Chapter 86
I stood at the entrance to Professor Kuhn’s office, the impeccable black wooden door served as the only barrier between me and a room full of influential figures. I had nudged the building blocks of my design into place as best I could, and now I had the opportunity to ensure everything fell neatly where I needed it to.
Theoretically, I shouldn’t even be speaking up in such a situation unless directly spoken to. If I were to approach this without the delicate touch it required, everything would fall through my fingers.
And before I had so much as attempted to enter the room, I already had my first obstacle. A man to whom the phrase ‘delicate touch’ held no meaning.
“Yo! Why’re you staring at the door so intently? You goin’ in or what?”
Axel strode up to my side, his bulky figure dominating the hallway.
“Just thinking… You look a lot better than the last time I saw you.”
“Likewise. You gonna tell me what that thing you summoned was now?”
“It hardly seems the right time for that, don’t you think?”
“Maybe. Just don’t think I’ll let that answer slide after this, yeah?”
He laughed and thumped me on the back, forcing me to step forward and brace myself.
“If you aren’t gonna make the first move, then step aside and follow your better.”
He opened the door and strode right through, forcing me to follow suit.
“Axel Lionheart, academy student, greets his royal highness Emperor Albrecht.”
“Rex Jaeger, academy student, greets his royal highness Emperor Albrecht.”
We saluted the Emperor first and foremost, who sat in Professor Kuhn’s seat in the centre of the room.
“Thank you two for coming. Stand by the wall and speak only when spoken to.”
Albrecht nodded towards the wall closest to where Professor Kuhn, Draven Pancia, and Merk were sitting.
On the opposite side of the room were three men I did not recognise.
It appeared less formal than one would expect, given the two large sofas on which either side was seated, and the lack of any soldiers standing at attention. But that was only how it appeared on the surface. As someone standing in the same room, I could say confidently that the tension in the air was palpable.
“Now that we are all here, let us begin.”
Albrecht’s tone was firm, lacking the affability he showed when we spoke one-on-one in the arena.
He tapped his finger on the desk and moved faster than my eyes could track as he drew a spell circle of mind-boggling complexity,
It flashed, sent out a pulse of light, then vanished.
“Now we can rest assured that our words will not be heard by any would-be eavesdroppers.”
Albrecht stated before leaning forward in his seat.
“For the benefit of Duke Vogel and his men, let us first hear a summary of what we know for certain.”
He gestured to Merk, who bowed his head.
“Thank you, your majesty.”
He faced the man sitting in the centre of the opposing couch, the one I presumed to be Vogel. He had a thin frame and lavish, unsullied clothing that ill-suited this warzone. The stench of his thick perfume would no doubt linger in the office for days to come.
“A joint attack has been orchestrated by both the elven commune of the Verdant Divide and a small contingent of Solean soldiers, including King Leonidas and four members of his royal guard. The prince, Zachariah Sol Proudmane, was privy to the intentions of his father and initiated the call to attack during the final round of the tournament.”
In my peripheral vision, I could see Axel’s jaw clench at the mention of his cousin.
“Leonidas attempted to assassinate the Emperor, but was foiled and defeated in single combat by his royal highness. Unbeknownst to the rest of us, the elves had already begun an attack on the academy. Later analysis shows that a barrier spell had been cast over each building within the campus grounds to block out sound.”
“Nobody noticed the casting of this spell?”
Vogel interrupted.
“It was likely done overnight.”
“Likely? You do not know?”
“Silence, Vogel.”
Emperor Albrecht cowed the man with a single look.
“This is the report of ; matters that are unconfirmed will be addressed afterwards.”
Vogel’s brow furrowed slightly, but he quickly adjusted it to maintain a calm exterior and gestured for Merk to continue.
“Despite coordinating their attacks, both sides held different targets. Borderton and the Emperor himself were left to the Soleans, while the academy grounds were held by the elven attackers led by their Gladewarden, Gaspard Sylvain. There had also been a third faction involved, one that did not operate in the open.”
Merk reached into his pocket and spread out a piece of fabric. There was an insignia on it that resembled a horned skull with a blade emerging from its mouth.
“The Silent Reapers? How do you know of their involvement?”
One of the men next to Duke Vogel eyed the fabric skeptically.
“I retook the eastern gate. While there, I caught sight of a suspicious figure fleeing over the wall. I pursued, he resisted, then he took his own life through the usual method.”
Merk’s eyes flickered towards Axel and me.
“Poison capsule in the rear molar.”
He explained,
“The illustrious Umbral Arm was unable to prevent the suicide of a person who no doubt held important information? Even knowing their methodology?”
