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nFort Sunflower, Riveria kingdom.

nThe Northern Duchy of Riveria was previously the seat of Count Conrad, who was now the King. But still, the Duchy was ruled by him directly. The reason was simple—he had killed all his siblings. He had nobody trustworthy left to lead the duchies. He only had one younger brother, who was already ruling the more important Duchy in the south.

nOf course, ruling a whole Duchy from a castle outside the Duchy was not easy. It became nigh impossible to keep an eye on all the nobles and governing officials, and corruption became rampant on the lower levels.

nWhen corruption came, many opportunities arose for activities usually considered treason. And taking advantage of that, many opportunistic men saw their own rise.

n“Kaecilius, you are going to fight five men today. Do you want to take them all together or one by one?” A guard knocked on the small underground room of the longtime slave champion.

nThe tall, muscular man grabbed his shield and sword before opening the door. “Are they refugees again? How many refugees are you going to accept?”

nThe guard sighed and spoke frankly, as most men did with Kaecilius since the man had been a slave for so long. “What can I do? Those fools at the border keep letting the southern refugees in. We are forced to catch them and eventually put them here. At least they make money from the entertainment.”

n“That’s quite unfortunate. How many such slaves are here now?” Kaecilius asked.

n“Probably two thousand. But most of them won’t survive this year, as most battle slaves are destined to die. Let’s go now. Your turn is coming up. The bets have been placed on you, like always.”

nKaecilius nodded. “Make it ten! I will fight ten of those refugees together. They are not much of a challenge otherwise.”

nThe guard was overjoyed and exclaimed happily. “Of course! You’re great, Kaecilius! With this, the profits will increase.”

nKaecilius didn’t speak anymore as he was not used to doing so. But his mind was set and prepared to go to any length and have what he wanted. With Sylvester’s help, he was going to make King Conrad Riveria pay for playing with his life.

nAt least, for now, he had the comfort of knowing that his wife and remaining daughter were living a free life in the Holy Land thanks to the kind clergyman—the bard.

n‘I will not disappoint you, Lord Bard. These slaves—This fate—It shall be King Conrad’s reckoning!”

nEvery single night before he slept and every morning after he woke up, such were the words he told himself.

nHe was no longer fighting for independence. His only desire was vengeance.

n…

nAt the same time, hundreds of miles apart, Sylvester was preparing for the emergency campaign to the north. He did have thoughts about what was happening in Riveria. But sadly, his network of spies was not strong enough to know precise details. So he could only hope that things would go his way.

n“Max, please take some thick clothes. It will be a lot colder up north since it’s winter.” Xavia requested him as she helped him pack his luggage.

nThankfully, she was able to walk now, albeit slowly and unstably. It was enough to get by and not need the help of others at all times. So Sylvester felt a lot more at peace leaving this time.

n“Zeke will remain here at all times and guard you and Isabella. If you need anything else, speak with the Great Mother or reach out to the Inquisitor camp. They will do everything in their power to ensure your safety.” Sylvester instructed his mother while frantically putting everything he needed in a bag.

nThen, he donned his old golden armour as he was not going to investigate or preach. The raid by the Mountain Tribes was inevitable, and the battle could start at any moment.

n“As for the food, you need not worry. I have ordered one of the mercenaries at the Bard’s to deliver vegetables and fruits here regularly,”

nBam!

nXavia suddenly tapped on his chest plate. “Calm down, Max. Stop thinking about me. I will be safe here. It’s you who is going out there to fight. I understand that you must go to save your friends, but please be safe. I feel too anxious whenever you go out.”

nSylvester took a calming breath and hugged her, patting her head as if she was the young one. “I’m sorry, mum. If I could, I would have wished for a life of no hardships and peace where we could live calmly. But, sadly, we are right in the middle of the most active battleground in the world, and if we don’t fight, we shall perish.”

nShe nodded and looked up at his face since he was much taller than her. She caressed his cheeks softly, “I know… We all have our battles to fight and win. After this many years, I’ve long accepted that I can’t stop you from going out in the hope of rising. But I’m still a mother.”

n“That’s why you must work hard, get stronger and spread your web of spies far and wide. You are the only person in the world I can trust blindly, mum. You have the power to be my greatest strength,” he said, hoping this would energise her and make her work harder.

nBut her eyes only teared up. “And I am your biggest weakness too.”

nThere was no denying it, and Sylvester accepted it. “All the more reason for us mother and son duo to rise.”

n“Meow!”

nSylvester chuckled as he felt a paw tapping on his head. “Ah, Chonky too. He is our cute guardian angel.”

nXavia wiped her eyes and smiled, although she could not see the cat. “Take care, Lord Chonky. I will have many bananas for you when you return.

