Chapter 6

The heavy hoofbeats of Ray’s bay stallion pounded at the head of three hundred mounted Imperial Knights. Beyond the clouds of dust kicked up by their thunderous passage, a dozen columns of smoke rose into the evening air. They spoke of the day’s progress: a day where the Demihuman tribes on the borders of the Wyvernmark fell before his onslaught.

A day that couldn’t have come sooner.

Ray sneered as he thought of how much time had been wasted.

Cowardice. Cowardice, hard-headed resistance and superstitious fear. That was what met the forces of the Sorcerous Kingdom that had arrived to supplement the Imperial Army’s strength. If it was just that, however, Ray couldn't have cared less: he would have taken them to single-handedly achieve his objectives himself.

The true problem was that the Undead had been officially assigned to the Fifth Legion. As a result of the reorganisation of the Imperial Army, the Fifth Legion was now responsible for keeping order in the Baharuth Empire’s southern territories. The Sixth Legion, which had been dispatched to the Wyvernmark under orders to expand the Empire’s borders, had no authority over the powerful Undead forces.

Ray wasn’t sure whether it was a purposeful act of bureaucratic sabotage, a decision born out of last-minute hesitation or some sort of incomprehensible misunderstanding. Whatever the reason, it left the Sixth Legion short of the strength that it thought it would have at its disposal. This, in turn, forced its commanders to rethink how they would conduct their campaign in the wilderness.

Attempts to collaborate with the Fifth Legion were met with firm refusal. Each Legion answered directly to the Emperor and their duty to the Empire had nothing to do with the Sixth Legion’s orders. Weeks of fruitless back and forth between the Fifth Legion, the Sixth Legion and Arwintar led to mounting tensions between the two army groups. No less frustrated, Ray finally decided that their ridiculous situation was in reality some sort of test.

The terms of the Undead lease contained many clauses as to how the powerful Undead forces were allowed to be used. Broadly speaking, they were intended for domestic security. This was the official explanation as to why they had ended up in the hands of the Fifth Legion. The other part of the puzzle was not so apparent, but Ray believed that he had figured it out.

A passive, almost benign outlook dominated the Sorcerous Kingdom’s foreign policy, which was in turn reflected in the terms of the lease agreement for their Undead security forces. He wasn’t sure why the supremely powerful nation would take such a convoluted approach to its affairs, but it was what Ray had to work with. To maintain its image, the Sorcerous Kingdom did not wage wars of aggression and would not allow its forces to participate in conflicts that might be construed as such against officially recognised political entities. Retaliation against foreign aggression, however, was another thing entirely.

What Ray needed was just cause to deploy the Undead against their neighbours. The most apparent option was to goad them into attacking the Empire. Another would be fabricating a conflict to ‘intervene’ in, but this was problematic. They couldn’t send settlers as the Court Council held sole authority over what land was claimed and to whom it was distributed. The alternative meant recognising political interests outside of the Empire and acting on their behalf, but the point of the Sixth Legion was to claim territory for the Empire, not legitimise savage Demihuman tribes.

The Second Legion’s operation in the northwest was conducted under another plausible premise: they were ridding themselves of an evil Ancient Dragon that had plagued the region with its demands for over a century. Something like an imperial trade convoy being raided was also a ploy that might be used for aggressive expansion, but the Sorcerous Kingdom might see that as a weak excuse to wage war against unrecognised territories, never mind official ones.

Ray needed something hefty to justify the deployment of the Fifth Legion’s forces beyond the shadow of a doubt. This was the true task that the Sorcerous Kingdom had assigned to the Sixth Legion: finding legal loopholes through which decisive military action could be justified.

His contingent returned to their encampment as the sun fell below the dry, rocky mountains to the west. His pleasure over the day’s results diminished as he saw who was waiting for him at his tent. The gravelly voice of a stern, grey-haired imperial officer rolled out at him.

“You bastard. You actually went and did it.”

“Captain Ward,” Ray said coolly. “I hope you didn’t ride all the way here just to share your feelings with me.”

The aged Imperial Knight crossed his arms, fixing Ray with a vehement glare.

“Your father would be rolling in his grave if he knew what you were up to,” Captain Ward said. “Where’s your pride as an imperial officer?”

