Jertann's prediction about increasing hostilities turned out to be accurate. Barely an hour after our combined training and reporting session, I received an alert, saying that one of the new mines that was under construction near the border between Town Tarug and Town Maell was about to be attacked, an approaching force detected by our wards.
I didn't know how to respond to it ... or rather with what identity.
Problematic, because the mine was under the jurisdiction of Tarug Barony, and its status was even more complicated.
Baron Tarug was a lot of things, but a good gambler was not one of them. So, after a long night of drinks and some Charisma-boosted courage from me, he had lost a precious silver mine to another player … and he wasn't happy to realize the other player worked for the church.
Fekar the Holy Steward.
Currently, it was the only silver mine to be discovered along the border, making it precious. It wasn't a particularly rich mine. Even with the current rarity of the silver, and increased market value, it wouldn't make much financial sense to operate it as long as the products were sold in the open market. The feudal economy meant that prices were slow to adapt to scarcity.
But it had strategic value, critical enough for my Fekar identity to make a showing and risk my cover. Though this time, I had worn a thick layer of makeup and several subtle illusions, which were being maintained by a minor item Zolast had crafted, to keep my identity a secret, making such a discovery difficult.
Even so, it was a risk.
An acceptable one. After the supposed death of the hero, my Euon identity was getting more and more useless. The more the guild rose, the more people would realize that the two old men that had been behind the guild were not ordinary. The young duke was an excuse, but not one that held well.
Thankfully, the youngsters were already aware of the truth— except for my class — so it wouldn't have been too troubling to discard that identity.
Though, while the strategic value of the place was important, I didn't expect it to work as a was certainly not a big enough prize to trigger three baronies into action at the same time. It was clearly not a simple attack. After a quick communication with Zolast, I left the task of mobilizing our forces further to him — both as the guild and as the church.
Though, them targeting the church before Duke Yoentia was a choice that surprised me. I wondered whether they assumed we were weaker than we had revealed, forcing us to action.
Or they had another reason, like trying to cause problems for the princess.
"Well, we will learn soon," I said to myself as I used my Speed to the limit to reach the border. I sent another message to Takis, asking him to get on one of the flying carts and take control of the mine defenses directly.
Flying carts were one of the more important acquisitions that we made after establishing ourselves openly. The church now had four flying carts, and the guild had two. I still preferred to use my Speed for emergencies as it gave me better flexibility, but at least Zolast and the younglings could also respond to the threats without me ferrying them around.
I was faster than the flying carts, but Takis was much closer to the event, so he arrived first. I used my Charisma to signal him, and he moved back into the flying cart. I was already there.
"Hi, boss," he said, though still hesitant. Partially because of his personality, partially because of his latecomer status, he was the one that had most trouble talking with me informally, but he was coming along.
"How's the new class?" I asked. Busy with the army, Takis was the last one to clear his promotion.
"Much better, especially after going through the exercises a few more times," he said. His new class was Scholar of War, which was interesting. No physical stats again, but he received half-points to charisma and half points to perception, which improved his command ability significantly. He didn't have any command skills, but a few Attunement stones had given him just enough mana for him to use Zolast's squad management trick.
All of this combined, he turned out to be a decent commander, at least during the was about to be the first time he got to use them on an actual battlefield. It was also why I had called for him. For the first time he was leading an army against non-cultist forces, and it would be better for him to start while I was near, ready to help, should things turn sour.
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"Now, what is the situation here?" I asked.
"It looks like the reports are accurate, boss," he said as he quickly pulled a map. "There is a war is coming, and they are attacking here to test us."
"Interesting," I said, unable to help but frown, trying to understand the exact reason for the choice. A silver mine was important, that was true, but there were still a few days until it began operating, making it a weird choice indeed.
Unless the move had political motivations behind it.
I quickly talked with Zolast, and he said that he would try to communicate with the princess. Then, an answer arrived a few minutes later, one that was asking me to delay the aggression as much as possible.
Apparently, the princess was in a very important meeting at Oniphia, and Zolast had failed to reach her.
A suspicious timing, meaning a fight needed to be avoided unless it was the last resort. "Pull most of your forces out of the tunnels and into the open, and activate the wards. We need to put on a show."
