Outside a small town, Velin halted with more than a thousand soldiers.
After the devastation of war, the town that had once supported several thousand people lay shattered. The few survivors searched the ruins for anything edible.
Faced with the army's arrival, most of them had nothing in their eyes but numbness. They remained where they were, resigned to their fate.
Bypassing the town, Velin arrived outside a castle.
Looking through the gates, he saw more than a dozen heads displayed on three-legged wooden tables.
Several naked corpses, both male and female, lay around the wooden stands.
"My lord, judging by the wounds, this was likely done by Badako Army soldiers," Miller reported quietly as he rode up beside Velin on a Red Phosphorus Horse.
Velin showed neither grief nor joy, his expression unchanged.
The Fifteenth Army enforced military regulations under the broader rules set by the Expeditionary Army. In other words, enemy men and women of vile character, corrupt morals, or savage brutality could be dealt with freely by the rank-and-file soldiers.
As for whether the nobles before them fit any of those three descriptions, it no longer mattered.
If he had witnessed it happening, he might have investigated. But for things that had already happened, as long as they did not affect the war, he treated them as though they did not exist.
Suddenly, hoofbeats came from the north.
More than a thousand soldiers instantly drew their weapons and, under their officers' command, readied themselves for battle.
Miller and the guards surrounded Velin, his right hand resting on his sword hilt.
The thirty-six Silver Wolf Knights stroked their companions' fur, their expressions grave as they awaited their lord's orders.
Turning north, Velin saw more than a hundred Storm Knights racing toward the castle.
Judging by their formation, they