Vogel again scrutinised Merk.
“There was no reason to believe he was a part of their order at the time.”
Merk, on the other hand, never allowed a shred of emotion to show through either his tone or expression.
“Well, what do we know of their involvement in this attack then?”
“Nothing. Even if we asked the Nekrotica girl to speak to the dead, the poison doubles as an acid that dissolves the brain. Without that, there are no memories to read.”
Vogel smirked as if his superiority had been proven, but remained silent.
“That concludes the facts as we are aware of them.”
Merk again refused to acknowledge any of Vogel’s provocations.
“Thank you, Merk. Now for what comes next.”
Emperor Albrecht projected his mana into the air, creating a perfect map of the continent.
“We cannot allow this attack to go unpunished. However, the terrain is not to our advantage. Soleo poses the greater threat and can strike from the road to Farrowgate, the sea route, or the Verdant Divide. We, on the other hand, have no port from which to launch a naval attack, and would need to contend with the elves if we were to use the forest paths.”
“In other words, while we can only strike in one direction, our foes can come from three.”
Draven sighed.
“More to the point, your numbers here are too lacking to wage any kind of counterstrike. I would be happy to lend some of my own men for this cause.”
Vogel added.
“Numbers will not guarantee victory. The path to Farrowgate would bottleneck our army, and the forest would separate them to the point that they would be vulnerable to guerrilla tactics. I would instead recommend a smaller, more independently capable force.”
Merk shot down the offer.
“And what of when you reach Farrowgate? A full-scale siege will be required, and for that, you need numbers. These are the facts of the matter we consider how to deal with Lion’s Maw.”
Vogel did not let up. It certainly seemed to me he was just there to posture and argue, but he wasn’t wrong. Attacking both Farrowgate and Lion’s Maw from Borderton was impractical at best.
But I already took action to solve this problem. I had thought Merk to already be aware of my intentions, yet he still had not brought them up.
I looked at him sitting calmly in front of me, wondering why he kept silent. He stretched his neck to the side in a natural movement, but as he did so, he locked eyes with me meaningfully.
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat, interpreting his signal as a suggestion to step in.
“Oh? I hardly noticed the two of you there. Is there something on your—”
“Speak, Rex.”
Vogel was cut off again by Emperor Albrecht.
“The terrain is certainly to our disadvantage…”
I started, choosing my words carefully.
“But it will be manageable so long as our forces do not need to fear attack during their travel. We already have the means to keep both sides at bay, which would allow us to focus on one target at a time.”
“And what means would this be, exactly?”
Vogel’s eyes narrowed at me. I returned his gaze unflinchingly.
“Hostages.”
I did not elaborate immediately. I knew from my conversation with Professor Kuhn after my Farrowgate mission that there was hostility among the empire's factions, and that Duke Vogel was likely attempting to undermine the Emperor. To that end, it was safe to assume that not all our cards had been shown to him yet.
“Hostages? Who do you have that would keep both the elven commune and Soleo at bay?”
He continued to push for answers, so I gave a half-truth without revealing that we had both Gaspard and Bridgit in custody.
“The student body consists of many Solean nobles, as well as Fleur Sylvain, the sister of Gaspard. So long as we contain them to Borderton, and make it clear we are in control of what happens to them, they won’t be bold enough to attack.”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Vogel scoffed.
“If that were enough, Soleo would not have attacked in the first place.”
“Their attack was rushed and relied on the element of surprise. I’m sure that they believed they could accomplish their goals without any risk to the students.”
“Then why did the elves kill so many, including some students?”
“We know the two sides worked together, but perhaps their goals were not aligned.”
He didn’t seem convinced by my words; luckily, Professor Kuhn jumped in to back me up.
“Whilst we were being held in the main building, Gaspard repeatedly spoke of an offence to their ancestors. I am sure you are well aware, Mr Vogel, that the elven ancestors hold more importance to their people than the gods themselves. However, they have no relevance to humanity, or Soleo in particular. Their motive was clearly revenge, but that would not explain what had driven King Leonidas to join them in their crusade.”
Draven then concluded.
“They have a common enemy, but their cause and approach are different.”
Vogel still did not look totally convinced, but he had no retort to shut down our argument.
“Is there more, Rex?”
The Emperor urged me on.
“...As a safety measure, we could use the Blood Thunderers to serve as a wall and warning system against the Leafwhisper commune.”
I stepped forward towards the projection of the map and indicated the territory currently owned by the various tribes that now fell under Gotrut’s influence. They were far from a coordinated army, but their sheer numbers made it unlikely for any further sneak attacks to escape their notice.
