War Council Before the Battle

"Giovanni?"

Clack, clack—

The sound of blades being sharpened came from a secluded little courtyard.

Giovanni Giustiniani stopped what he was doing and looked toward the visitor. "Your Majesty, why have you come?"

He and Orhan had both been brought here by Lothar, but compared to the latter, he had been far too withdrawn lately.

"I was simply wondering why you've been keeping to yourself these past few days instead of properly interacting with your fellow clansmen. Wasn't your greatest wish to carve out a land of peace for these wandering compatriots of yours?"

Though Lothar had not spoken with Giovanni much in the simulated battle scenario, the two had gotten along well enough as ruler and subject, united in purpose.

With a great battle imminent, Lothar also wished to hear what this old subordinate truly had on his mind.

"I never expected such a trivial matter to trouble Your Majesty."

Lothar smiled and patted Giovanni on the shoulder. "It's nothing. Come to think of it, we haven't had a proper talk in quite some time."

"Yes. Since you stepped down and left, it has been many years since I last had a long conversation with Your Majesty."

A trace of nostalgia appeared on Giovanni's face. He too had been born among the wolves. Though pure-blooded, he had never been bound by family or bloodline prejudices. Back when he worked as a mercenary in Genoa, he had sheltered quite a number of mixed-blood wolves.

Afterward, when he had been granted Lemnos as his fief, he had not built himself a palace or indulged in luxury. Instead, he had poured all the income from the estates, murex fisheries, and silk workshops granted by the emperor into developing the territory, turning it into a Holy Land that sheltered wandering wolves.

The many