Armand and Eris waited for the scouts to return and confirm that the enemy forces had fully left their territory. Then, they let their mercenaries go all-out in looting the enemy corpses and camp. The two made sure to send a messenger back to Castle Concord.

However, they stayed the night at their camp. Their mercenaries would be given time to rest and celebrate their victory before they returned to the fortress. Besides, this way, they would be in a position to intercept any attacking forces that the enemy previously kept in reserve.

There were no such forces as far as they knew. But Armand wanted to be certain.

It was only after the Sun rose over the horizon that Armand and Eris began the march back to Castle Concord. To their surprise, the two found Count Concord riding towards them with a small contingent of cavalry. There was a smile on his face when he greeted them.

"Well done. Driving away an enemy army, and at such a young age too. Marshal Staufer trained you well, Armand, my son," Count Concord said.

Armand and Eris rode out in front of their forces to greet him, and their army stopped.

"Thank you, Father," Armand replied.

"Tell me," Count Concord stated. "What has become of the lords who dared assail Concord lands?"

Eris spoke up, keeping her expression level.

"Unfortunately, Karl escaped. We captured the others and made them give us large portions of their lands," she said.

Count Concord grimaced.

"And where are they now?" he asked.

"Heading back to their own lands, or at least what's left of them," Armand answered.

Anger flashed through the count's eyes.

"You let them go?" he grimaced.

"After poisoning them, yes," Armand replied.

Relief flowed through Count Concord. However, he did not let his expression relax.

"Poisons can be good killers, but they are no sure thing," he pointed out.

"Let me assure you," Eris said. "That my poisons are a sure thing."

Count Concord looked like he did not believe her. However, he turned his attention back to Armand.

"I would have made sure of their deaths. Remember to do that next time," the count stated.

"Of course, Father, I will," Armand replied.

Then, Count Concord allowed himself to smile.

"Still, you did well getting their lands. Judging from how many lords came after you, House Concord's territory should double in size from this," he speculated.

"Slightly more than that when I inherit our family's lands," Armand corrected. "Combine that with my marriage to Eris a year from now, and it will quadruple in size total."

Now, suspicion flowed through Count Concord. He narrowed his eyes.

"Your wording. You said when you inherit our family's lands. Meaning that it hasn't doubled in size already," Count Concord noted.

Armand nodded.

"That is correct," the boy said.

Count Concord's eyes narrowed further.

"Why is that? Will the lands take time to transfer over?" he questioned.

"No, I have them right away," Armand replied, his expression stern. "And after the household mercenaries of House Concord return to it, Eris and I will leave to survey our new lands with the mercenaries we hired."

The boy then smiled.

"Eris, when you first said us..." he started.

"...I meant myself and you. Their lands were given to the two of us, not our noble houses. Of course, the topic will be moot when we have a son, as he will inherit all of our lands eventually," she continued.

Count Concord clenched his fists so hard they turned white. Pure rage pulsed over his face.

"Armand. Why did you not grant those lands to House Concord?" he asked.

"Why would I?" Armand replied with a question of his own. "House Concord's lands will be mine, but only after you retire or die. This way, I can get some land now. Also, I will expect to retain control over the lands you made me the manager of. If you object to that, you can talk to my and Eris' combined armies."

Count Concord's grimace turned into a wide smile. He beamed with pride. The lord swelled up with so much joy that it looked like he might explode. However, Count Concord retained his composure.

"Well done, Armand. I trust this is why you wanted to handle this battle on your own too?" he asked.

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"Of course," Armand answered. "If you participated, you would have an excuse to take all the lands for yourself. But this way, the lands will go to Eris and I."

Count Concord's smile widened.

"I see that you are a worthy heir after all," he said. "I will take care of my men. You and Eris take yours and survey your new lands."

After parting ways with Count Concord, Armand shivered. He rode ahead enough of his men that he could have a private talk with Eris.

"By the gods, I hated that talk," Armand shook his head. "My parents would have preferred it if they had a monster like you as a child."

A scoff escaped Eris' mouth.

"They would be very disappointed by how that went. I mean, I would have never had an heir if you didn't turn back time. My branch of the House of Hapsburg would have ended entirely after my death," she said.

Eris then paused a moment before shrugging.

"Then again, if we switched places in the womb, I would have had siblings who could be my heir rather than any children," the girl noted.

"I suppose you would," Armand shook his head, bitterness flowing through his body. "If only Father saw what became of you the last time around. Then, he would know that ruthlessness isn't everything."

A contemplative expression crossed Eris' face.

"Why is he like that anyway? I'm no one to talk but even I think the way he treats his children is taking things too far," she said. "If anyone threatens our future child, Armand, I will make them regret ever existing."