"As you wish, boss. But it would make our job much harder if a fight really breaks out," he said, his tone frustrated. He was not happy with sacrificing military advantages for political purposes.
"Don't worry. If it comes to that, the Lord Crusader will make a visit," I said. "He'll even follow your orders during the battle."
"Much better, boss," he said, looking relaxed. "I have the armor right there."
"Good. But, for now, it is the Holy Steward who should make an appearance first," I said. Takis left, and after spending a moment to apply the makeup and activate the illusions, I followed.
"Lord Fekar," the soldiers saluted as I moved among them. During the month, I had walked around town many times as Fekar to strengthen that identity, as it was important to lead some critical discussions with parties important enough for high-ranking people, but not high enough to deserve a meeting with the Holy Crusader.
It wasn't required often. Zolast was the one that handled the communication with the princess and the other churches — though all the communication from the other churches had been remote due to them, still trying to discover where we came from —
Furthermore, Takis was more than enough to handle everything at Baron Maell's side, especially since we gifted Baron with two new Abilities and one Master skill. He was happy to spend all day sparring, abandoning the town to our control in every way that mattered. His desire for martial pursuit turned devastatingly effective when combined with his newfound faith.
I wondered if his devotion to Sun God would be enough for him to be cursed by his Divine Patron. I didn't expect it, as gods seemed less concerned with worship and more interested in Experience they collect … an idle thought that I discarded the moment I reached the front line, and saw another army at a distance.
Baron Tarug, leading his army.
It was an impressive force. A thousand soldiers, each wearing matching armors, their weapons impressive as well. However, the most noteworthy thing was their skills. Every single one of them had an expert skill, and at least twenty of them had a master skill.
A significant investment.
One that was impossible for a mere barony at the border to collect. The source was easy to guess, especially with the recency of their absorption. Assessing the quality of the skill was supposed to be more difficult, but there had been only a couple of days since they absorbed those skills.
Even a child could guess that those skills came from a royal family. Most likely Somaton, but I wouldn't be too surprised if the Ralum family was responsible for it, trying to put the princess into a more difficult position.
The Baron and his army were moving forward confidently. Not an awful choice, considering they outnumbered our forces three to one even without including the other two hidden armies, and they were better armed.
They might even have better classes.
A truly intimidating force, or it would have been, if it wasn't for the sense of security I was getting from my power, improved significantly.
[Class: Hero
Level: 80
Experience (0/1,583,712,000)]
[Health (2,400/2,400)
Mana (1,500/1,500)]
[Experience: 582,141,294]
[Authority: 46,327]
[STATS
Resilience: 50
Vitality: 80
Strength: 80
Agility: 80
Speed: 50
Perception: 80
Memory: 25
Charisma: 100
Attunement: 50
Concealment: 50
Intelligence: 25
LOCKED…]
[Stat Points: 125]
[SKILLS: —]
[ABILITIES: Elevated Life - Complete - Human
Heroic Party (2) ]
[Alignment: Unaligned]
I smiled even as I walked toward them, alone, with absolutely no sign of fear. "It's nice to see you, Baron," I said, doing my best harmless old man routine. My new stats were enough to give me a sense of overwhelming confidence, allowing me to take risks I wouldn't otherwise.
"Naturally, I'm here to take my mine back, Holy Steward," he declared, his attitude smug. "What's lost in cards could be regained with might."
"Fair enough," I said before I turned back and gave an order. "Retreat, boys," I said.
"Really, just like that," the Baron said, pleasantly surprised. Which was unlike some of his bodyguards. Two in particular.
"Naturally," I said with a shrug. "Holy or not, I'm just a steward. They should have sent someone stronger if they cared about a mere silver mine," I said. Which seemed to surprise him enough that he didn't care about two of his bodyguards whispering behind a sound blocker.
"It's good that we can resolve it amicably," Baron Tarug called even as I turned and walked away, ready to join with my forces. Only after I walked away quite a bit, he whispered smugly, clearly confident that I didn't hear. "I hope you will be just as smart next time as well."
I just walked away without skipping a step, aware that the arrogant quip about the last time was not too far away.
They had already mobilized the forces of three baronies. Their intention was not just a silver mine. Though, I didn't even bother giving an order, and just sent a warning message.
They might have plans … but, so did we.