“Blood Thunderers? Ah, you mean the sub-human rabble that I now share citizenship with? How could I forget?”
Vogel crossed his arms and waved my words away dismissively.
Do I retort or let it go? Getting into an argument with a Duke would not reflect well on me, especially during an important meeting.
“We should leverage any tool we have access to in these circumstances.”
I responded, deciding to phrase things in a way that would appeal to his perceived sensibilities while still pushing my own idea.
“Borderton lacks the accommodation to house a large army, and the surroundings similarly do not allow space for them to make camp outside the walls. The goblins don’t require any special attention or supply line as they are entirely self-sufficient. Look at this way, my Duke; we have an army of disposable subjects that cost nothing already deployed and eager to fight, why waste time and resources bringing in men we cannot cater to?”
Vogel stroked his chin, twirling the styled, pointy beard around a finger. He then looked to the imposing man to his left, who had yet to speak.
The man regarded me quietly; his presence was the polar opposite of Vogel’s. If Vogel was a weasel, this man was a tiger lurking in the tall grass.
“The boy has sense.”
He finally spoke.
“Though it appears that King Leonidas’ methods have changed since I was last in his court, he would not risk his reputation by sacrificing his people. I agree with the initial point that we will not be seeing another serious attack on our position from Soleo; this was an all-or-nothing gamble for them.”
Vogel gave me an appraising side eye while the man spoke.
“However… this point only proves the fault in the plan to target Soleo first. Striking down the elves would not only be easier, but also let us set up a base camp within the forest and cycle our men to keep pressure on Farrowgate. We can trust Soleo to remain on standby so long as we hold hostages, but the same is not true for the elves.”
“Hmm…”
Vogel leaned back with a scheming smirk.
“I am willing to acknowledge that you speak the truth on this matter, but what about this for an idea? The two sides had opposing goals, and during the joint mission, the elves had technically committed war crimes against their apparent allies. Why not fan the flames of hatred against them, and allow our lessers to cannibalise each other.”
In theory, sabotaging the alliance would be to our advantage, but there were two reasons I opposed it.
First: If Soleo was not aware of what the elves did, how would we even prove it? Showing a corpse proves nothing, and Soleo would have no reason to place their trust in our claim, given their hostility towards us.
Second: I wanted to end the conflict with minimal losses to either side. That was the whole point of my hostage plan to begin with.
I was loath to argue any further with the man, but luckily, I didn't need to.
“We will not be committing to either course until we have first issued demands for a ceasefire and attempted discourse.”
Emperor Albrecht seemed to remain neutral by keeping his opinion to himself.
“What I will make clear as of this moment is that Duke Vogel’s support will be left as a last resort; you had best be keeping watch on your own territory to prevent any more strays leaking into our rear lines after all.”
The two exchanged a silent look, but Vogel appeared to be frozen under the scrutiny that lurked beneath the Emperor’s words.
“Of course, your majesty…”
He bowed his head slightly and tried to move on to a different topic.
“In that case, will his majesty be leading our men personally?”
“No. I am unable to commit my full attention to this conflict. I will leave Alma in charge of this one.”
The room froze. For the first time, both sides of the room were sharing uneasy looks. And I was caught in the middle, still standing by the map.
I knew who they were referring to, but I did not understand the trepidation.
Alma Drachenskrone, second daughter to the Emperor, was an accomplished soldier who recently achieved knighthood and had found success commanding field missions on the western borders alongside her elder brother.
“Your majesty… with all due respect, Lady Alma may not be the wisest selection for this task.”
Merk spoke. Vogel was quick to voice his agreement.
“Nobody questions her aptitude, but her methods can be… heavy-handed.”
If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn that was fear I heard in his voice.
“Surely we should hear the opinion of the man who knows her best.”
Draven suggested.
But nobody looked at the Emperor. Instead, they fixated on Professor Kuhn.
“Ahem… she certainly has an aptitude for leveraging weakness.”
He started awkwardly.
“But her experience so far has been in acting in small groups. Most of whom were unable to keep up with her. I do not think that such a delicate situation should be left in the hands of someone with her… temperament.”
“You see? The man personally mentored her, and even he agrees. My lord, I would be more than happy to take the lead in this—”
“No. Alma has already been contacted and will arrive in three days.”
Vogel's face sagged at the Emperor’s words.
“Now then, onto other matters. Rex, you may return to your position.”
I did as commanded and returned to Axel's side.
“Ah, Rex, was it? So you are the Druid child?”