Armand had to suppress a smile.

"I shouldn't be happy that Eris is talking about torturing people to death, but I'm also glad she's this protective of our future children. And besides, I am sure that I would do the same," he thought before speaking. "Assuming you can get to them before I'm through with them."

Eris gave Armand a slight smile.

"Of course. There would be nothing left after you got to them," she said.

They traveled on for a while. Then, night fell. Camp was made by the mercenaries, and Armand and Eris had different tents. If they slept in the same one, rumors would start to spread about them. However, when they weren't sleeping, the two stayed in the same tent together.

Then, a noise came from outside of the cover.

"Lord Armand, may we come in here to speak to you?"

The boy recognized it as Master Septus of the Order of Hermes. He nodded and spoke up.

"You may come in."

With those words, Master Septus and the subordinates he brought with him entered the tent. Armand and Eris turned their gazes upon them, the former giving a respectful nod.

"The Order of Hermes was of great aid in that battle, Master Septus. We won the magical combat thanks in no small part to your aid," Armand said.

"Thank you, Lord Armand," Master Septus replied. "We are honored to know that we were of use to you."

Eris' expression was skeptical.

"He seems to know his place, but is this man a commoner? The Order of Hermes accepts both noble and subhuman applicants. However, it's rare for commoners to rise through their ranks. And if this Septus is human, what does he want? Now that the battle's won, it's time to ask those questions," she thought.

Armand was of a similar mind. However, he already had some idea of why they helped him.

"Tell me, how can I repay you for this aid? I recall you saying you wanted to cooperate with me in the future. Is there anything you have in mind?" the boy questioned.

There were some murmurs among the Order of Hermes members. Eris had to suppress an annoyed groan.

"These fools know nothing about politics, do they? You don't start talking amongst yourselves when talking to a noble. That could be seen as an insult or a sign of plotting," she thought. "I could take advantage of this, though. Perhaps I could..."

Armand's expression was filled with pity.

"An order of scholars now takes the stage. If they are willing to ally with me, I will need to shield them from bad actors. Their inexperience is showing. I'll probably have to shield them from Eris too," he pondered before speaking. "After your aid, it is only right that I return the favor. I am certain that my generous fiance can attest to the importance of paying debts."

Eris nodded with a smile.

"They are very important. After all, if you do not repay your debts, no one will want to do you favors or lend you money," she thought.

"Yes. Repaying debts is very important," the girl said.

Master Septus spoke up.

"We do have something in mind. However, we did not expect you to bring up the topic so swiftly," he stated.

"Is there any reason for me to not?" Armand asked.

"No," Master Septus answered.

The Concord boy nodded.

"Then, tell me what cooperation you would like," he suggested.

After a moment of hesitation, Master Septus spoke up.

"Your book details many monsters, some of which we have few notes on ourselves. We would like to have one of our masters work with you to research monsters."

"That is perfectly acceptable," Armand replied with incredible swiftness. "However, my understanding of monsters is a soldier's knowledge. I know how to best kill them and a few less important things. I doubt I can contribute much to what you scholars wish to know."

Eris narrowed her eyes.

"And as happy as I am that you believe Armand's claims, I am skeptical of your intentions. Very few people believed him. Why would an order of scholars believe in monsters?" the Hapsburg girl asked.

Master Septus paused for a moment again.

"There are a few reasons," he answered.

Armand and Eris nodded, not speaking but keeping their gaze on him. The Concord motioned for him to continue.

"The most pressing of them," Master Septus spoke slowly, something that made the nobles more suspicious. "Is that we have the body of a monster."

That caught Armand and Eris' attention. Their eyes widened in sudden interest.

"We have been preparing it for dissection. However, we are concerned with the fact that it isn't rotted. We would like some guards and a safe place to examine it," Master Septus continued.

"I will provide one. How soon do you need it?" Armand asked.

Septus blinked in shock.

"We can wait. It has yet to decay, so we still have plenty of time," he answered.

"Contact me after I've figured out which of my new castles I will operate out of for a while," Armand instructed. "That should take a few months. I will prepare the dissection chamber there."

Septus bowed.

"Thank you, Lord Armand," excitement flashed over his face. "We appreciate your assistance with our research. I will contact the rest of the order right away."

He and the other members of the Order of Hermes left the room. Eris turned to Armand.

"Are you sure this isn't a trick?" she asked.

"No. I'm not. But it also won't take me a few months to pick a castle," Armand answered.

He gave her a smile.

"If this is a trick, I will be ready. If it is not a trick, then we might get some critical information on one type of monster," the Concord explained. "It's worth the risk, especially if it helps prove the existence of monsters to others."

Despite her misgivings, that was something Eris could agree with.