Chapter 23 The wheels start to spin

In the east of the Antei continent, there is one of the most sacred cities known to man. The sacred land of Acme.

It's in this place where the powers that govern the military civilization meet.

In a large private room inside a building located in the most prestigious area of ​​the city, members of the council of the warlords meet, sitting in front of a round table.

"Everyone is aware of the news, I imagine".

"Indeed. The sixth legion, sent by the General of two horns, returned empty-handed".

"This will have consequences. Mobilizing more than 3,000 men for nothing is a waste of Iren's resources".

"Well, it's not like the General had been directing them himself".

"The legion commander was that promising young man, Jemur. The general promised a sure victory".

"As I understand it, the legion was not defeated, it cannot even be said that they had a battle".

"True. The report says the academy was made debris and ash".

"In that case, there was no gain in taking that attempt of a city ".

"We talk about a city that has been around for as long as ours, there is glory in conquering it. However ..."

"However, the commander gave his word to leave the city alone if he lost, which was the case".

"Hum. An unknown man capable of defeating a commander of Acme soldiers. I refuse to believe that such an individual exists without us knowing it until now".

"And what about the General of two horns? He was a nobody, yet he defeated the most unlikely enemies one after another. A feat like that was done before".

"We are talking about a man in a mill... No, in a billion. You cannot compare the general, the reincarnation of our glorious founder, with a guy we know nothing about".

"I did not say that, I just say that it is possible for exceptional people to go unnoticed for some time, the general is the best example".

"Although in the end, the powerful always come to light, attracted by the strength of others like them".

...

"And will this affect the general in any way?"

"I don't believe it, no matter how much they say about it, as long as we support the general, he will be free to carry out his wishes".

"That is our duty and reward. Soon the entire continent will be at the mercy of the general".

All those summoned launched a great ovation in the air saying ... "Glory to the Demon of two horns".

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In a building somewhat further away from the area of ​​greater prestige, with a less ostentatious structure and still luxurious rooms, another group of council members meets.

"Finally, a stain on the military history of the Demon".

"Maybe we can use this opportunity to repress his power a bit".

"It's useless, as long as he has a council faction on his side, we have no power over him. Even one of the kings is with him".

"Damn it. We should never have allowed him to go so far. Those fools of the Demon faction, if they knew what we ..."

"You know we can't tell them. It is our silent duty to protect the glory of Iren".

"... What do we know about that matter?"

"Our agents say the legion commander was Jemur, the prominent young man who completed the Acme test in less than a year".

"Oh, so he ... If I remember correctly, he had great potential, if the demon had not appeared, perhaps he would have become general in other 20 years".

"It is useless thinking about what would have happened ... On the other hand, the fact that he was defeated ..."

"An Aristoi, that's how the man who defeated Jemur in a clean fight introduced himself".

"According to his description of what happened, everything happened in an instant, Jemur couldn't do anything".

"Someone who can do that ... At the level of the Generals? Or maybe, the Demon himself?"

"It is possible. If true, he could be of value to our cause. It is necessary to monitor him".

"Ha! And who would? Some of your men are able to infiltrate and follow an Aristoi who easily defeated Jemur without exposing himself and challenging him?"

"No. I can't say that I wouldn't do the same if I had him in front of me".

"We must settle with knowing of its existence in time, not like with the Demon. We should just keep watch at the foot of the mountain of Galia to find out if it makes any movement. We play with the advantage that it is in an isolated place, maybe we never know about him again".

"Speaking of the surroundings of Galia. Didn't the demon take a nearby town as part of his plan to conquer the city?"

"That bastard. No Iren general should fall so low as to ask a disgusting mercenary to fight for him, even less someone who commands Acme soldiers".

"Haha! Surely that's why his plans went wrong, Ashma punished him for his dishonor!"

"I thought you didn't believe in Ashma".

"That I don't believe in the prophecy of the statue does not mean that I don't believe in the deity. I simply not trust the interpretation made by priests. Those who do not support the glory of Iren are not trustworthy. Even the fools in the Demon faction believe that they do the best for Iren".

"Still, because of them, the Demon is out of control".

"Since he won the title of Demon of two horns, his authority is like that of the 4 generals together. Unless the entire council agrees, we cannot give him orders. The option that the kings do it is out of the question, the king of war has practically chosen him as his successor".

"If that damn demon died at once ..."

"Do you really think that a simple assassin could accomplish such a feat?"

"I never talked about assassination. If I can't kill him myself, I would never do something as cowardly as send someone else to do it for me. Before that I prefer him to get away with it".

"There's no use stopping him if we lose our honor in the process. That would be a stain on our glorious Iren".

"I ask Ashma to give us the opportunity to avoid a disaster".

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Iren, the country with the greatest military power known in the continent. It is governed by a trinity that maintains power balance.

The King of Peace, in charge of all political and administrative matters. He is also the military strategist with the greatest authority. This position can be inherited, since it is the king himself who chooses a successor.

In an environment where combat and glory are everything, hardly anyone could focus on learning what is necessary to fulfill as king of peace. This is why the children of the current king, who are raised under his supervision in everything necessary, are usually the best candidates. However, if they are not worthy, the king will not hesitate to choose someone outside his family.

The King of War, the ruler of academies and military instructions. It's also who directs the 4 Generals. In case of emergency, he assumes full control of Iren. For this reason, the King of War can only be the one who is recognized by all as the best of the Generals.

Normally, one of the 4 generals ends up succeeding the king of war, since they are Iren's strength.

Finally, the third power of this trinity is >

Occasionally, one of the warlords ascends to the throne, but usually, the council is made up of the 27 leaders of the most powerful families in Iren. Together, council members possess an authority equivalent to a third King.

However, the council is usually divided into factions that do not agree. And this is why they don't have the authority to give me orders. Since only Iren's kings or the whole council have the authority to order the General Demon, recognized as an exceptional case in the military world.

As long as it continues, I can act freely.

They were never important enough to worry about them. The only thing that worries me now is the news of my first failure. Although technically I did not fail, the fact that I did not possess what I intended to conquer is enough to irritate me.

Well, if there really is someone out there capable of facing me, sooner or later I will find it on my way to the conquest of the world. For now, I will continue with my plan, after all I did not mobilize my forces just to take a sad academy in a lost place like Galia. They are currently nearing the eastern border of Jagheb, and another of my legions is already heading towards the western border.

Normally, Jagheb is attacked in the south of its territory, but my intentions are not to attack them frontally for now, my goals are the AS academies.

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"By the way, where exactly are we going sir?"

"It is obvious captain, our destination is the academy closest to Galia, within the territory of Jagheb".