The next day, I barely have enough time to freshen up before I have to get to work. I don’t know why, but the number of nobles who wish to join us has quadrupled overnight. This is undoubtedly a good thing, as our faction’s numbers are growing far faster than expected, but it also means my workload has quadrupled. I must thoroughly investigate all these nobles to make sure they aren’t spies or traitors, and then I must also come to learn their abilities and how to best utilize them.

It is an exhausting task, and by the time sun begins setting, I feel my brain begin to lose its effectiveness. Soon, I read through multiple pages of a spy’s report on one of the nobles, but I don’t comprehend anything. In fact, I’m not even sure which noble’s file I’m currently reading.

A knock echoes on my office door, and a pit of dread fills my stomach. Another report? I don’t think I can handle anymore…

The door opens, and thankfully, it’s not another messenger. It’s Luna, and I welcome the sight of her.

“Hey, you busy?” She asks.

It doesn’t look like she has anything really important to say, but honestly, I’ll take any excuse right now to take a break from all this work.

“Not at the moment, no,” I say, gesturing at the chair across from my desk.

Luna smiles and takes a seat, “That’s good, I just wanted to ask you some things.”

I close the file in front of me, and place it on a dangerously tall stack of files that I have yet to go through. “Go on.”

“Before you said that even if someone took the Royal Seal, they still wouldn’t just automatically become the ruler of Salvorum, right?”

I nod, “Yes.”

“I think I get it now,” Luna says, sounding excited, “It’s because of what’s happening right now, isn’t it? Even if you steal the Royal Seal, there will still be people claiming that you don’t deserve it and fight against you. That’s why no one just rebels whenever they see the opportunity!”

I smile, “Correct. Salvorum has lost its religion throughout the ages, but the idea that “Heaven will grant the Royal Seal to the one worthy to rule the nation” still lingers in the back of people’s minds. It gives the possessor of the Royal Seal some legitimacy to the throne, but it’s not the be-all-end-all. There will always be a group that will protest such a radical change in rulers, and they will always try to depose the new ruler.”

Luna grins, looking pleased with herself for being able to figure this out by herself. It seems she has been recovering well.

“Is that all you came to ask?” I ask.

Luna nods, “Yeah, I just wanted to see if I was right.”

“Well—”

Suddenly, the door to my office bursts open. Luna looks startled, but I recognize the perpetrator as one of our messengers and watch him warily. I don’t know what he has to say, but whatever it is, it’s probably nothing good. He looks to be on the verge of panic, and he’s breathing heavily, as though he has run all the way here from a long distance away.

“Sir, we’ve received reports that Roger Davis has consolidated his army and has begun his march to Eagswall!”

Oh.

It takes a second for his words to sink in, but when they do, the exhaustion in my mind is blown away, replaced by fine concentration.

“Tell Ducis to meet me in the war room!” I command. The messenger rushes off to comply. “I’ll see you later, Luna.”

Recognizing the dismissal for what it is, Luna leaves with a hurried farewell. I look around the room, spotting out the documents I will need now. The crucial moment of this civil war is fast approaching, I need to prepare.

When I get to the war room, I see Ducis, waiting with a solemn look on his face, accompanied by someone I did not expect.

“Lord Munimentis,” I greet, trying to keep the surprise and irritation out of my voice.

“Sir Eremus,” he greets back. He looks amused, probably at my expense.

“I did not expect you here,” I say. I refrain from pointing out that he wasn’t even invited, so his attendance here is an intrusion. I’m sure he already knows it.

“I have pledged my House to your cause,” Munimentis says, “Which means I cannot have you fail. Considering the fact that the chief of military affairs is an inexperienced, uneducated peasant, I felt it prudent to personally oversee any and all battle plans.”

My fingers twitch, and suddenly, I don’t care about maintaining appearances anymore. Munimentis has insulted me to my face, and I will respond in kind.

“I hope you haven’t forgotten, Munimentis, but I was the one who toppled King Villibus Regis from his throne. My achievements speak for themselves,” I say with an angry glare, my hostility finally bared for him to see.

Ducis tiredly palms his face, but it’s too late now, I have finally fired back.

Munimentis merely chuckles, “I’ll grant you this, you’ve done well to establish a rudimentary governmental structure in just a week, but in terms of battle you’ve done nothing impressive.”

What? Nothing impressive? What is he talking about? Salvorum is currently in the middle of a civil war because of me! Two peasants now have a decent chance of ruling this country because of ME!

I open my mouth to respond, but Munimentis is faster, “Actually give some thought to the events of last week. I imagine you have been planning for this rebellion for at least a few years, judging by the vast number of your troops. And yet, Lord Davis almost rendered your entire plan useless in only a few minutes.

I flinch, “How did you—?”

“My spies investigated everything that happened last week,” Munimentis says, “I know everything.”

I narrow my eyes, “Even so, victory was mine. My results are undeniable.”

