by Michael Sisa
Yosef’s hair stood on edge upon seeing them. For some reason, his intuition was screaming at him that these guys were dangerous. They were no ordinary soldiers wearing full plate armor. Each of them capable of slaughter, Yosef was sure.
The other soldiers wearing leather armor were probably aware of the existence of this army, as they did not look surprised to see them.
The soldiers in full plate armor wordlessly moved behind them and started their march.
Yosef’s heart started thumping fast. Each of these guys felt dangerous, and there were over a hundred of them? For a moment, he thought of an incredulous scenario where a hundred Mikael Garios teamed up and charged at the Emperial Army. If a hundred people with the same prowess as his teacher fought together, even if their enemy was the Empire, there would be slaughter. Yosef clenched his fists and looked at the army marching behind him.
This mission may have been worth it, after all.
VOLUME 4: CHAPTER 2
The Blackstone Army marched relentlessly for several weeks, passing through several cities along the way. Every now and then, they would restock their rations, camp in the wilderness, then resume their march. Since Blackstone Town was the most remote territory in the east, it was also the last one to receive the summons. They surmised that by now, most of the reinforcements must have already gathered in the capital.
And they eventually arrived at the gathering point.
Behemoth City. The capital of the Kingdom.
“So this the capital…” Captain Qarat gawked at the walled city in front of them. The rest of the soldiers were doing the same.
“Captain, it’s huge!”
“Even the cities we passed through before pale in comparison!”
“Sir Austen, you guys have been here with the Young Master before?”
Austen lifted his chest with pride. “That’s right! You should have seen the King’s castle. George and I were even allowed to stand outside the gates!”
“Ooh!”
Gasps filled with awe escaped the lips of the soldiers. George and Austen grinned at each other. They were also awestruck when they first saw the capital, but after spending a few days in it, they came to understand that it was nothing special. It was simply huge, that’s all. The City of Magic was a lot more beautiful in comparison. But of course, they had no intention of telling the soldiers that.
“The gathering point is over there,” Yosef said to Lark.
They moved in the direction Yosef pointed and soon reached a large camp filled with thousands of soldiers.
“This is the gathering point for all the reinforcements from throughout the Kingdom. Just the eastern reinforcement alone amounts to more than ten thousand soldiers. I heard that the South managed to gather a lot more than that.”
When Lark and his men arrived, several soldiers stopped what they were doing and stared at the army coming their way. The Blackstone Soldiers wearing leather armor felt ordinary, but the armored soldiers marching behind them felt dangerous.
Which army did these guys come from?
With Yosef acting as their guide, the Blackstone Soldiers started pitching their tents. It seemed that three days from now, the King would personally choose the commanders to preside over this large army. All that was left now was to wait for the rest of the reinforcements to arrive.
“Act like normal soldiers for now,” Lark said to the suits of armor. “You guys can do that, right?”
The suits of armor bobbed their heads in understanding. They grunted and started moving around and fixing the Blackstone Army’s camp, moving slowly and carefully so they didn’t attract unwanted attention.
When night came, they made campfires. Several soldiers gathered around the campfire and discussed the things they had seen in this place. Although they would soon clash with the Empire, everyone’s confidence soared upon seeing the thousands of reinforcements gathered. They estimated, the number of soldiers probably reached thirty thousand.
“Hey, what do you think of the announcement a while ago? They said that they’ll be choosing three commanders for this huge ass army.”
The soldiers toasted their jerkies around the campfire.
“They’ll surely pick the Young Master, right? There’s no way someone as capable as the Young Lord wouldn’t be picked by His Majesty.”
Lark didn’t know that his soldiers were already this close to worshipping him. To them, Lark was the embodiment of wisdom itself. Every action and order he gave was carefully strategized. They’d experienced this firsthand when they fought against the beastmen.
“That’s right! I’m sure that if it’s the Young Master leading us, we’ll be able to crush those dogs of the Empire!”
The rest of the soldiers agreed.
“Pft!”
They heard stifled laughter next to them. The soldiers looked at the source. Two soldiers from a different camp were passing by and heard their conversation. One of the soldiers was holding back his laughter, while the other one elbowed him to stop.
Tears started forming at the corner of the soldier’s eyes. Eventually, he could not hold his laughter any longer. “Hahahaha! If it’s the Young Master leading us! Hahaha! We’ll be able to… Pft! Hahaha!”
The Blackstone Soldiers frowned. One of them said, “What’s so funny?”
The unknown soldier wiped his tears using the back of his hand. He was gasping for air after laughing his heart out. “Everything.” He smirked then pointed at the crest on his shoulder. “You see this? It’s the insignia of Count Boris. Right now, all of his three sons are participating in this war. Those three geniuses will surely become the three commanders of this large army.”
The soldier next to him nudged him once again. “What are you doing? Don’t start a fight,” he whispered.
“Start a fight? I’m just explaining to these buffoons the reality of the situation. It’s really funny that these guys think their Lord has a chance of being picked by His Majesty. That would never happen while the three sons of the Count are around.”
