Expedition

In the plainly furnished, almost austere, magistrate's office in Kallen, Hectorv stood before a rather shabby half-length mirror, patiently checking the arms and armor on his body.

He fastened two forearm-length short blades crosswise behind his waist, then filled the leather sheaths on the outsides of his thighs and beneath both ribs with daggers. Finally, he draped a cloak over his refined steel battle armor and hung the greatsword he took such pride in from the clasp on his back.

For Hectorv to have sat securely in a position as vital as magistrate of Kallen for three full years, he naturally relied on more than Ofnir's power and connections. As early as the Second Liurnia War, this young hereditary baron had already been a renowned fierce general in the Western Expedition Corps, and had even once been praised by many of his noble comrades as a powerful knight "with hopes of standing shoulder to shoulder with heroes."

As everyone knew, in The Lands Between, the word "hero" was not some empty compliment tossed at any brave fellow one happened to meet, but referred to powerful warriors who transcended factional boundaries and were acknowledged by every power on the continent. After more than ten years, though the baron had still not truly reached the realm of heroes, he nevertheless considered himself all but unrivaled among the strong beneath that rank.

"General, the guards have made all preparations and can set out at any time." An officer in military dress walked in and reported in a ringing, forceful voice.

Hectorv nodded in satisfaction. Then, as if something had occurred to him, he frowned and said, "Has Clareville shown anything unusual?"

The officer thought it over carefully for a moment, then shook his head decisively. "After Lord Clareville returned last night, he followed your previous instructions and took the initiative to cancel all work arrangements over the next few days that required leaving the city. After receiving the temporary order to march this morning, he raised no objections either. It took him only half an hour to fully hand over his internal-affairs authority to Lord Sezier, and he completed his departure preparations as well. He is already standing by with the army."

"Is that so..." After hearing the report, a trace of surprise appeared on Hectorv's face. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and laughed mockingly. "Heh, looks like I was overthinking it. That fellow really is a coward!"

"Enough." He glanced at the subordinate who dared not respond. "An opportunity in battle disappears in an instant. Those troublesome people have just gone far enough away, too. We can't delay any longer—send orders to every unit. We set out immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

At ten in the morning, with Hectorv and his fifty personal guards at its core, nearly four hundred soldiers hastily assembled in Kallen set out from the north gate. All military and political affairs in the city were entrusted to Sezier, staff officer of the Kallen City Guard. This man had originally been a military secretary Hectorv brought with him from Leyndell when he took office, and was also his most trusted confidant.

On the city wall, watching the spirited army depart into the distance, Sezier ordered the gates shut, then arranged for the small number of soldiers left behind to attend to their duties and keep watch on movements outside the city at all times. The moment any scouts or patrol riders returned, they were to report to him personally.

Everyone in the city knew that the magistrate's scouts had caught the trail of the rebel Demi-human tribe that had been causing chaos in the Kallen region lately. Judging by the magistrate's record against these rebels over the past three years, no one believed there was any possibility of defeat in this battle. For the soldiers left behind in the city, they had even lost an excellent chance to earn military merit.

But there was no way around it. Unlike those lucky comrades of theirs, most of this group were the old, weak, sick, and disabled left behind from the previous magistrate's era, not the new army Hectorv had personally built in recent years, so naturally they were not favored. Though they had plenty of complaints in their bellies, faced with the military orders the staff officer had just issued, all they could do was carry them out with all their might. For a time, the old soldiers above and below the wall all got moving, leaving only Sezier nearby, gazing alone into the distance at the dust gradually receding.

No one noticed that in the pupils of this staff officer, who had always seemed mature and steady, a faint wisp of scarlet mist flashed and vanished.

"Your Highness," Alvins, one of the captains of the Storm Knights, came to Lucia's side and reported, "the Wyvern Warriors in charge of relaying messages have just brought word back from Captain Ekzykes. That Demi-human allied army has already laid an ambush at Sunset Pass. In addition, Soleto and Turak have just announced to the soldiers that after Kallen is taken, they will be allowed to loot freely for three days, with no military discipline restraining them during that time."

On the other side, Guerel had sent word half an hour ago that the Kallen City Guard had marched out. Under the guidance of the scouts, Hectorv was "launching a surprise attack" toward the enemy's position, but what he did not know was that the eyes and ears he took such pride in had already all been controlled by Clareville through the Perfume Arts. If the Demi-human allied army was likened to a giant spider lying in wait, then Kallen's scouts had instead become a vast net drawing the prey into the abyss.

And Lucia, who was secretly controlling everything from the highest vantage, had now broken away from the main force heading to Dectus. Bringing Elder Merrell, the two knight-captains Alvins and Annasia, and twenty of the most elite Storm Knights, he had arrived in a stretch of hills only fifty miles from Sunset Pass, quietly waiting for the final moment to draw in the net.

After hearing Alvins's report, Lucia was stunned for a moment, then sighed softly. "What a pity about Kruger..."

Early that morning, the Wyvern Warriors he had sent to contact Ekzykes had brought back news of Kruger's death. What was most lamentable was that after the old Misbegotten priest, who had worked conscientiously for decades, suddenly "died of illness," the only ones who truly wept and mourned for him were several dozen elderly veterans of the Shuofeng Tribe. The rest of the central army merely looked somewhat sorrowful, while it was said that in the front and rear armies, there was actually private rejoicing everywhere.

The fact that Kruger had been able to rely on his own prestige and the strength of the single Shuofeng division to bring together dozens of tribes from southern Gelmir into a three-thousand-strong allied army was enough to show how great his prestige had been. Yet only a few short weeks after the allied army had formed, that prestige and support had fallen to such a state. How could one not feel sorrow for him?

"Alvins," Lucia, seated on a huge boulder, turned back to look at the young officer beside him. "After this matter is over, I intend to have you remain in Kallen for a few years and stay by Clareville's side as an aide. First, you can use force to help him pacify the chaos in the city. Second, this will ensure his loyalty to us—are you willing?"

The young knight-captain was slightly taken aback. "Your Highness still doesn't trust him?"

Lucia shook his head. "Personal likes and dislikes are one thing. The duties of someone in power are another... Last night, I thought about many things. Since we intend to use him, and since we have steeled ourselves to slaughter thousands of lives for it, we must ensure that he serves his purpose."

He looked down toward the rolling hills and valleys below. Gelmir's barren, reddish-brown soil piled up into a boundless wasteland, stretching all the way to the end of the horizon. The near-noon sunlight dyed all things between heaven and earth in a mild golden red, and everything looked warm and drowsy—but the people on this mountaintop all knew that before long, rivers of blood would flow across this land.

"If, decades from now, we return here and find that everything here has not changed at all because of what you and I did today—then we, too, would be people who deserve to die, wouldn't we?" he said calmly.

Alvins stared in a daze at that figure shining beneath the sun. After a long while, he bowed deeply with unprecedented solemnity and said, "As you wish."