Munimentis shrugs with a condescending smile, “Perhaps. However, the facts still stand. Lord Davis never once fell into your scheme. He took 150,000 troops to face what the messenger said was an enemy numbering 400,000 people—lead by The Conqueror no less. And even then, he suspected the loyalty of Wilhelm’s 60,000 soldiers. In other words, he didn’t believe the report at all. You simply got lucky that the king and the nobles cooped up here in Eagswall were foolish enough to fall prey to your little trick.”

My fists clench. Damn it. DAMN IT. DAMN IT.

What he’s saying isn’t wrong. In fact, no part of it is wrong. I liked Luna’s answer, that I still won in the end, and proved myself better, but Munimentis is correct too. Even with years to prepare, would I be able to win against Roger Davis if he wasn’t held back by fools?

“Besides,” Munimentis continues, “Your battle against the Royal Troops wasn’t something to be proud about either. The tactics you used were an exact copy of King Charles’ assault on fort Adamant 200 years ago.”

I blink, my mind rendered blank in surprise. Once again, this man is correct; I didn’t create a strategy to battle the Royal Troops on the spot, I learned it from history and applied it in the battle.

But how did Munimentis know?

Perhaps my confusion shows itself on my face, because when Munimentis starts speaking again—

“I found it suspicious that a person like you, who has never been to the Military Academy would understand basic tactics so well.” He explains, “So I did some digging, and found that your battle against the Royal Troops had an almost exact one to one correlation with King Charles’ assault on fort Adamant.”

I try to respond, but I have nothing to say. After all, Munimentis has hit the nail on the head on all counts.

“Speaking of which, I understand this means you don’t actually understand the basic costs and consequences of fundamental tactics,” Munimentis says, the condescension in his voice unbearable. He offers me a book titled, An Introduction to Military Strategy by Lord Julius Consilium, “I would read this thoroughly if I were you, it is the only way you will reach some degree of competence—”

I knock the book out of his hands, sending it sailing to the ground. Angry retorts instantly jump to my tongue, “Roger Davis went to Talwar with only 150,000 troops because he only intended to pick up the trail of the fictional Vincerian from there! He anticipated he would get more troops on the way—”

Munimentis smirks, “Oh? Are you really delusional enough to believe that he fell for your ploy? If so then—”

Suddenly, Ducis intervenes by stepping in between us. “Alright, let’s all calm down,” he says with a pleasant smile, “We have bigger fish to fry now, so let’s focus on that.”

I glare at Munimentis, and he returns my gaze with his ever-present condescension. However, I know Ducis is right, so with a herculean effort, I break our gaze and walk to the giant map sitting on the table in the middle of the room.

This is the war room, and it seems the architects made no attempts to pretend otherwise. The room is sparse, containing only oil lamps for lighting, a table with a map of Terra on it for strategical planning, and a box of different figures to make visualization easier. Even the walls, which are all plated in some beautiful coating of some kind in this castle, is missing here—showing only the bare stone that lies underneath.

I set up Roger Davis’ current position on the map and then speak, looking exclusively at Ducis. This way, I’ll be able to keep a hold on my temper.

“We’ve just received an urgent report that Roger Davis is marching towards Eagswall. The time for recruitment is over. The final battle for the control of Salvorum approaches.”

“How many soldiers do they have?” Ducis asks, his pleasant smile wiped clean. Now there is only a serious focus on his face.

“From what we can tell, Roger Davis’ troops number approximately 90,000,” I answer, “As expected, his forces are far smaller than ours.”

“And how many forces do we have?” Ducis asks.

I smirk, “If we just count our peasant forces and mercenaries combined, we have about 80,000 troops. However, we’ve had various nobles join us as well, and while I don’t have the exact number, I know for sure that they number at least 70,000. In other words, we have at least 150,000 troops on our side to fight their 90,000. An overwhelming advantage.”

But… this fact is troubling in its own right. Ducis, having known me since childhood, instantly notices and asks, “What’s wrong?”

I don’t want to admit that anything is wrong. I want to pretend that my plan is proceeding flawlessly. However, this isn’t something I should be hiding.

“I’m… confused,” I say with some hesitation, “Why did Roger Davis decide to attack now—when he’s at such an enormous disadvantage?”

“It is because of me,” Munimentis says. My mood instantly sours even further. I had just gotten the fact that he’s still here out of mind…

“Do you know the significance of the House of Munimentis?” He asks.

I open my mouth to answer, but he continues speaking before I can, “My apologies, of course you don’t.”

I grit my teeth, but, well, he’s not wrong either. I really don’t know.

“The House of Munimentis is one of the oldest and most prominent houses of Salvorum,” Munimentis explains, “Once I pledged my House to your cause, it was guaranteed that most nobles would follow my lead. You must have already noticed the sharp increase in nobles wanting to join your cause. This is the reason why.”

Ah, so he’s the reason I had so much work this morning. Still, I can’t deny that this outcome is incredibly good for us.