“What’s so special about those three anyway?” one of the Blackstone Soldiers retorted. “Our Lord, Lark Marcus, even drove back a legion of beastmen on his own!”
The unknown soldier froze momentarily. After a few seconds, he broke out into another fit of laughter. “L-Lark Marcus he says! Hahaha! So your master is that trash noble? And you believe those rumors about him driving back the Third Legion? Even the little kids in our County don’t believe that!”
Now, even the soldier next to him began to chuckle. At first, he was afraid to spark a war with this group since they did not know which faction this army belonged to. But after knowing that these guys were part of that trash’s army—Lark Marcus—he also started to join in the fun.
“I heard your Lord’s the one who sparked this all-out war with the Empire. He’s such a capable man, isn’t he? Trash will always be trash, it seems,” he said.
“He should have just shut his mouth back then! Look at us now, we’re all heading off to war because of the stupidity of your master!”
The Blackstone Soldiers were finally fed up. They stood up and charged at them. Quickly, it turned into a brawl.
“H-Hey, fuck! Stop!” The two soldiers tried to defend themselves, but to their horror, the Blackstone Soldiers were surprisingly good in a fight—they also outnumbered them.
To the Blackstone Soldiers, who fought against the humanoid basilisks on a daily basis, these two were nothing but fodder. Their movements felt really slow, as though they were not moving at all.
After a minute passed, the two soldiers fell limp on the ground. Their cheeks and eyes were swollen, their lips busted. They groaned in pain as tears flowed down their faces.
After hearing the commotion outside, Lark went out of his tent. He creased his brows upon seeing the two soldiers on the ground.
“What happened? Who did this?”
Judging by the crest on their shoulders, these two soldiers did not belong to his army.
He looked at his men unhappily. The moment he made eye contact with them, they immediately averted their gazes.
“I’m asking who did this!” He suppressed a snarl.
The Blackstone Soldiers flinched. One after another, they raised their hands. Seven people in total.
Infighting was strictly prohibited back in the Magic Empire. Not only did it decrease their fighting force and morale, it also hindered them from working as a team once war broke out.
“Why did you do it?” Lark decided to hear them out first. “Why did you beat them up?”
He was aware of the strength of his soldiers. Despite their shabby appearance, they were probably stronger than most of the soldiers gathered here. After all, they had been sparring with the humanoid basilisks every day for the past few months.
One of the seven soldiers stepped up and explained what had transpired to Lark. After hearing the story, Lark sighed. His anger dissipated after hearing that they jumped at these two to defend the honor of their Lord, but still he could not let them go unpunished.
“The seven of you,” said Lark. “Come with me. We’ll personally make an apology to the commander of their army.”
Lark looked at the beaten-up soldiers lying on the ground. “Ah, don’t forget to bring those two with us.”
The Blackstone Soldiers, although reluctant, started carrying the injured soldiers on their backs. They moved through the large camp and after asking around, they reached the tent of the commander of the soldiers they beat up.
Naturally, the soldiers belonging to their camp heard the news that two of their guys had been beaten up. They surrounded Lark and his men as they stood outside the commander’s tent. Although they were infuriated that their guys were beaten up, they did not immediately pounce at Lark.
The commander must have been sleeping, as it took some time before he finally came out. Arzen, the commander of this army, rubbed his eyes and opened the flap of his tent. Seeing the numerous soldiers surrounding his tent, and Lark and his men, he was immediately jolted awake.
Lark approached him and said, “Lark Marcus. Commander of the Blackstone Army. I’m here to personally apologize on behalf of my men.”
Arzen soon heard what happened. Lark explained everything, without leaving out any details.
“I see,” Arzen nodded in understanding. He glared at the two battered soldiers unhappily. “The two of you. Is everything this Young Lord said correct?”
The two beaten-up soldiers looked at each other, before slowly nodding their heads. Arzen sighed. He clicked his tongue.
To Lark’s surprise, Arzen bowed his head. “It seems that my men are at fault. I apologize. I promise that proper punishment will be carried out for these two.”
The two beaten-up men shivered.
“B-But Lord Arzen!”
“M-My Lord!”
“Silence!” Arzen glared at them. “Tie them up! They will not be given any food or drink for a day and a half. Anyone who secretly tries to feed them will be kicked out of my army! Understood?”
“Y-Yes, Lord!”
Several soldiers grabbed the two soldiers and dragged them away. They tried to plead with their Lord but their voices soon died out.
Arzen sighed again. He touched his throbbing forehead. “Ah, what a waste of a good sleep. To think that those two idiots started a fight over something so stupid.”
He looked at Lark. He flashed a smile. “Ah, I haven’t introduced myself, have I? Arzen, first son of Count Boris. Future commander of this army.”
The last few words were stated with certainty. A smile slowly formed on Lark’s lips. He found this man interesting.
“Lark Marcus, Lord of Blackstone Town.”
“Oh, not going to introduce yourself as a future commander of this army?”
Lark chuckled. “I have no interest in that. And I heard there’re three slots?”
