"Now I've really had enough of you! It's my lands you're plundering!"

Philippe was a pompous idiot who thought he could control the world, but he knew how to keep the mercenaries in their place, even resorting to drastic solutions that set an example.

With his death, the situation had gotten out of hand.

With nothing to do, their pockets still empty and their wages arriving slowly, some of them had decided to kill the wait by taking everything they wanted in the territories still under Eirinn's control.

Since able-bodied men had already been mobilized for the imminent battle, it was impossible to counter them, and by the time someone arrived at the site of the looting to try to restore order it was already too late.

By now whippings and hangings were no longer enough, but Victor still needed them too much to maintain his numerical advantage, so he decided to summon the most authoritative personality among the mercenaries into the tent and set things straight once and for all.

"You promised us plenty of loot, but to this day we have yet to receive anything." replied Ignes "What did you expect, that we would sit back and be made fun of?"

"I understand the resentment, Captain Ignes, but this isn't helping us." Lefde tried to say, "If you raid the food, then we don't have enough for the rest of the army."

"It's none of our business. Our agreement included permission to raid freely. It wasn't written anywhere that we couldn't also raid territories that didn't belong to the enemy."

As absurd as it was, it was a legally sensible argument, and just thinking about it Victor would have liked to bring his uncle back to life and kill him again with his own hands, after having made him swallow the contracts he had written.

"Anyway, this is the last warning. Try to touch even a single stone from my lands again, and I assure you that I will make you regret it."

"Grant us new lands to raid and we will stop. Otherwise, if you prefer, we can leave right away."

"Not at all! Your contract says that you have to stay here until the war is over."

"So it seems we are at a standstill." the little girl sneered. "What do you intend to do?"

Victor responded with the same tone: "I could send messages to every ruler, feudal lord, and regent I know, telling them that the infamous Crimson Iron and her group are nothing but a bunch of savage, incompetent monsters. Monsters who were defeated and put to flight by a brat who fought with her bare hands, and who found nothing better to do than plunder the lands of those who had hired them. I'm sure that they will all line up to use your services again after hearing what I had to say."

Faced with that threat, Ignes immediately changed expression, staring at Victor with eyes filled with anger.

For a mercenary, reputation was the most important thing; violating contracts and breaking one's word was an everlasting stain on honor, because from that moment on no one would entrust their money and lands to someone without the ability or will to do their duty to the end.

"You're nothing but a lousy, arrogant, spoiled brat. And when you're dead, I'll spit on your tombstone."

"I think we have finally reached an agreement. You can go."

The words Ignes spoke as she left the tent were the kind that should not be repeated.

"Maybe that's also why they waited all this time without attacking." said the General. "So they cornered us without even having to lift a finger."

"Any word on Daemon?"

"It seems he's back, although we still have no idea where he's been. The latest rumors were that he was somewhere in the Union."

"Damn. If we had known he was gone we might have thought of striking first."

"At this point My Lord, I fear that if they decide not to attack again we might be forced to do so."

"Didn't you say that this position was too good to abandon?"

"Now the situation is critical. Many soldiers from your uncle's armies deserted upon hearing of his death, and as you have seen, mercenaries are increasingly unreliable. At this rate we risk our army crumbling before we've even fought."

Lefde could not openly say that Philippe's death had also put an end to disagreements within the chain of command and established his authority over the entire army once and for all, but on the other hand, not even Victor seemed to mind his uncle's passing that much.

"So what do you suggest we do?"

"Attacking them in the position they are in now would be dangerous, but we can try to provoke them. The shortest route to intercept them would be the Koris Valley, but we would risk being caught in marching order here and here. The hills of Alois to the southwest could be an ideal location for a battle."

"It seems like a very exposed position." replied Victor, checking the map. "We still have a numerical advantage, but don't we run the risk of giving an advantage to that damned man and his cursed guns?"

"You're right. But if we get there first we can occupy this hill which dominates the entire area. If we position ourselves along the slope we can use the same tactics he used against us at Mistvale, and hide most of our forces behind the hill. If he can't see them he won't know where they are."

