Chapter 06 : Bloodthirsty Demon
As soon as Duke Vermillion stepped out of the carriage, he was welcomed by a group of soldiers bowing to him.
They were all clad in leather and steel armor from head to toe, which was rare for mere legionnaires. Each soldier had a sunken face sculpted by the cold.
They had multiple calluses on their rough hands, and their leather boots were strapped by multiple layers of beasts' fur so their feet would not freeze after walking in the snow all day long.
Despite the great amount of wealth invested every year into the various legion defending the Empire, the Imperial Court still privileged quantity over quality. Thus, the legionnaires usually wore thin leather armor with a single iron plate covering their chest.
Among the Empire's military, the Steel Legion was one of the best equipped when it came to the soldiers' personal gear such as armor and weapons.
The legionnaires of the Reinhardt Empire weren't knights who could achieve super-humans feats, nor were they mages that could devastate a battlefield with a single spell : they were mere cannon fodder.
In the eyes of the Imperial Court, the enlisted legionnaires were just poor commoners with a very low potential for improvement.
The majority of them would never reach the 1-star level even after an entire lifetime, and out of millions of legionnaires, only a handful of them would ever be able to be 2-stars warriors.
In comparison, even a poorly talented knight apprentice would form his first star before his twentieth birthday, and his second star before his thirties.
The legionnaires were nothing but expendable soldiers that didn't need to be groomed, therefore, the Imperial Court deemed it not worth investing in them more than necessary. And if they did, it was to provide them with large-scale war assets such as catapults, cannons, barricades, and others. They rarely invested in them individually.
The usual imperial way toward the Militarium was to give the new recruits basic training for a few months, before sending them straight into the most intense conflicts.
The imperial doctrine was, as the First Emperor said, 'to mold the legions in the furnace of war'.
While it was far from efficient when it came to preserving troops, it also had its advantages.
This cruel method forced the legionnaires to adapt by themselves to survive. As a result, throughout the years each legion became highly specialized based on the territory in which they were stationed.
In the Steel Legion case, their recruits learn from their first year of enrolment how hard it is to survive in the harsh conditions of the north.
Their body needs to acclimate to life in the constant cold ; they have to quickly learn how to fight the dangerous beasts and monsters roaming the northern mountain range with their hands frozen and their feet slowed down by the snow.
If you add to this all the invasions from the northern kingdom of Brinhir they had to defend against, these harsh conditions made the Steel legionnaires very experienced soldiers capable to endure a lot, as well as experts in defensive tactics and fortification. Their prestigious legion is known for never letting any ground to their enemy.
The fame and merits they gained over the years and the multiple wars they waged allowed them to gain more benefits from the Imperial Court than the other less-active legions.
The most prestigious was, without a doubt, a decree from the Emperor himself two centuries ago that led to the creation of Fort Nurtembra.
This was this fortress, the strongest of the north that has never fallen to the enemy even once, that Duke Vermillion was currently staring at with a nostalgic look.
"It brings back memories..." The Duke smiled.
Every time he came here, he remembered how hard he had fought on these gigantic granite walls.
"Welcome, Your Grace. What brings you to our modest fort today ?" The captain leading the soldiers still bowing in front of the carriage respectfully asked.
Everyone in the Steel Legion knew Almerius Vermillion and his accomplishment as a legionnaire during his youth. The Vermillion Household had always supported the Steel Legion, both financially, in men and logistics.
Even in this era when most of the nobles consider legionnaires as nothing more than dirty commoners eating at the Court's finance, the Vermillion family has never canceled its annual contribution.
The Steel legionnaires hate nobles for a plethora of reasons, yet all of them have a profound respect for the two households that have always supported them without asking for anything in return : the Vermillion Duchy, and the Iceflair County.
"Hm, I came today for a special request... Is the grumpy old bear in the fort, or should I come back later ?" The Duke asked the captain while walking toward the gate with his two knights.
"The commander is currently in a meeting with Duchesse Celine Laurel... Should we announce him of your presence ?"
At the mention of the Duchesse, the Duke's face contorted.
"What business do this sly woman have with that old geezer ?!" The Duke couldn't hide his frustration. He swore at the Duchesse without an ounce of care about the surrounding people hearing him.
These expressions of emotions weren't fitting for a noble of his rank, but the captain was aware of the long rivalry between the Duchesse of Laurel and the Duke of Vermillion, so he acted as if nothing happened.
