickly decreased. Anyone who dared to enter the area would face not only the devastating attacks of a battle-hardened veteran with years of military service but also the devious pokes executed by Saulus from above his soldier¡¯s arm, from between his legs or from any other place that allowed either of them to exploit an opening.


    But such a situation could only last for so long. Seconds after the initial crash, the bandits unknowingly started to use their advantage. By moving away from the deadly face of the formation, they quickly found out that the backside of the group was open to attack!


    ¡°Collapse to circle! Collapse to circle now!¡±


    Taking a momentary break from fighting himself, Saulus quickly scanned the situation before shouting his order. The next moment, the man in front of him suddenly wavered on his legs. Instantly noticing the situation, Saulus didn¡¯t hesitate for a single moment. Grabbing the man by his clothes, he forcefully pulled him behind himself while stepping forward to fill the gap.


    At this point, Saulus couldn¡¯t even feel his injury. Swinging his sword left and right, he could only occasionally glance to the sides, only to notice that his men successfully bent the back of the two echelons, connecting them at the back of the initial formation. But right now, surrounded from literally all sides, the inevitable process of squeezing began.


    But it ended just as quickly.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    The same voice as before. At first, it encouraged the bandits to fight even harder. By now, only nine of Saulus¡¯ men remained capable of fighting, with at least four of those priceless veterans and friends of the general falling to their death. But the next second, Saulus and the soldiers beside him understood that this ¡®kill¡¯ command wasn¡¯t directed towards the bandits.


    ¡°Protect the Queen! Protect the General! Kill them all!¡±


    In one instant, the entire situation turned around. With soldiers dressed slightly different than standard legionaries now pouring from between the trees only to begin the slaughter of the bandits, Saulus could finally breathe a sigh of relief.


    Finally¡­Shaking his head, there were no more enemies for him to fight, so Saulus dropped to the ground, heavily panting from the immense exhaustion. The next moment, the intense pain of his wound struck, taking away all the breath that he had left in his lungs.


    ¡°Sorry for being late.¡±


    Soon, the same voice that ordered the last two commands appeared just beside Saulus, finally allowing him to understand how he could find it to be so familiar.


    ¡°You sure are, Bloy. What took you so long?¡±

 Chapter 58

    ¡°There was a whole other group that we encountered deeper in the woods. I had to make a detour, we would be hit from both sides otherwise. With those scraps that I managed to gather, we wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against their combined forces.¡±


    Standing over the short row of seven bodies, Bloy¡¯s tone was a mix of respect and anger. Even though all of those good men were Saulus¡¯ direct subordinates, in the face of death, all the differences between the two of them moved aside. Because ultimately, that was the end result for all the soldiers, warriors of this world.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Standing right beside the relatively recent addition to Venna¡¯s forces, Saulus had no heart to speak more. Even though he knew that something like this would likely happen, the reports arrived simply too late.


    From learning about the potential attempts only when he woke up after returning to Mengia, through figuring out the plan on the spot, only to have it all turned on its head with Venna¡¯s sudden desire. In order for any of the plans to be successful, only the veterans participating in it could know of the situation. And that meant Saulus frantically pushing the pawns around just to adapt to the already desperate situation once again.


    If only they had more time¡­


    ¡°When is somebody going to tell me what the hell happened here?¡±


    Even though she was pretty shocked by the deaths of Saulus¡¯ men, Venna managed to keep her composure. In that regard, she was doing far better than her general, for whom those people were not just nameless soldiers, but long-time brothers in arms and friends.


    For a moment, silence ensued. Given how he didn¡¯t take direct part in the entire event, Bloy most likely preferred to leave the job to Saulus, who in turn was still agonizing over the loss of his people. But this situation lasted only for a short while. Before long, Saulus turned towards the queen with an angry expression on his face.


    ¡°Do you remember the moment when you woke me up after I returned? Shortly after that, I received the news that my people found some suspicious groups. The main guess about their objective¡­ Was either killing or abducting you. So instead of waiting for them to hit us when we least expected it, I decided it would be easier to protect you on grounds we chose ourselves.¡±


    Saulus once again laid his eyes on the bloodied corpses of his men.


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t find it convenient to inform me about any of this?¡±


    With her face torn between anger, disappointment and simple sadness, Venna backed away a few steps.


    ¡°Would you be able to act the way you did if you knew there were people hungry for your blood? This entire plan would only have worked if you took part in it without knowing that anything was about to happen.¡±


    Saulus couldn¡¯t blame his childhood friend for reacting the way she did. He would easily get furious if anyone dared to involve him in such a potentially dangerous plan without even bothering to inform him about it. Sadly, this wasn¡¯t a situation where Saulus could allow himself even a shred of hesitation.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then how come we didn¡¯t have much greater protections in place? Do you know what would happen if you¡­ if I were to have gotten hurt in this fight?!¡±


    Catching herself on the blunder right as she committed it, Venna quickly fixed her wording. However, there wasn¡¯t a person near enough to hear it that would have any doubts about who the queen really meant there.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    For a moment, Saulus considered telling her about all the reasons that he had for making this move. About how involving any bigger of a unit would have warned their enemies and resulted in the entire setup doing absolutely nothing. About how they were desperate for information about the enemy. About how he had to deal with the threat now before he had to leave for the frontlines due to the looming war. But in the end, Saulus decided against it. Just like on the battlefield, following his gut would often save his skin, and his insides were squeezing uncomfortably, ascertaining that sharing that news would be a bad idea.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this kind of attack. Even now I have trouble picturing just how they managed to gather so many men without being noticed.¡±


    Rather than letting the girl know about all of this and all the other reasons that led to this decision, Saulus only brought his head down and apologized. Even though he wasn¡¯t really at fault here.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    For a long while, the silence lingered. Surrounded by Pleiades and Saulus¡¯ bodyguards, it seemed as if Venna was scared of making any serious move or statement. But soon, the queen proved why she was worthy of wearing the crown on her head.


    ¡°General Saulus, your actions nearly lead to the harm of the very ruler of this country. Only due to your exceptional service so far will I be willing to let this blunder pass. The next time something like this happens, you will be deprived of your status as the chief general, in favor of someone¡­ more cooperative.¡±


    Throwing those words clearly out of anger, Venna didn¡¯t bother noticing the sudden change of expressions on the soldiers around her. In just a moment, she made all of the remaining bodyguards look at her with clear hostility. Even the soldiers of the Pleiades gazed at her with surprise and bafflement, as if unable to believe she would do something like this. Only Saulus and Bloy remained stoically calm.


    ¡°I understand. It won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    Lowering his head without hesitation, Saulus responded in the way protocol dictated. Yet, instead of obedience and loyalty, his voice was now completely cold and deprived of all emotions.


    ¡°Now, get me out of here. If we don¡¯t return soon, the people will start wondering where we disappeared to.¡±