Holding Them Back

"They can't be trusted anymore!"

Viscount Borey's words left Labia stunned.

After thinking it over for a long moment, Labia asked, "Are they going to betray the grand duke? Have they decided to support the rebels instead?"

To his surprise, Viscount Borey shook his head. "They haven't gone that far. But the Silver Maple Secret Guard discovered that many of them received letters from Colt, and not a single one came forward to hand over his letter.

"His Grace said that loyalty that isn't absolute is absolute disloyalty. Rather than worry about them stabbing us in the back, we should act first. Strip them of their command so they have no chance to betray us at a critical moment."

"Well..."

Labia was at a loss for words. The reasoning was compelling, and it fit Grand Duke Mora's usual approach. Still, if word got out, the nobles might rise up.

But the forced takeover of the nobles' private armies had been swift and clean. It seemed unlikely to cause any immediate trouble.

Labia ran the numbers. The troops absorbed in this operation would replace all the losses suffered by the three directly controlled legions. Their quality would certainly fall short of the original soldiers', but they were trained troops. They would restore a good deal of each legion's fighting strength.

Then Labia noticed that the bulk of Kimberley's Fifth Legion was missing. Only one regiment remained to take charge of the incoming troops. He asked, "By the way, Viscount Borey, where's the rest of the Fifth Legion?

"Why isn't Kimberley taking part in something this important?"

"He has another mission. According to the plan, while we carry out this operation, someone has to engage the Northern Frontier Rebels, draw their attention, and keep them in the dark.

"We can't let the