“The duty of an Imperial Knight is to carry out the will of the Emperor, Captain,” Ray replied.

“By risking the lives of the Emperor’s subjects?” Captain Ward’s voice rose, “It’s the people of the Wyvernmark and the Fifth Legion that are going to have to deal with this mess you’re stirring up!”

“Considering what the Fifth Legion has at its disposal, I hardly think a handful of Demihuman raids is a problem.”

Captain Ward’s moustache bristled as he glowered at Ray. After a long moment, he walked past him.

“I’ll be reporting this to headquarters, General.”

“That is your prerogative, Captain.”

Ray entered his tent, tossing his burgonet aside with an annoyed sigh. Captain Ward’s disrespect should have invited censure, but it likely would have gotten nowhere.

Not only did the aged Captain belong to a different army group, but layers of archaic martial culture mired the daily operations of the Imperial Army. The vast majority of officers, both Noble and commoner, accepted that things were to be done according to time-honoured traditions. Change was something that came slowly, but the Empire could not afford slow change – certainly not now.

The Fifth Legion would likely shrug off any complaints that Ray voiced about Captain Ward. Ray was conducting unorthodox operations in the Captain’s jurisdiction which, as was noted, might invite retaliation against the Empire. This was the entire point, but, to most, Captain Ward had every reason to take issue. The officers of the Imperial Army tended to not mince words, and, while the chain of command was respected during operations, personal respect was something that was earned.

Ray was long used to such treatment, however, and his rise through the ranks was vindication enough. He spared next to no thought about the regard of his peers: all he required were subordinates who would carry out his orders and get the job done. With the rise of the Sorcerous Kingdom, opportunities abounded. His drive for practical results would distinguish him from the rest of the Empire’s Generals.

After getting out of his armour and into something more comfortable, he settled down at his desk to peruse the reports that had arrived while he was away. Ray stopped flipping through them as he came across the first bit of big news.

So they’ve finally made it official…

Rather than any triumphant proclamation, news of the Viridian Dragon Lord’s defeat came as a memorandum circulated within the ranks of the Imperial Army. An announcement to the general public would be made once the imperial administration settled on new policies for the region and issued directives to the local lords. Ray supposed it was delivered to the army first to spur its ranks to greater achievements, as new lands had been made available for those who rendered distinguished service.

The rumours preceding the memorandum had already worked their magic, however. An unsubtle fervour had settled upon the men of the Sixth Legion upon hearing of the wealth discovered and the fact that they – as the expeditionary army – would soon be conducting a conquest of their own. Thousands would be knighted; hundreds enfeoffed as minor Nobles and riches would flow into their hands. Everyone was determined to carve out a legacy of their own.

With this intrepid attitude suffusing the ranks of the Sixth Legion and the amount of frontier they had to cover, Ray had convinced General Gregan to allow him to form a temporary brigade. Two companies out of each division were transferred to him: each hand-picked out of the ones that the Commanders made available.

Aside from himself, there were next to no martial Nobles. Even the Captains were all Knights from common backgrounds. This was to ensure that annoying reservations born from antiquated values were kept to a minimum and no competitors for influence would arise. His men were driven by a singular ambition: achieve results and reap the rewards.

Ray set aside the memorandum, sorting through the rest of the reports to pick out anything of personal interest. A familiar brown folder caught his attention. As usual, he frowned at the content.

What is that girl doing…

House Gran was somewhat well-known for its…innocuousness, for lack of a better word. Despite being a lineage of decently-powerful mages in a nation that highly valued arcane casters, they were strangely unambitious. What other Nobles also realised was how ludicrously impervious they were to the schemes of others.

Nemel Gran was a case in point. Out of all of the agents sent from the majority of the Empire’s factions to monitor and potentially form connections with ‘Frost 19’, she was the sole survivor. Not only that, the young officer had entrenched herself as an ‘escort’ for the Sorcerous Kingdom’s representative. The rest had mysteriously vanished seemingly overnight. Every faction of course ardently denied that anything terrible had happened to their people, but they refused to elaborate upon their statements which made it all the more suspicious and unsettling.