After all, even the Steel legionnaires had a deep grudge toward the Laurel family.
In the last monster subjugation, the heir of the Laurel Household, first son of the Duchesse, decided to leave the area he was supposed to guard with his knights just to go back to his territory a week earlier.
As a result, a pack of Grey Wolves used this opportunity to slip by the defense line and encircle the legionnaires fighting deeper into the mountain. The Steel legion suffered many casualties because of this young noble.
If not for the knights of Iceflair coming in a hurry to help them at the last moment, all the legionnaires would have been wiped out.
This was one of the many recurring reasons why the commoners who enlisted in the Militarium didn't trust the nobles ; their miserable lives were nothing in their eyes.
"I'm sorry for your losses in the last subjugation. I hope the new gear we sent you will help you stay alive in the next battles." The Duke felt bad for the legionnaires. He saw the captain's eyes turning cold the moment he mentioned the Laurel Duchesse.
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Almerius Vermillion spent ten years among these courageous elves ; he knew very well how they thought about the noblesse in general.
Unfortunately, his position as a Duke restricted his implication with the Imperial Legions. He was only allowed to empathize with their losses and send them funds annually.
Because the Steel Legion was stationed across both the Iceflair County and the Laurel Dukedom further in the north, he couldn't even send his own troops to help them in their subjugations unless they were facing a dire situation. His knights would have to pass through other households' territory, which is strictly forbidden by Imperial Law during peaceful times.
Despite his long-lasting resentment against the Laurels, the Duke couldn't do anything against them in the open. They were also a Ducal family, and the Emperor would never tolerate a major quarrel between two of the most prominent households of the Empire.
"You have our gratitude, Your Grace. These precious sets of armor you sent us have already been distributed to the best of our men. Even the commander was pleasantly surprised by the sturdiness of this metal." The captain regained his smile.
"Ahah, good ! This new alloy is the pride of our blacksmiths after all. Its properties are amazing ! It is as souple as Imperial Steel, and yet it is much more resistant."
"Indeed. How did the blacksmiths of your Duchy name it again ?"
"Cold Steel. It is a fine melange between Imperial Steel, and Cold Iron we excavate from our mines. It took quite a few years, but the blacksmiths of my Dukedom finally found a way to mix them without breaking the metal ! I have to admit, the end result surprised even me."
The Duke was visibly very proud of his blacksmiths' achievement. He spent many years and a lot of money researching a way to monetize the Cold Iron mined in Vermillion's territory.
Because of its uncommon properties, this metal was not flexible enough to be used like regular iron or steel, and was not as dense and sturdy as titanium or orichalcum. It also lacked the great magic conductivity of andrium and adamantite.
Its only use so far has been to build the foundation of large-scale structures, but even then, it wasn't competitive enough : regular iron was a much cheaper option for not so many differences, while the versatile Imperial Steel was already considered as the undisputed top-quality metal.
After thinking about how to use the massive amounts of Cold Iron stockpiled over the years, the idea of mixing it with steel came from a young blacksmith apprentice who made a new alloy by error. Although it took a long time to recreate this allow, it finally succeeded and was now an important asset of the Duchy.
"As expected from Vermillion's blacksmiths. They aren't called the best of the north for no reason." The legionnaire captain was also proud of the Duke's new invention.
After all, the Vermillion household has always been generous toward the Steel Legion. The better the Duchy's situation, the more support they could provide to his brothers.
The Duke smiled. He thought for a while and chose his words carefully to explain what was Cold Steel.
"It isn't easy to make Cold Steel. It requires a very precise ratio between iron and steel, a flame at the perfect temperature, a long tempering process, and a special hardening method at the end so the alloy doesn't break. Of course, unless the Emperor himself asks for it, the Cold Steel production will be an exclusivity of our Dukedom ahahah."
The Duke and the captain talked about various subjects while traversing the entire fort. His two trusted knights closely following behind were impressed by how much respect their liege received among the legionnaires and other people living in the fort.
All the legionnaires who noticed the Duke of Vermillion deeply bowed and stayed in place until he left their field of view. From those guarding the walls to the ones inside the barracks, all gave their respect to the Duke.
As for the civilians working in the fort, some went as far as kneeling on the cold ground with their legs and hands embedded in the snow whenever the Duke passed in front of them.
Every noble of the Empire had to be saluted by commoners, but very few could inspire so much respect and admiration toward common people.
After walking for a while, they finally arrived at their destination, in front of the Steel Legion headquarters.