Arzen grinned. “Three slots. Aris. Mokuva. Me. All three slots will be given to the House Boris. Three days from now, we’ll be the ones leading these soldiers to crush the Imperial Army.”
VOLUME 4: CHAPTER 3
King Alvis was watering the plants in the royal garden. This was one of his ways to retain his sanity amidst the incessant politics. One of his simple joys in life.
“Your Majesty,” said the Grand Chamberlain. “All of the reinforcements have gathered.”
“Finally.” King Alvis placed the watering can on the table. “Gather the leaders of each army here. It is time for us to choose the commanders.”
“Here, in the garden?” the Grand Chamberlain asked, to be sure.
King Alvis smiled. “I believe the royal garden is a lot more beautiful than the throne room. Don’t you think so, Viscount Lakian?”
The Grand Chamberlain could only concede and nod his head. He looked around and saw the thousands of flowers. This place was large, so there should be enough space for the crowd.
“As you wish, Your Majesty.” He bowed his head and left.
Left all alone, with only two of his personal guards nearby, King Alvis fell into deep thought. He had read all the documents regarding the nobles who answered the summons. Among all of them, five stood out the most. Surprisingly, three of them came from the House Boris.
Arzen, first son of Count Boris. He graduated at the military academy with top grades. During the exit exam of the military academy, he even managed to perfectly clear the hidden path and escape unscathed. After graduation, he immediately assumed the position of commander of the Boris Army, successfully wiping out all of the bandits in their territory.
Mokuva, second son of Count Boris. The author of the book: Fifty-Seven Assault Tactics. The things written in that book were surprisingly effective in real battle—the Kingdom even incorporated it into their war strategies. Although Mokuva never joined the military due to his frail body, he was without doubt a genius who could see the battlefield as a whole.
Aris, third son of Count Boris. He was no genius in military tactics nor was he a graduate of the military academy. But he was a High Priest candidate. This meant that if King Alvis were to choose him as one of the three commanders, they would be able to enlist the help of the temple in this war. The temple always assumed neutrality, but if a High Priest candidate were to become a commander, it would become a different story. Getting several priests capable of healing magic from the temple would no longer be a dream.
And the other two who did not belong to the House Boris:
Baron Zacharia. A former instructor of the Leonard Fighting School. The school that teaches the martial arts of the savages. He lost an arm during the Bloody Thorn Plains Incident fifteen years ago and retired, but he was nonetheless a war veteran.
And lastly,
Lark Marcus. The disowned son of Duke Drakus. The same noble who invented the method of destroying the Black Famine. The noble who defeated the Third Legion several months ago. The person who gave them the blueprint for the mana bombs.
“I should choose wisely,” the King sighed. “The fate of this Kingdom rests in their hands.”
Thankfully, the curse which ran down the blood of the royal family was not acting up this time. The King would be able to meet the leaders of the army without worrying about suddenly losing consciousness in the middle of his speech.
He remembered his meeting with the dwarves several days ago. The dwarves he met using the artifact promised to relay his message to the Dwarven Kingdom. That Kingdom had closed its borders to outsiders for more than a century now. The magic of the dragon guarding their borders made the barrier impregnable. Only members of the Dwarven race could enter, thus the King had no choice but to approach a member of their race to relay even a simple message.
The message was simple. The King promised to send all the finest wines stored in the cellar of the castle—wines more than one hundred years old—in exchange of weapons. He even promised to pay tens of thousands in gold coins if the Dwarven Kingdom could assist them in this war.
The Dwarven
Kingdom was one of the richest countries in the land. Hopefully, their meager offer would be enough to entice those drunkards. Even outdated weaponries would be fine, since it had been proven that all of the dwarves’ weapons were highly effective in war.
“Your Majesty,” said one of the guards, his voice almost a whisper. “They’ve arrived.”
King Alvis bobbed his head. He must have been lost in thought for quite some time. Fortunately, he had come to a conclusion. All that was left was to meet them in person.
Viscount Lakian entered the royal garden, along with several dozen others. King Alvis recognized the majority of them. They were the nobles summoned by the crown.
“We all greet His Majesty!”
“We all greet His Majesty!”
Everyone clasped their hands and bowed their heads upon seeing the King.
“First of all, I must thank everyone for coming here.” King Alvis gently smiled, forming numerous wrinkles on his face. “I’m sure everyone is aware of the precarious situation our Kingdom is in.”
Most of the nobles held grim faces upon hearing this. They all knew that it would only be a matter of time before their territories were targeted by the Empire.
“This is not out yet in the public, but four days ago…” the smile slowly left the King’s face, “the city of Yan fell into the Empire’s hands.”
The nobles were flustered upon hearing this. The City of Yan was near the capital.
Arzen momentarily looked at Lark. The City of Yan belonged to the House Marcus. It was one of the large cities governed by the Marcuses. But Lark was unaware of this as he continued to calmly listen to the King.
“I’m aware that all of you came from different factions, cities, territories. But I ask you to set aside those differences for now and work together to overcome this hurdle before us.” The King looked everyone in the eye. “The first goal of this Coalition Army is this—free the City of Yan from the hands of the Empire.”