The Next Battle Plan

Baron Sende, five hundred mercenaries, and three mages had been wiped out overnight. Fewer than twenty had made it back to camp.

It hadn't been a defeat in battle. They had been utterly erased by a merciless blaze, carefully planned, and an ambush. This was no accident—it was Count Yulmand's cold-blooded, perfectly calculated counterattack!

Baron Sende and his men were insignificant to the army as a whole, but this was the first battle in the siege of Florensburg. In war, soldiers and nobles alike were prone to superstition, and this inauspicious start had cast a shadow over many hearts.

Rudolf felt a chill crawl up his spine and over his head. His first order had ended in the annihilation of the entire force, instantly dousing all his earlier confidence.

For the first time, he clearly understood that Count Yulmand of Florensburg was no old wolf whose fangs had been blunted by hunger and exhaustion. He was a beast lurking in the shadows, waiting patiently for the chance to tear its prey apart in the most lethal way possible.

Could I really defeat such an opponent?

The thought began to take shape in Rudolf's mind.

At the military council, Ranke and Pistol, two ministers who had spent many years at court and knew him well, saw his expression and immediately grew tense. His Majesty the King was in a state of dejection.

Pistol hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, although Baron Sende died in the line of duty, he did take the port and block Florensburg's waterway."

Ranke said, "Baron Sende rendered meritorious service in this battle. He should be posthumously rewarded."

Morale had taken a hit, and posthumously honoring Sende could help raise it.

Rudolf listlessly told Ranke, "You handle the reward."

Everyone around them felt a sinking sensation. The amount of