Alex was not surprised by what he heard. He understood what Earl Stanley meant.
If the Vela Nobles could take Stone Mountain City in this battle, their achievement would indeed be tremendous, far surpassing that of any of the Raine Kingdom's armies.
The rewards for such an achievement were not something Earl Stanley and Duke Barick could decide. The final decision would have to come from the king of the Raine Kingdom and the Noble Council.
Thus, if Alex wanted to secure the reward best suited to the Vela Nobles, he would have to find a way to obtain the king's approval.
Still, as long as Earl Stanley and Duke Barick guaranteed that they would do everything in their power to fight for it, Alex felt their chances of securing that reward were very good. Earl Stanley would not make empty promises, either.
Alex said, "Then it's settled. We'll discuss the reward once we've taken Stone Mountain City.
"Our Vela Army will launch an all-out offensive against Stone Mountain City as planned, drawing the enemy's forces into the area around the city.
"If we can still take Stone Mountain City under those circumstances, both Duke Barick and Earl Stanley must fight to have our achievement recognized.
"If you fail to do so, even if I can forgive you, the Vela Nobles certainly won't—not even if you become king someday, Duke Barick!"
After settling the final assignments, Alex and Edmund left Earl Stanley's command tent.
Only once they were some distance away did Edmund wipe away his sweat and say to Alex, "Let Marquis Lawrence handle this sort of thing next time. I really am no good at it.
"You know, our Dragonblood Vine Family used to be part of the Raine Kingdom's native nobility, and my father still serves in