Enemies Closing In

"Cheers, General."

"Cheers, Duke."

The crystal-clear glasses lightly clinked together, producing a crisp, pleasant sound.

Schroeder and the Northwest Duke, Henry Ferdinand, each drained the wine in his glass.

The Alarda Expeditionary Force had just reached Sente, the capital of Manda in the Duchy Territory, and was taking a brief rest there.

As soon as Schroeder entered the city, Henry held a banquet to welcome him.

Although Schroeder felt it was inappropriate, he did not want to slight the Duke, so he came in full dress.

However, the banquet was not merely about eating and drinking.

An army from Manda had set out with the Alarda Army, and the Duke needed to discuss the related matters with Schroeder.

The Ferdinand Family, whose head held the title of duke, was nominally the highest-ranking family in the Northwest Bay. With the kingdom in danger and the incident occurring near his own territory, the Duke had a duty to lend a hand.

"Come here, Garett!"

A young man was summoned before the Duke, and the youth gazed at Schroeder with admiration.

"General, let me introduce you. This is Garett Ferdinand, the finest young man of the new generation in our family. He'll follow you on this expedition, so please feel free to put him to work."

Garett sharply clicked his heels together and gave Schroeder an Alarda-style military salute.

"General, I'll serve you to the best of my ability."

Schroeder patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him. "I look forward to seeing you distinguish yourself in the battles to come."

In fact, during the preparations for the expedition, many families in the Northwest Bay had wanted to send their young descendants into the Northwest Army.

For example, Heller Viscount Derrick Heller was the first to express such an intention. After much persistent