Compared to the other small buildings made of white bricks sealed with cement, the headquarters was a massive fortified tower entirely made of granite blocks, tall enough to overlook the entire fort.
Its walls were almost as thick as those protecting the fort, and many small openings for archers could be seen up to its peak.
It was supposed to be an administrative building, but it has been designed as a secondary stronghold in case the outer wall fell to the enemy. This was the perfect manifestation of the Steel Legion mentality.
In front of the main entrance, five knights in green attire covering their full-body armor stood guard. They had on their chest the emblem of their household : a black circle looking like the moon, from which spikes were spurting forth.
They were laughing with each other, and didn't care at all about the Duke's presence.
They kept their arrogant expression and had haughty smiles when they saw him and his two knights walking in their direction to enter the building.
Even if it was disrespectful, the Duke knew they were from Laurel so he was ready to let this slip.
However... when he arrived in front of them, they didn't even bother to present their respect.
The Duke suddenly stopped his steps and coldly looked at each of them, emanating an oppressive aura that even the civilians looking far away from their balcony felt.
The legionnaire captain right beside him started sweating, and everyone near the building felt the temperature rising.
The first ones to react were Vestan and Arlen. Feeling that their liege was about to explode in anger at the green knights' behavior, they hurriedly stepped forward and loudly shouted.
"How dare you not present your respect to His Grace, Duke Almerius Vermillion ?!"
Everyone in the fort who heard them shout froze in place.
"What's happening ?"
"Did they offend His Grace ?"
"Oh my god..."
The civilians and legionnaires flocked toward the headquarters entrance, curious to know who was crazy enough to disrespect Duke Vermillion.
The legionnaires already watching the scene had sweat running down their backs when they saw the murderous glare of the Duke toward the green knights ; they already knew what was about to happen.
"We are knights of Laurel, from the Emerald Ord..." one of the knights in green didn't even have time to finish his sentence before Vestan and Arlen unsheathed their swords.
"YOU FOOLS !" Both Crimson knights shouted in unison, visibly more afraid of their liege boiling up behind them than the five idiots knights facing them.
People knew Almerius Vermillion as a generous and benevolent man, but those who were acquainted with him knew his true nature : more than everything, he was very proud of his bloodline and had immense admiration for his family heritage and ancestors.
Some call him arrogant, others even say he is fanatical over his family's prestige, but all who knew him agree on one point : he is extremely ruthless when it comes to respect toward the Vermillion name.
Beyond the Imperial Law that forces the lower classes to bow to those of higher ranks, disrespecting Almerius was disrespecting the Vermillion name, which also meant disrespecting the family's ancestors.
The few brave enough to not show respect to him or his Duchy always paid it with their blood, without exception of gender, age, or status.
The five Emerald Knights, apparently oblivious of Duke Vermillion's character, also unsheathed their sword and pointed them at Vestan and Arlen.
At this moment, all the people who watched the scene widened their eyes and were taken aback by the green knights' actions.
"Are they crazy ?!"
"Maybe they are knights' apprentices who don't know the étiquette..."
"I don't know if they are apprentices or not, but I'm sure of one thing : they are suicidial."
Everyone knew there was tension between the two duchy, but nobody ever expected mere knights to be so disrespectful toward a high-noble, especially a mighty figure like Almerius Vermillion.
The people near the headquarters took a step back, and silence fell down.
Only the terrified legionnaires gulping down could be heard. Compared to the Emerald knights, the legionnaires knew what Duke Vermillion was capable of.
Not only the Laurel knights didn't present their respect to a high-noble, but they dared point their swords at him...
The older legionnaires who served with the Duke during their youth sighed, remembering how the last person that has been so disrespectful to the Duke ended up.
"Close your eyes, youngster. You don't want to see what's coming..."
"These guys are so done..."
"Sweetheart, go back home."
They told the kids and civilians watching the scene to go back inside their home... as the walls of the headquarter would be soon painted in a vermillion red.
The Emerald knights didn't know why everyone was making a fuss out of nothing. After, they were part of the Laurel Household. Nobody, not even Duke Vermillion, could harm them under the nose of their lord.
The moment Duke Vermillion stepped forward, everything in their mind collapsed.
They suddenly regretted their actions.
Just the pressure excluded by the Duke's murderous glare was enough to make them shit their pants.
They were about to learn why, throughout the centuries, all of Julius Sanguinus Vermillion's descendants shared his nickname of Bloodthirsty Demon...