The other man next to Vogel spoke up eagerly. It was bordering on disrespect to the Emperor, who seemed ready to move the meeting along.
“Egon Fiedler, it is my pleasure to meet you.”
The man seemed genuinely happy to see me. He looked to be in his 70s and had the kind of wiry physique that suggested he was not much of a physical worker even in his prime.
“Egon, please, you forget yourself.”
Duke Vogel half-heartedly rebuked him, but continued as if he were the central power in the room.
“Though I must also voice my surprise in seeing again, Mr Lionheart.”
Axel nodded back, but appeared less than thrilled to be in the same room as his former employer.
“Tell me, why exactly you two here?”
Vogel smiled and idly toyed with his moustache as he sized us up.
But neither of us bit the hook.
“These two are responsible for the downfall of Gaspard Sylvain.”
Draven responded coldly.
“Oh? You killed the elder brother of your very own classmate? How cruel the current generation is.”
He feigned shock, but a wry smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Axel cracked his neck side to side, but still remained silent. Nobody corrected the Duke to inform him that Gaspard was still alive.
It appeared I was right not to bring that up earlier. Did the others trust me that much, or were they just hoping it wouldn't come up?
Now that I thought about it… Why was Vogel even present? I did not see any of these men earlier in the day, and they were too well-groomed to have been involved in the fighting.
“May I continue?”
The Emperor addressed the room, but it was clearly another warning to Duke Vogel.
The following topics seemed—for lack of a better word—pointless. It was a whole lot of mundane talking points and hypotheticals that did not lead to any conclusion. What was odd was that it was all being led by Emperor Albrecht, Merk, Draven, and Professor Kuhn.
They droned on and on, and it was taking all my willpower not to let my frustration show.
Until finally, Duke Vogel cut in.
“I am sorry to take my leave prematurely, but we are well and truly past my bedtime, and I must be off.”
He bowed to the room, nodded briefly to Axel, and merely smiled my way before walking out. His two followers similarly followed his lead, though they paid special attention to Axel and me.
“You made good on your claim sooner than expected, boy.”
The imposing man clasped hands with Axel, both of their arm muscles bulging as they shared a fierce grin.
“Interesting times ahead, George.”
Axel responded.
“Rex Jaeger, yes? Please, take this.”
The old man handed me a card with an address on it.
“Should you—ahem— you find yourself in Kronenstadt, please do seek me out. I would be more than happy to compensate you in return for allowing me to pick your brain.”
He took my hand and warmly clasped it in his.
“...oh?”
I noticed something beneath his paper-thin skin. Something hard, cold, and deadly.
“We all have our history, yes?”
Egon winked and patted my hand one last time before following his companions out of the room.
The very instant the door closed, the others stopped their idle chatter and sat at attention.
“Finally.”
Draven stretched his back and turned in his chair to look at me.
“You handled yourself well.”
I nodded slowly while casting a weary side eye to Axel. He returned my look, but like me, maintained a rigid posture.
“Relax, you two. Take a seat.”
The Emperor slumped back in his chair and massaged his furrowed brow. Seeing how they all loosened up, I chose to behave similarly and let myself sink into the soft leather cushions.
Axel collapsed with such weight on the other side that I gained a small amount of airtime.
“So… can someone explain what's going on?”
I offered an open question to the room.
“That little weasel showed up right after the fighting ended, claiming he had arrived to see the Sword-Lord tournament, but was held up on the road.”
Draven scoffed.
“I know the timing makes it unlikely, but do we know that's not true?”
I asked.
“He has no interest in the tournament. He has always disapproved of the alliance with Soleo and was rather vocal in private gatherings about his disdain for their practices.”
Merk explained.
“That is why he brought George Skori with him. As an ex-Solean in Vogel's employ, his presence offers the perfect excuse.”
I looked to Axel next.
“And how do you know him? Is he a priest?”
“Ha! That guy? Hell no. He's a warrior. One of the most honest killers out there. Like you heard, he used to be in the royal guard, and his accomplishments in the field are too long to list.”
I probably should have been impressed, but I was sitting across from a man who made killing royal guards look like child's play.
Merk noticed my look and shook his head.
“Kill your target immediately without letting them show their hand. That is my specialty, and one that counters Soleo’s Knights perfectly. Do not make the mistake of underestimating them.”
“Just one of them tossed me around like a ragdoll.”
Axel reminded me.
“Anyway, George is in a league above them. He was my role model growing up, and just like me, he got himself exiled for being ‘dishonourable’. And by that I mean he massacred a whole encampment of traitors on his own. Apparently, the 'correct' thing to do was to trial them and await a verdict. George thought that was too tedious.”
