Southern Continent, East Balam.
A stifling, humid air hung over the temporary military camp along the rugged dirt road leading to Sadingk Town.
"Whew..."
Alfred lit an East Balam Tobacco cigar and took a deep drag.
It was a thick cigar made by wrapping spices and herbs directly in cured tobacco leaves, with an exceptionally strong, choking flavor. Compared with the elegantly packaged cigarettes of the Northern Continent, this stuff packed a much bigger punch. After a few drags, the nicotine and herbs went straight to his head, offering some welcome relief from his exhaustion and agitation.
Over the past two days, he had been following orders from military headquarters, leading his troops out of Valterik City toward the remote Sadingk Town to establish a temporary camp.
Although quite a few railways had been built on the Southern Continent over the years to facilitate colonial rule and resource plundering, their scale and carrying capacity still fell short of those in the Northern Continent. Personally overseeing the relocation of several hundred troops and their supplies was, admittedly, a troublesome task.
This time, however, Alfred had no complaints. Rather than leaving camp arrangements, logistics, and all the other petty matters to his adjutant as usual, he handled everything himself.
To some extent, he was trying to numb himself with an intense workload.
But how tiring could this little bit of physical labor be for a Sequence 5 Disciplinary Paladin? Ultimately, the bitterness he felt came from the weight on his mind.
Immediately after the incident, he had written several confidential letters and sent couriers to deliver them urgently to fellow officers with whom he had always been on excellent terms.
On the one hand, he wanted to understand the current situation and discuss a way forward. On the other, he hoped that