nMiraj jumped, wrapped his furry paws around her neck and pecked her forehead. “Meow!”

n“Haha, he gave you the lucky kiss, mum.” Sylvester laughed and picked up his luggage to leave.

nThanks to Miraj, the air of depression quickly cleared up. So he walked downstairs. 𝐨𝘃𝗹.

nWhen Sylvester came outside, he found Lady Aurora’s carriage waiting for him. However, Isabella was also there.

n“Sylvester, be safe and bring them back safely too.” Isabella wished him luck.

nHe patted her shoulder. “I will, Isabella. Let’s hope the northern parts of your kingdom survive. Or, I’m afraid you’ll be ruling over a kingdom of barbarians and poor.”

nShe looked down in disappointment. “You’re going to save my kingdom… I wish I could come.”

n“You will be doing a better service to the realm by learning here with all your focus. How you rule later will define the future of your kingdom. On another note, your brother, the King, will likely dispatch the army this time. So I will have enough support.” He lifted her spirit and walked to the side.

nCardinal Cornelius was there, as he had called the man. The man was one of the core members of his cult since the latter was now a member of the Supreme Council of thirty-two.

n“Your eminence, I will be troubling you this time. I need you to make sure that this letter reaches Theodore Sandwall. He’s Felix’s uncle and serves as the General of the 5th regiment of the Headless Order.

n“This letter contains a job letter for them. I need all of them to report to the Duchy of Iceling in the North. We will need as many abled bodies as possible to fight the Barbarians.” Sylvester spoke respectfully, but at a glance, anyone could see that Sylvester held the authority.

nCardinal Cornelius took the letter. “I will ensure this gets done at the earliest, Lord Bard. But a single company of Headless Orders won’t do much.”

nSylvester shook his head and looked the Cardinal in the eye with utter seriousness. “You’re mistaken, your eminence. The letter is a job offer for the entire Headless Order—Their entire Field Army of ten regiments—I want all seventy thousand of them if possible.”

nLet alone the Cardinal, even Aurora and Sir Dolorem at the side gulped their saliva. It was a huge army, and combined with the army of ten thousand from King Gracia, the Holy Army stationed in the Duchy of Iceling, and the army coming from Sandwall County—The number of soldiers was likely to reach a hundred thousand.

n“Lord Bard,” Sir Dolorem advised Sylvester, “The Headless Order may possess a big army, but their regiment is always operating from different locations and never come together unless something serious happens.”

n“I know, that’s why I said ‘if possible’. We are going to save Felix and the rest, but we can not take the risk. If the Mountain Barbarians do attack, we will be vastly outnumbered. So, your eminence, I will wait for the good news.” Sylvester saluted the Cardinal and entered Aurora’s carriage.

nSoon, the giant carriage moved as two low-ranked Inquisitors came along as reinsmen. This way, Sylvester and Aurora could rest in the back and plan their approach.

n“Why are you doing all this? Aren’t we just going there to save Felix, Gabriel and the rest? Also, where will you find the money and the logistics to maintain such a huge mercenary army?” Aurora questioned him in the carriage.

nSylvester kept a solemn expression. “Of course, our first aim is to save the four. But, after that, we must stay prepared for the possibility of an attack. Because whether we like it or not, it’s now the Church and Gracia’s problem. If the Duchy of Iceling and Duchy of Normani also fall, the entire Gracia will suffer.”

n“But why worry when even the Holy Father isn’t? It’s not the Church’s place to meddle in the kingdom’s affairs,” being a staunch worker of the faith, Aurora questioned him.

n“Because it’s too small in Pope’s eyes and not a religious conflict. Yes, if the Barbarians come down south and occupy, the Church will eventually send Inquisition to either convert them or kill them. Until then, this is an issue for the kingdom,” Sylvester reasoned.

nSir Dolorem agreed with him. “That’s how we operate. The Church does not meddle in the kingdom’s issues. But, since you are so close to Princess Isabella, keeping the kingdom strong is beneficial to you, Lord Bard.”

n“Exactly, Sir Dolorem. Gracia is my stronghold, and we can’t let it grow weak. As for the money and supplies, that’s not an issue. We shall stop in every town and city on the way to empty their clothes and grain shops. Transporting will not be an issue either. I have everything planned, so trust me.” He assured them until they felt at ease with his decision.

nSadly, Sylvester could not share everything with them. Yes, his main objective was to save his friends, but he also had more things to worry about.

nWith the huge mercenary and holy armies under him, he hoped to have a higher say when King Gracia and Count Sandwall’s troops would arrive. His desire was to be regarded as the commanding general. Because if that happens, in the end, all the credit would be his for taking.

nAnd he had only one reason for entering such a major conflict.

n‘Rank of the Bishop, here I come!’

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