Even Victor realized the risk they were taking, but it was better than sitting there waiting to collapse on themselves.

"It's time to take back what's ours."



"Report!" said the explorer interrupting the meeting "The enemy's moving!"

"Where are they headed?"

"They are traveling along the Via Fariana heading southwest, towards Alois."

So, I thought, the information from the Furies was correct, and Lefde had indeed assumed supreme command of the army by ousting Victor from the chain of command.

That rowdy boy would have charged like a bull, taking the shortest route and getting caught in the Koris Valley with his trousers down, while Lefde had instead prudently chosen to lengthen the route in the hope of still maintaining an advantageous position. A choice worthy of a sharped mind like him.

Roll the die challenging the odds by abandoning such a favorable position might have seemed like a risky move, but it was also the only possible choice given the situation I had placed him.

On the one hand I felt thrilled with passion at the thought of being able to compete against an opponent of his calibre, on the other Victor and his ineptitude would have made things much easier.

"It's been a long wait, but it looks like we've come to a head."

"By the way, why don't you ever take off that armor? I imagine it's pretty heavy."

"It is, and that's why I want to get used to wearing it."

In the previous days, Scalia and I had talked at length about her decision.

It wasn't my habit to interfere with the personal choices of my subordinates, but I couldn't help but think that my little sister was taking an unnecessary risk. I also found it silly that she would decide to deprive herself of her abilities, like a boxer fighting with one arm tied.

But she countered my statement by claiming that she no longer wanted to take her abilities for granted, and that this was the only way she could be sure of improving as a swordsman and warrior. And I admit that her determination had struck me, reminding me why I sometimes saw Pauline in her.

In the end we agreed to allow her to keep her armor even in battle, if she avoided exposing herself too much on the front lines and that there was always someone next to her to watch her back.

"Are they trying to attack us directly here?" Jack asked

"It wouldn't make sense. In these open spaces we have the advantage. The most obvious place for a battle that still sees them in an advantageous position is precisely the hills south of Alois. They are close enough that they can still fall back easily in case of defeat, and far enough from our positions that they know they can arrive first and occupy the best heights."

"Why attack them? We could leave them to stew and tear while waiting a little longer."

"It would be useless, Septimus. If the mercenaries haven't defected by now, it's likely they won't do so again."

"Moreover, we too are starting to feel the consequences of this war." said Borg, a special guest at the meeting. "The prices of all goods are rising visibly, and if we don't get things done soon, inflation will reach a critical level."

As I had said a few days earlier, even just having unmotivated and resentful mercenaries in front of you could prove to be an advantage, but it was likely that Lefde would still manage to make them dangerous, so there was no point in taking this lightly.

In my previous life it had happened to me several times to nullify the successes already achieved with impetuosity, a mistake that I was determined not to repeat. But then again, as Borg had said, one couldn't procrastinate forever.

"So we're at a showdown?" asked Richard

"It may not be the last, but this battle will certainly decide the outcome of the entire campaign.»

In reality it all depended on how soundly we managed to hit Eirinn's army.

For what followed I had a very specific plan in mind that had already been set in motion, but for it to go to fruition a series of conditions needed to be met, many of which went beyond what I could actually control.

I certainly didn't intend to sacrifice too many resources.

I couldn't say it openly, but I was fully aware that this was only the prelude to a series of much more intense and bloody campaigns. For now both the Empire and the Union were on the sidelines, but Eirinn's defeat was destined to reshuffle the cards; it was just a matter of understanding who would make its move first, whether the Empire to take back its territories or the Union to annex a region it had always dreamed of making its own.

"Let the drums beat. I want the entire army ready to go within two hours."

It was always nice to witness the military maneuvers of an army that gathered to listen to the speech of encouragement from its commander.

Seeing them all armed and equipped in the same way, with the right marching pace, well positioned and neatly arranged, no one would have thought that until recently that had just been a jumble of rebel slaves, unmotivated legionaries and volunteers.

Not to praise myself, but I thought I was doing a great job with them. It wasn't the Grande Armee, but I could work on it.