“I see. So Roger Davis has chosen to attack now because you joining us means the situation will only worsen for him the longer he waits.” I say just to confirm.

“Precisely.”

“So, what’s Lord Davis’ plan to deal with our superior numbers?” Ducis asks.

I make various adjustments on the map, “Apparently he has split up his forces into three armies. He has sent two armies ahead, each comprised of 30,000 soldiers, while his own army of 30,000 troops is following behind at a safe distance.”

Ducis looks confused. “Why?”

“I suspect it’s a strategy to try and probe at our weak links. By sending two separate armies with some distance between them towards us, he’s forcing us to also send two separate armies to respond. Once the battle progresses a bit, Roger Davis will be able to spot which army of ours is weaker and will move in to support in defeating that army quickly. Besides, his own army is comprised entirely of the Royal Troops, so that he can overwhelmingly crush any weak link he finds.”

“So, he’s basically trying to create a weak point in our forces to blitz through and defeat us before we can use our numbers to our advantage?” Ducis asks.

“Basically, yeah,” I answer, “The two armies sent ahead are lead by the Cromwell and Atwood patriarchs. They aren’t too special in terms of abilities, but considering the choices Roger Davis had, they were probably the best options.”

“I see.” Ducis says, “Two armies huh? How are we going to divide them?”

“I recommend we just take all our forces and divide them in half—”

My recommendation is interrupted by Munimentis’ obnoxious chuckling. He doesn’t say anything, but it’s obvious that he has found some incredible flaw in my suggestion.

“What?” I grind out.

Munimentis lets his chuckles die down before he speaks, his amusement still clear to see, “Do you honestly think dividing the army in half without any further consideration is the best solution? How detached from reality are you? Do you really think the nobles will follow you so easily?”

“They pledged themselves to our cause,” I point out, “Meaning they were willing to submit under us.”

“Incorrect.” Munimentis says, “The nobles who have joined you have simply decided to support your cause for now. They have no intention of following the orders of a pair of peasants—now and in the future. Subjugating Salvorum will take far more than just defeating Lord Davis’ forces.”

“Will there be another civil war after this one?” Ducis asks.

“Nothing so drastic,” Munimentis says, “But you will have to solidify your authority after this civil war to get the nobles to fall in line. Which means, right now you have no power over them.” He turns to me, “They will not follow you, o’ chief of military affairs.”

I try to think of a point to argue back, but I can’t deny it, Munimentis words do make a lot of sense.

“What do you suggest then?” Ducis asks.

“You still have your significantly sized peasant army, do you not?” Munimentis says to me, “We will divide up the army into peasants and nobles. You take command of the peasant army and face the enemy to the left, Lord Atwood’s forces, while I will take the nobles and face the enemy to the right, Lord Cromwell’s army. The nobles will have no trouble following the House of Salvorum.”

It’s certainly a convenient solution. Rather than trying to work with the armies of the nobles, I will be using the army that Ducis and I raised, which will be far easier. Indeed, there is no solution more elegant than this. However—

“I am against this strategy,” I say firmly.

Munimentis looks as amused as ever at my answer, while Ducis gives me a questioning look.

“If you were to betray us, Munimentis, then this strategy would make it all too easy for you,” I say, mainly to explain to Ducis, “With an army of nobles following you, you could make a bid for the throne yourself in a number of ways. Especially with Roger Davis’ forces bearing down on us.”

Munimentis smirks, “Indeed, you are correct. However, this is the best solution at hand for you.” He turns to Ducis, “Besides, I have no desire to make an attempt for the throne. I know things will be far more interesting with you at the helm, Your Majesty.”

Ducis looks at the both of us, his face set in clear evaluation.

“And what guarantee do you have that you won’t betray us?” I ask Munimentis.

“None.” He answers breezily, “It will be a gamble. But it is a gamble you must take—for the sake of your grand ambition.”

Those words seem to trigger something in Ducis, and he puts an authoritative hand up.

“We will go with Munimentis’ plan.” He announces.

His words sting. I know that Ducis is simply trying to find the surest path to victory, but his decision feels like a sort of betrayal.

I make sure to bury these feelings deep inside, “Very well. I’ll go prepare the troops.”

I make to leave, and Munimentis speaks, the taunt in his voice unmistakable, “Alternatively, we could have one of the nobles command your peasant army. From what I hear, you sent your strongest soldier on the first charge against the enemy. Fidel, was it? You are lucky he is not dead.”

This man… how deep has he managed to probe in such a short time for him to know even that? He’s far more dangerous than I expected…

Ducis shoots me a disapproving look, and I avoid his gaze.

“Besides,” Munimentis continues speaking, “Any noble you pick will have a far better understanding of basic tactics than you anyway.”

I pause, the beginnings of an idea forming in my head. I pick up ‘An Introduction to Military Strategy by Lord Julius Consilium’ and leave without a single word.