YEAR: 1724. OCTOBER 1ST. LOCATION: ARIA’S ROOM INSIDE FORT KESPARE

One month had passed since the Imperial's second attempt to seize control of the Northern Line had failed. Now promoted to Major, I had been assigned a new, larger room. A private one on top of that with a high salary. Hurray!

Much had changed in the past month. The Imperials appeared to have abandoned their efforts to conquer the Northern Line, with no signs of them sending reinforcements. The force once led by Major General Remnell was now under the command of Major General Aylsia, holed up at Fort Estonal, the last fort the Imperials held in the Northern Line.

Yet despite our victory, the 9th Corps was in no condition to march forward recklessly. We had to be cautious. Our forces were still recovering from the last battle, and while the Imperials were on the defensive, one misstep could lead to disaster.

Today was a special day. Rewards were being handed out to the officers and soldiers who played significant roles in the last battle. Naturally, I was among them, having taken down several high-ranking enemy officers.

The only problem? I had no clue what to wear. Back in my previous life, I never cared much about fashion, and now, being both a girl and in the military, I was even more clueless. According to the rulebook, it was technically acceptable to wear my regular uniform, but it also mentioned that it would be seen as rude. Instead, there were special ceremonial uniforms, specifically designed for occasions like this.

I decided to check them out, but the prices left me speechless. Even the cheapest one cost 100 gold coins, roughly $10,000. The most expensive? A staggering 1,000 gold coins. On top of that, custom made was 500 gold coins. Outrageous. Especially considering my current salary as a Major was only 50 gold coins a month.

I still had the 20 gold coins I earned as a Sergeant, giving me a total of just 70 gold coins. However, that was nowhere near enough for one of those uniforms. And I didn’t exactly have any friends I could ask to borrow money from either.

So, naturally, I decided to wear my regular uniform. I figured with over a hundred people attending the ceremony, not all of them officers, there had to be others in the same situation. Not everyone could afford a custom ceremonial uniform, right?

After waiting a bit in my room, I finally headed to the ceremony hall with Deryk, who had also been promoted to Major. He was decked out in his ceremonial uniform. A crisp white outfit with red lines and gold embellishments.

“You’re not wearing a ceremonial uniform?” Deryk asked as we walked.

“I couldn’t afford to have one custom-made,” I replied with a sigh. “I’ve only got 70 coins, and a custom uniform costs 500. It’d take me ten months just to save up for it.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Deryk nodded. “Trade’s been rough lately, and everything’s gone up in price. Except for metal.”

We reached the place where the ceremony would take place. Two soldiers saluted at us as we passed by, and we saluted back. The ceremony room was grand, with banners from every regiment hanging from the high ceiling and polished floors reflecting the sunlight streaming in through massive windows. Officers and soldiers alike filled the rows of seats, their ceremonial uniforms crisp and gleaming with medals.

However, I realized that nobody was wearing their normal uniform. Everybody was wearing a ceremonial uniform, and I clearly stood out. Embarrassed, I quickly tried to find my seat.

As Deryk and I took our places, the ceremony began. The commander of the 9th Corp, General Cedric, stood tall at the podium, calling up soldiers and officers one by one to receive their honors. Each recipient was met with applause, their medals pinned proudly to their chests. The air was charged with respect and pride as the bravery of the soldiers was recognized.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Time passed, and soon it was my turn. When I went up to the podium, I was met with Cedric’s smile as I moved in front of me, kneeling and bowing my head.

Cedric announced, “For outstanding bravery and power on the battlefield, Major Aria is hereby awarded the Crown of Emerald, a medal bestowed only to those who have decisively altered the course of battle and secured victory for the kingdom.” His voice resonated through the hall, and a murmur spread as the weight of the moment sank in. I also couldn’t believe what he had said. The Crown of Emard was legendary, awarded only three times in history, and now I would be the fourth to ever receive it.

General Cedric held the medal, a radiant emerald disc, set with a brilliant golden crown at its center along with twin silver wings. The room was silent, everyone watching as I prepared to receive the honor.

But just as the medal was about to be placed on me, the doors to the hall burst open with a loud crash. A disheveled officer stumbled in, his face pale and his breathing ragged. The ceremony froze as all eyes turned to him.

“General Cedric,” the officer gasped, “I bring urgent news. 5th Corp has been annihilated!”

Gasps and whispers filled the room, and my hand froze just short of the Crown of Emerald. The 5th Corps, one of the Shiena Kingdom's main forces, annihilated? Not defeated, not retreated, but completely annihilated?

“Furthermore,” the officer continued, his voice shaking, “there are reports that a Knight Brigade has entered the battlefield. The 6th and 7th Corps are on the verge of collapse, and the 4th Corps is dangerously close to annihilation!”

I couldn’t help but glance at General Cedric, whose face had darkened with the news. A sinking feeling settled in my chest. Whatever hope we had of stabilizing the frontlines was fading fast. This wasn’t just bad news. It felt like the beginning of something far worse.

[(0)]

The ceremony had ended in a rush with General Cedric summoned to the Eastern Line to attend an urgent meeting, leaving Brigadier General Devon in charge of the 9th Corp. It seemed the situation was so dire that the generals had no choice but to stay close to the battlefield. The capital was too far.

This didn’t immediately change much for the 9th Corp, though. The officers intensified their training efforts, driving the troops harder than before. As a Major now, I was spared from the daily drills, but I couldn’t sit idle. Something deep inside told me that things were shifting, changing for the worse, and if I wasn’t ready, I might not survive.

So I trained. I pushed my mana control further, testing the limits of what I could achieve, knowing that the Northern Line’s security was a fleeting comfort. The 9th Corp would soon be repositioned, most likely to the Eastern Line, especially after the annihilation of the 5th Corp. The Empire was crushing through, and no matter how strong our defenses seemed, we were losing ground faster than we could recover.

A part of me wondered if the 8th Corp would be sent instead. But the rumors about their incompetence left me doubting that decision. They were known to be green, filled with soldiers who hadn’t seen real battle and officers who were more concerned with appearances than strategy. Sending them would be the equivalent of sending lambs to the slaughter.

I sighed, staring out at the horizon. What could I do? The future looked grim, far darker than I could have imagined. The Empire held the upper hand now, and if the pattern held, the Shiena Kingdom wouldn’t survive much longer. It was only a matter of time before the collapse came.

I needed an escape. But even as I considered my options, none seemed favorable. Fleeing to another country would only offer temporary safety. The Empire’s reach was vast, and I had made too many enemies within it.

Running to the Yiuiong Dynasty, the nation which the Shiena Kingdom shared southern borders with, seemed like my only viable choice. They were one of the two major powers fighting the Empire, locked in their own bloody war. But aligning myself with them was a gamble. Who’s to say they wouldn’t be crushed next?

Yet… what choice did I have? I wasn’t just a soldier anymore. I had a name, a title. People looked at me differently now. But more than that, I could feel the weight of my decisions beginning to press down on me.

It was strange; in my previous life, I never cared about consequences. But here? In this life where I had spilled blood, where I had felt the weight of every death, things were different. I was different. Was this what it meant to truly live? To struggle between survival and morality?

I didn’t know. But I knew one thing: the story wasn’t over yet. This was just the end of one chapter. The next part would be far more dangerous, and the stakes would be higher than ever. Whether I liked it or not, I was part of something larger now. And if I wanted to live, I would have to choose my path carefully.

The war was far from over. And I had a feeling the next battle would test me in ways I couldn’t even imagine.