The Empire's punitive war against Kingsbia's cult and its depraved king had ended.
When the war first began, many smaller newspapers refused to report on it, while many larger ones chose their words carefully. The people of Dierjia were deeply worried about the war.
Only a few years had passed since the last great war ended. When the Dierjia People heard that Her Majesty the Queen had launched another war, most reacted negatively.
Crush a cult? Teach Kingsbia a lesson? A war of justice? What did any of that have to do with us in Dierjia? What if we lost?
But as the war began and continued...
The border battle, the river-crossing battle, the Battle of Lorint, the Battle of Dover, the Battle of Lombardier...
Whether they attacked first or counterattacked in defense, fought meeting engagements or ambushes, or besieged positions to destroy incoming reinforcements, it was victory, victory, and more victory...
With just a single legion-the Forward Legion-they smashed through Kingsbia's territory with unstoppable momentum, advancing straight to its Royal Capital, Lombardier.
One clean, decisive victory after another, routing enemies several times or even ten times their own number. Wherever the Forward Legion's forces marched, nothing could stand against them!
One report of victory after another, each astonishing, each more astonishing than the last.
Batch after batch of prisoners from the Kingsbia Army were sent back home in vast numbers. A few thousand was a small haul, tens of thousands was nothing unusual, and sometimes there were over a hundred thousand.
Newspaper coverage of the Forward Legion grew more frequent and more favorable. Any newspaper that carried news of the legion would see its sales soar.
Now, wherever newspapers were available throughout Dierjia, everyone who could afford one eagerly awaited news of the Forward Legion.
That winter, the Forward