A shifting war

Victor rode along the riverbank as a vast fleet followed the current eastward.

Victor raised his spyglass toward the head of the fleet. The small boats at the very front were already barely visible.

Just then, a messenger ran up from behind, handed a message tube to one of the guards on watch, and left.

The guard hurried over to Victor and passed the tube to another guard behind him: Sura, Baron Brown's nephew and the new captain of the guard.

Sura opened the tube, took out the letter, and quickly scanned it before presenting it to Victor.

"Lord Victor, it's a letter from Secretary Tors. He says all the supplies have been handed over to Ironvine Territory."

Victor lowered his spyglass, dismounted, and took the letter from Sura.

Glancing at Sura, who still held his hands out in the same formal pose, Victor said, "Sura, there's no need to be so stiff. We're both young. You can loosen up a little."

"Yes, Lord Victor!" Sura answered promptly, but his expression remained wooden. Clearly, it was only a verbal agreement. There was nothing Victor could do about it, so he shook his head and went back to the letter.

After reading it, Victor grumbled, "That Tors. Didn't I tell him not to worry about collecting payment once he'd handed over the supplies, and just return to the army? Why did he accept Lenster's money anyway? And so much more than we agreed!"

In the letter, Tors explained that he had intended to leave after completing the handover, but Lenster had brought men to stop him.

Lenster had given Tors ten thousand gold on the spot, considerably more than the originally planned eight thousand. He had also said that this was only half the payment. Once Ironvine Territory's finances improved next