A Banquet in the Military Camp

The moonlight was indifferent, the night curtain hung low, and great swaths of bonfires rose inside and outside the drill ground, driving back the shadows of the mountains. The king held a banquet in the military camp to entertain the great nobles of the south.

The broad drill ground was filled with firelight. The warriors sat in different small circles according to their camps, cooking their everyday food. And at the center of the gathering, there was an especially bright bonfire—that was the great circle of the king and the nobles.

Xolotl sat at the head, surrounded by a dozen armored personal guards. Though it was a night banquet, he had not removed his armor. The nobles sat below him, and the guards they had brought with them had all been driven away. Outside the great circle stood over a hundred elite warriors, each clad in Bronze Armor and holding a long spear, silent and grim with killing intent.

"I have returned from the northern campaign and led the army south with the aim of reorganizing the south."

The king spoke calmly, his gaze like a sharp blade as it swept over everyone before him. The field was utterly silent; only the king's words remained.

"You are all great nobles of the kingdom's south, your lineages passed down from the old Tarasco dynasty to this day. Since you were willing to heed the summons and come here to pay homage to me, you still have, in the end, some measure of loyalty and reverence."

The firelight swayed, illuminating the nobles' uneasy faces. The king smiled faintly and raised the cup in his hand.

"In that case, I shall hold a banquet in the camp and entertain you! Praise the Main God!"

"Praise the Main God! Praise Your Majesty!"

Hearing this,