Now to motivate them properly I needed one of my proverbial coup-de-theatres, so I mounted Marengo and slowly reviewed them with all my generals in tow, while they greeted me at the top of their lungs, proudly waving their banners.

"Six months ago we raised our flag to affirm the right to freedom. Today we are here to defend that same freedom conquered at the price of many sacrifices. I know what some of you are thinking. I too have heard the rumors circulating. Now it might seem like we are the invaders. But to anyone who has such doubts I want to remind you of one thing. We didn't start this war. We have responded to an unwarranted and unprovoked attack on us by forces who would destroy everything you have built. And although we have repeatedly offered our enemies the opportunity to lay down their weapons and retreat peacefully, they have always stubbornly refused. So if words are no longer enough, there is no choice but to take action and send a message. A message that will rumble like thunder tomorrow across Erthea, from the cliffs of Connelly to the beaches of Xi-Zian, from the peaks of Jormen to the deserts of Torian. And if it is destined that our ideals should germinate in this country too, then with our actions we will show the way to a new era for this people who were sent to die for the selfishness and ambition of a single man. We will never give in! We will always fight no matter what! Until only one of us has breath! And you, people of the Free State of Ende, you... are... free!"

The scream that rang out in response to my words could have eradicated the clouds from the sky.

My army was truly ready.

"To Alois!"



Berthold Montgomery had tried until the end to ensure that his illness did not prevent him from doing his duty, but in the end, it had reached the point where he was forced to step aside.

And since the Emperor had been adamant in his desire not to change the law of succession, he had been forced to hand over command to Victor.

He partly felt responsible for his son's behavior; when he was little he had spoiled him too much, but once he reached the right age he had no hesitation in giving him an even stricter education than the one his sister had grown up with.

It had been a dramatic miscalculation; trying to push Victor to do his best to make him worthy of the role he would have played had only served to increase his hatred.

And by the time he realized the mistake it was too late to fix it; when he was young they called him the Wild Wolf of Faria, but that wolf had been reduced to an old, dying dog waiting for the end.

Even if he wanted to do something to prevent their family and their nation from falling into the abyss, he had neither the authority nor the strength to do so.

At that point he no longer knew what to hope for, and it was terrible that he had begun to believe that perhaps only Victor's death could offer a shred of hope for Eirinn's future.

"Our army left Ysen heading south." said his butler Alfred, the only one other than Victor who was allowed to see him in that state. "According to our information they plan to face the enemy in the hills of Alois."

"Who's leading the troops?"

"Officially the command is still in the hands of His Excellency the Grand Duke, but formally it's General Lefde who gives the orders."

"It's already something. Let's hope for the sake of all of us that it is enough. Thank you, old friend. You can go."

"My Lord."

Once he was alone, however, the old monarch struggled out of bed, holding on to his staff.

"I know you're here."

"... I didn't think you noticed me." Thecla said appearing from behind the curtain of the open window.

"I may be blind, but all my other senses still work perfectly. Is this General Haselworth sending you?"

"Yes."

"If you are here to take my life, I fear you have made a wasted journey. As you can see, I don't have long to live, and I doubt that my death would have any influence on the course of events."

"I'm not here for your life. I have a message for you from Daemon."

The girl then handed Berthold the parchment she had with her, and the old sovereign almost smiled when she put it in his hands, without fear of infecting herself.

"I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to read it to me. As I said, I have some difficulty reading on my own."

"It won't be necessary. The letter is written in haunted words. You just have to pass a hand over the text, and its words will echo in your mind as if you were reading them."

Berthold flinched. It was a particularly complex spell, which required specific training to master.

"Your lord must have some very special allies."

"He is not my lord. He's my friend."

The moment Berthold broke the seal and unrolled the parchment, the letters on the paper lit up, and as his hand ran over the text, the purest dismay appeared on his leprosy-ravaged face.

Such was his disbelief that when he tried to ask for an explanation regarding the content of the letter the messenger had already disappeared, this time without him noticing anything.

"Alfred!"

The butler arrived within seconds.

"Did you call, My Lord?"

"Call all my advisors."