He recounted the incident with undisguised admiration.
“I see. Then what about my new admirer? Egon Fiedler?”
It was Professor Kuhn’s turn to speak candidly now.
“He is a difficult man to gauge. If not for his eccentricities, I would count him among the greatest minds in the empire and would yearn to learn from him personally. Unfortunately, he is driven only by what personally interests him, and not even an order from his Emperor will urge him into action.”
“So why is he with Vogel?”
Axel cut in.
“I do not know. I would assume perhaps the Duke is funding some new research that has his attention. When it comes to Fiedler, you are better off simply accepting the facts of what he does, not understanding the motives behind them.”
The room universally agreed with Professor Kuhn’s assessment.
“Should I be worried?”
I looked at the card he gave me.
“Were I you, I would ignore any invitations from that man. If he is interested in you, you will find yourself stuck as the centre of his attention until he has exhaustively scraped through every facet of your being. On the other hand, wait long enough, and he will find himself immersed in something else.”
Merk seemed to be speaking from experience on that topic.
With my curiosity about their identities satisfied, I looked to Emperor Albrecht.
“I imagine there was something else you wanted to discuss without them present?”
“You already got the gist of things from Benedikt…”
He started, but then quickly addressed Axel.
“The snake conspires against my rule, along with many others.”
He turned right back to me, ignoring Axel's gaping mouth and baffled expression.
“Given how both Leonidas and Gaspard spoke, as well as the involvement of the Silent Reapers, I have strong suspicions that this entire war has been orchestrated by a third party. The obvious culprits would be the noble faction, but we have no evidence at this stage.”
Merk continued.
“Even if that's not the case, the noble faction would be eager to wipe out Soleo so that they may claim their lands. The Royal faction is simply too short-handed to manage so much territory after all.”
Draven spoke next.
“That is why Gaspard and Bridgit’s arrest has been kept confidential. If it were known to Vogel, he would no doubt do everything in his power to assassinate them and make reconciliation impossible. We would have warned you, but his arrival was rather abrupt.”
It sounded like they were aiming for a similar resolution as I was: victory without annihilating our opposition.
“I feel like I shouldn't be hearing all this.”
Axel chuckled nervously.
“Am I going to wake up with a dagger in my heart tonight?”
“You wouldn't wake from it.”
Merk responded with such cold certainty that I couldn't tell if he was joking.
“Relax, Axel. It was my suggestion to bring you into the circle of trust.”
Professor Kuhn said as he scowled at Merk, who still showed no sign of his true intentions.
“Having a former member of Solean royalty on our side is good for optics. Just like having Fleur will be. There will be dissenters, no doubt, but proving that there are still friendly members among our former allies will form the basis of our argument against the noble faction should they continue to push for war even after we open negotiations.”
“How refreshingly honest.”
Axel laughed.
“Whatever, just let me fight and I'll be your poster boy.”
“That leads us to the next point.”
The Emperor stood, forcing both of us to our feet as if by impulse.
“Rex Jaeger and Axel Lionheart, stand before your Emperor.”
We stood at attention before his desk. I could feel the rapid beating of my heart travelling throughout my bones in anticipation.
“I, Emperor Albrect Drachenskrone, ruler of the Black Crown, bequeath unto you the rank of junior knight. May you treat this first step with the gravity it deserves.”
He presented his open hand, and with a flash of purple light, two small objects appeared.
“Take these pins and wear them with pride, so that all may know of your achievements today.”
We both attached the pins to our collars and shared a bewildered look.
“Heh.”
“Haha.”
I laughed at the goofy smile that had risen awkwardly on Axel's face, and he did the same to me.
“Hahaha!”
We burst into laughter as our elation ran wild.
It was an unprecedented rise in our positions, one that set us on the fast track to success. I could not help but lose myself in the moment.
“Boys.”
Emperor Albrecht commanded our attention once more.
“I am pleased to see you so eager, but this promotion comes with some expectations you should be aware of.”
There it was. The caveat.
“As junior knights, you may now take command of two squires each, chosen among any consenting member of the empire. These squires may accompany you on your missions, regardless of previous restrictions. In addition, I have my first command for both of you.”
He smirked as he issued the order.
“You are to be placed under the direct command of Alma Drachenskrone, Imperial Princess, knight, and commander of the Borderton military fort. This position will remain until her mission is complete, or death relieves you. This order is effective immediately.”
It appeared that we would be enrolling in the main campus anytime soon.