Ray swirled a glass of mulled wine as he leaned back and attempted to decipher her report. It was page after page of customs paperwork, invoices, notes and observations written in a meticulous style and dutifully delivered from every city shortly after the representative had arrived around The Blister. He couldn’t even begin to guess at the complete picture the report was supposed to create, but the wealth of information was more than he had expected from sending a single agent.

“General.”

Ray closed the folder and filed it away, turning a questioning eye to the guard at the entrance.

“It’s Priest Ward, sir. You asked for him to be sent over upon your return.”

“Let him in.”

Plates of polished steel gleamed in the lamplight as a Cleric pushed aside the tent flap and made his way in. He clasped his hands behind his back as he stood before Ray.

“You sent for me, General?”

“I found your grandfather waiting for me when I got back here.”

“…I wasn’t aware he had visited the camp, sir. You have my apologies if he caused any trouble.”

The Cleric, Joachim Ward, lowered his head. He was one of the few martial Nobles in Ray’s brigade, though it was due to him being a company Cleric. Through some strange twist of fate, Ray had ended up with one of Captain Ward’s grandsons under his command.

“His concerns are understandable,” Ray said, “but that wasn’t what I called you here for. Not directly, at any rate. I have an assignment for you.”

Ray reached into a box beside his desk, pulling out a black folder. He handed it to the Cleric who, after opening it, looked back up at him in confusion.

“You’re…you’re reassigning me, sir? But what about my company?”

“I’ve already arranged for a replacement and spoken with your Captain,” Ray told him. “Do you have an objection to this assignment?”

“Rather than any particular objection,” the Cleric said, “why have I been chosen?”

“Because you’re one of the only Nobles in the battalion and you’re from this area. Also, I don’t want a scratch on her: it’ll be your job to keep her safe.”

Joachim frowned back down at the assignment, stopping at the second page.

“This report you’ve included says that she’s from a martial house. If she’s been sent by the Sorcerous Kingdom, I think she’ll be keeping me safe instead of the other way around.”

“She’s still a Noble from Re-Estize,” Ray snorted. “They aren’t anything like us. Nothing in the Second Legion’s report stands out. She spent the vast majority of the time acting as a ‘liaison officer’. It’s likely they sent her because she’s a Human Noble. A pretty face…or at least someone familiar with aristocratic customs.”

“…so you want me to attend to her. Have you any specific instructions, sir?”

“There are bound to be differences so you’re going to have to be flexible. She’s a representative from the Sorcerous Kingdom, so make sure she feels welcome, safe and happy. Also, be sure to let her know what she needs to know.”

Ray eyed the man, hoping that he understood what he meant. As a member of the imperial establishment, it was something that should have been drilled into him from a young age despite his Temple training.

“I expect regular reports,” Ray continued. “I’ll have someone contact you when I’m ready to see her. Dismissed.”

The Cleric saluted before making his way out of the tent. Ray turned back around, idly tapping a finger on his desk.

Sending Joachim Ward was something of a gamble. Baroness Zahradnik was acting as a liaison officer for the entire Sixth Legion, so she would be moving all across the frontier. As a General, Ray couldn’t follow her all over the place so the best he could do was send someone to report on her interactions. That way, he could prepare himself in advance for when she inevitably arrived to consult with him on his operations.

Before then, he needed to work the kinks out of his battalion and get the many soldiers who only had training under their belts into real fighting shape. They were already off to a good start, but he needed to make it clear how superior he and his men were compared to the rest of the Sixth Legion. For that, tangible results were required.

If all went well…

Ray leaned back in his seat, staring up at the ceiling of his tent. After a moment, he closed his eyes, recalling the last time he had seen the might of the Sorcerous Kingdom on display.

A ‘massacre’, it was called by his fellow Generals – by nearly everyone who had witnessed it. A one-sided slaughter amidst a battlefield gripped in despair.

But Ray quietly disagreed.

It was a scene of absolute beauty, permitted only to those with absolute power. By becoming a client state of the Sorcerous Kingdom, mere Humans could also wield that power, if only just a bit. But even that bit was enough to change the world; reshape it in whatever image they desired.

With the majority of the Imperial Army mired in their sentimentality and trapped in useless traditions, he would seize the initiative and make an unmistakable impression on the Sorcerous Kingdom.