It's been four years since Mike left Latavia. Set on leaving the old way of life behind, he travelled all the way to the Empire, where he used some of his connections and savings to establish himself as a merchant. He never expected for the reunion with his old friend to happen during a fight over Uveno!

Despite the fights still ongoing everywhere else, Mike couldn't stop himself from enjoying the moment. Holding Revy's head tightly to his chest made him remember all those times that they spent in the past.

It took them a long while to finally separate from their embrace. Pushing her slightly away, Mike looked at Revy's face, trying to see any changes on it. With her blonde hair enveloping her entire head and falling on her back, she could be used as an example of eastern beauty. With supple lips and deep green eyes, her look was mesmerising.

As they continued looking into each other's eyes, Revy licked her lips with the tip of her tongue. With a delicate, shy smile causing the dimples to appear in the corners of her mouth, her face was intoxicating view to watch. Once one took just a single look, he would be unable to look away.

Their short moment got interrupted with the appearance of another group of the enemies. Noticing their lack of real armour or command, Mike understood that Noble's forces were slowly but steadily thinning out. While heavy troops always were in the minority of the armies composition, they formed a backbone for it. Without the armoured units, one was deprived of any stopping power against enemy heavies.

"Let's talk later. We still have some matters at hand."

Brushing off a wild strand of Revy's hair from her forehead, Mike pointed his chin towards the enemy soldiers. Even if her personal guards could cut the opponents by themselves, she was still a leader. No matter how easy the situation looked like, she had to keep the reins.

Stepping just a single pace away, Xantia's leader couldn't break the eye contact with the young man. After worrying sick about him for the past few years, she almost got a heart attack when the information of Mike's kidnapping came to her camp. Usually composed and calm, finally reuniting with her oldest friend made her lose her grip over her emotions.

Noticing Revy's state, Mike couldn't help but want to curse. With all her talents and experience, she still allowed herself to freeze in the middle of the battlefield! If not for already established advantage in this particular place, that could even put their lives in danger!

"Frontal triangle formation! Push them to the sides!"

Unable to wait any longer, Mike assumed the command. While most of those people might not know him, they saw how their leader reacted to him. With the Revy pulled along, they had to reason to disobey the new commander.

As the fight went on, the death of every single Noble's soldier brought the city closer to the peace. Jammed between the onslaught of the Xantia forces and the iron fist of the City Hall defenders, those former farmers were starting to break. While the first few who decided to run away were cut down on the spot by the officers, once the mass panic started, there was no way to stop it.

What started with a single person making a successful dash towards the side alley, an avalanche of desertions happened in Noble's ranks. With only a handful of people willing to try their luck against the officers at first, more and more people started to give in to their doubts. In mere moments, entire units were laying down their weapons in surrender!

As the entire Xantia's might entered the city, the fight was already leaning to an end. Unable to hold their position with both sides pressured by the respective factions, those who didn't outright surrender, were killed in short bouts of violence. While Xantia usually tried to keep up the appearances of the good guys, just a single look at the city could prove this image to be wrong.

In just an hour since Noble's advance towards the city, the outcome of the battle was already decided. Even if there were still some loyal groups stalling for the time here and there, the tables got turned on the Nobles. With the Xantia appearance and willingness to join the fight, there was nothing that the Count could do.

When the Xantia's mercenaries met with the City Hall soldiers for the first time, the cheers erupted on the entire front line. That small event indicated how close they were to conclude the fight. All that was left for Mike to do, was waiting for all of the platoons to shake hands with the Town's guard.

The young man didn't have to wait long for the desired message. What was the worst in this bloody day was the messenger face, when he brought reports for Revy, only to see her glued to Mike's arm, with her eyes firmly set on the young man's face.

"Our rat's entered the fight. In less than half an hour, the city will be ours."

Unable to watch his respectable leader acting all lovey-dovey with some unknown man, the runner hastily said his piece, saluted and ran back to where he came from. To Mike's desperation, the rumours were now bound to appear about his relationship with the Xantia's supreme leader!

As the enemies in the immediate area got cleared up, there was nothing left here for them to loiter around. Keen on ending the fights as soon as possible, Mike directed his newly acquired unit towards the town's centre. If his intuition wasn't wrong, this place would yet again serve the winner of the power struggle to announce its effect.

Upon reaching the central city plaza, Mike could see a variety of flags, wiggling high in the air, as if ready to announce the soldier's affiliation with this or that mercenary group frequenting the Xantia's call to arms. With the core troops of the most prominent groups in the family, announcing the victory was the last bothersome Revy's duty.

Using the support of Mike's arm, she detached herself from the young man's arm and jogged to the central spot of the plaza. After looking around with her watchful eyes for a while, Revy cleared her throat and looked up.

"To all Xantia's personnel. We have won the battle!"