“It was always easiest to fight someone who considered honor to be more important than anything else. Those types were always easy to fool and tended to fall into ploys. On the other hand, it was always the worst when you had to deal with one of those madmen who would do anything for victory’s sake.

After all, you never know what they would subject their own people to for that purpose.” - Saying attributed to Xaliburnus the Conqueror, First Emperor of the Elmaiya Empire.

“He had fought conservatively over the time we dealt with him, but then again, he had the advantage with those siege engines back then,” said Griselda with a frown. “Now that he had lost that advantage, I have no idea what he might resort to, especially if the rumors we heard up north were true.”

“What rumors?” asked Andrea with furrowed eyebrows. Lovia-Hosberg was the northernmost of the central duchies, far closer to Algenverr than to Dvergarder, and naturally rumors from there flowed slowly towards the south.

“Right, you probably didn’t hear much of them down south,” replied Griselda. “We caught wind that supposedly Maurizio was losing favor with his family, and that this assault would likely be his last chance to win his way back into their good graces, so there’s no telling how far he’d strive for a victory against us.”

“Huh? Why would he be out of their good graces?” asked the young Duchess with evident surprise. “I don’t know him that well but I don’t recall hearing reports about conflict between him and the Heir, or other family members.”

“It’s a rather recent development, after this bloody war started,” said Damien in support of his future sister-in-law. “It was mostly rumors, so we had not spread it around, but we heard that he might have dabbled in some… unethical alchemical experiments. Involving potions that would make a common man turn into a fearless soldier that felt no pain.”

“Combat drugs aren’t a new thing,” said Guillaume du Riffons from the side with a frown on his face. “I’ve seen it in use myself from time to time, though most of the time they’re used by desperate people trying to buy time. Most people who imbibes them usually lose control of themselves though.”

“That’s the thing, the rumors claimed that the drug Maurizio developed supposedly allowed its drinker to retain their rationality enough to follow orders,” replied Griselda with a frown. “Of course, such drugs would have required human experimentation, which might be why he fell out of good grace with his family. They might be trying to cut him off to spare themselves the scandal.”

“If he had such effective drugs though, he would not have kept quiet about it,” refuted Reinhardt from where he stood next to the other mercenary commanders. “Unless there are some negative side-effects to its usage, which means that he might not dare to make use of it unless it’s a last resort.”

“That lined up with what I know about such unguents as well,” added Dame Illasvey to the conversation. “Many of those combat drugs were literal last resorts because even if you didn’t die in battle while fighting like a madman under its influence, the drug itself would seriously fuck you up by the time the effect wore off.”

“So… what you’re all saying is that since we now put Maurizio into a corner and snatched the impending victory from his jaws, he might well resort to such things in an attempt to salvage the situation since he’s cornered from within and without, is that right?” asked the young Duchess after she put together the information from all the commanders. “I guess we’ll have to fight more carefully tomorrow then.”

“Also, Gris, I’ve been wondering all this while, but why are your injuries still in such a bad shape? Where in the hells are your healers?” she asked her contemporary. Her question was a valid one, as the three border duchies had been where the first movements of the medical revolution started many centuries ago, where healers began to freely share their knowledge with one another and used their abilities in ways that often approached charity, rather than the more predatory practices that were prevalent before and had limited magical healing to the wealthy and influential. At least a few skilled healers were always retained by the respective ducal families.

“Two are dead. Another three had yet to regain consciousness,” replied Griselda with a pained tone of voice as she looked down. “One of the mages on duty that night was drunk and failed in his duty, and despite his apprentice’s efforts, a stone struck our field hospital, where the healers were working at the time.”

“Dammit… please tell me you at least flogged that bastard,” grumbled Andrea with a disgusted voice at the dereliction of duty. “Whose man was that mage?”

“One of ours, shameful to say,” replied the acting commander from Fort Kazka with what looked like a flush of shame and anger on his dark skin. “He had been problematic and had issues with excessive drinking before, but we had not thought he was so far gone that he’d be so derelict in his duties. We’ve already hung and made an example out of him.”

“Fuck. What’s done is done, I guess. I’ll lend you the healers from my forces, Gris,” said the young Duchess with a frown on her face. “Get yourselves fixed tonight, since we’ll probably need everyone we can spare tomorrow if what you said proved true.”

“Roger that, and thanks, Andrea,” replied Griselda with a nod. Since her arrival, Andrea had pretty much taken command of the front, which the former commanders on the north had not refuted. After all, they had fared poorly in their battle so far, whereas she had not only finished the fighting on the southern front, but did so quickly enough that she managed to even come to their rescue at an opportune time.

“As for the rest of you, Have your men get some proper rest for tonight. I want double watches, just in case our opponents get smart and try to hit us in the night,” she added. “If nobody else got anything to offer, you’re dismissed.”