YEAR: 1724. OCTOBER 14TH. LOCATION: OUTSKIRT OF STAEDBERGH CITADEL

After being dismissed, I wasted no time. I quickly gathered my 3,000 soldiers and began organizing the search for the bandits’ hideout. With a force of 2,000, they’d need a base nearby to store supplies and feed their members. Bandits didn’t have the luxury of advanced logistics or transportation like the military, so I was certain they’d established something close to the Citadel.

Of course, there was always a chance that their hideout could be further away, perhaps deeper in the mountains or hidden in one of the countless forests surrounding the area, but that seemed unlikely. Without horses or wagons, moving supplies across long distances would be a logistical nightmare for them. They had to be nearby. Somewhere.

I ordered my scouts to fan out, searching for any signs of movement, smoke from campfires, or trails through the woods that might lead us to their location. The soldiers knew to keep their eyes sharp. Bandits may have lacked formal training, but their survival instincts were sharp. Ambushes, traps, hidden paths, they’d use whatever they could to stay hidden.

But we had numbers, and I had no intention of letting this drag on longer than necessary. I needed to find them, eliminate them, and get back to my original mission: aiding the 4th Corps.

As we moved deeper, I couldn’t shake the thought of what Sionia had said. There was something bigger at play here. Bandits normally wouldn’t risk angering the military by attacking supply lines, not unless they were desperate or had someone backing them. Whoever was pulling the strings might be closer than I realized.

Hours passed, and the sun began to sink low on the horizon, casting long shadows over the forested hills. The air was thick with tension as we rode, my unit maintaining a silence.

Then, one of my scouts returned. "Major Aria, we’ve found something. There’s a trail just north of here. It’s faint, but it looks like it’s been used recently. And... there’s smoke rising in the distance."

"Lead the way."

The scout nodded, and I signaled to the rest of my unit to follow. We moved swiftly but cautiously, making sure to stay concealed as we approached the area. It was hard to stay hidden while riding a horse, but we managed it.

As we neared the location, I could smell the faint scent of smoke drifting through the trees. Soon enough, the source became clear, a cluster of tents hidden in a small valley, shielded from view by the surrounding hills.

The bandit camp.

I motioned for the soldiers to halt. I quickly got down from the horse and crouched down behind a line of bushes, assessing the situation. The camp was larger than I expected, with more than just tents, it had wooden barricades, and a few watchtowers hastily constructed from logs. It wasn’t a temporary hideout. They’d been here for a while.

This was no ordinary group of bandits.

I scanned the camp for weak points. Their defenses were sloppy, but with numbers like theirs, a head-on attack could get messy. We needed to be strategic.

"We’ll circle around and hit them from both sides," I whispered to my officers. "We’ll split into two groups, one will create a diversion at the front while the other takes them from behind. We catch them off guard, and we minimize losses."

"Yes, Lady Aria," the officers responded quietly as we prepared for the attack.

I would lead the diversion with 1,000 cavalry, all mounted and ready. I wore my MPA, and thankfully, my armor was lighter than most, allowing my horse to carry the extra weight with ease.

The remaining 2,000 soldiers, including the other 49 MPA units, were under the command of First Lieutenant Henry. It was expected they would have an easy time handling the bandits, especially as they were a cavalry force.

After seeing off Henry’s group and waiting ten minutes, I signaled my officers and soldiers to advance. Moving as quietly as possible, we urged our horses into a charge as we closed in.

It took a moment for the bandits to realize they were under attack, but by then it was too late. With my magical sword, Windwhisper, I cut down the two guards at the entrance, the blade of wind slicing cleanly through their bodies.

I turned and slashed at the wooden gate. The winds tore through it like paper, and once the way was clear, the massacre began.

The bandits scrambled to form lines, but we were faster. Horses trampled through their disorganized lines while the riders slashed at them with spears and swords. Archers in the watchtowers barely had time to react before they were picked off by our own archers, hidden behind the trees, sniping them down.

"Run!" one of the bandits screamed.

"You fool! If we run, we’re dead anyway!" another barked back.

"That traitor! He didn’t warn us about this!"

The word traitor caught my ear, and I quickly turned my head. In the midst of the chaos, I spotted a man towering over the others. He was tall and muscular, with a massive axe strapped to his back. Clearly the leader of the group.

"Surround him, but don’t kill him!" I ordered, dismounting from my horse and cutting down any bandits in my path. "Leave him alive. everyone else, dead."

“Yes ma’am!”

The bandits blocking my way didn’t stand a chance. Even without my horse, I had Windwhisper and MPA 62, weapons that felt like cheats with the power they held. I didn’t even need to use my own mana, as I had plenty of Mana Crystals at my disposal.

At first, the bandits thought I was an easy target, but they quickly realized they had made a grave mistake. When they tried to switch their focus to easier prey, they were met with the sight of horses charging at them. A terrifying scene that broke whatever morale they had left.

My force of 3,000 soldiers was composed mostly of veterans. Though there were a few new recruits, the majority had fought in battles far bloodier than this, like the Plain of Jade and the Plain of Imoras. Comparing these bandits to the Imperials we had faced was laughable; they were nothing but trash in comparison.

I pushed forward, quickly reaching the bandit boss. He was locked in combat with three of my cavalrymen, who were struggling to hold their ground against him. The moment he swung his axe, about to cut one of them down, I intercepted him. Our weapons clashed, the force of the impact ringing out in the chaos. His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of me, a girl in heavy armor, effortlessly matching his strength.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

His shock quickly turned to anger. With a grunt, he swung his axe again, faster and harder. I sidestepped the blow, feeling the rush of air as the blade barely missed me. Without hesitation, I countered, my sword aimed for his midsection. But the bandit boss was quick. He dodged, then launched a powerful overhead strike.

I raised Windwhisper to block, and though I absorbed the blow, the impact reverberated through my arms. His raw strength was impressive, but brute force alone wasn’t enough. He grinned, bearing down on me, his axe grinding against my sword.

"Not bad... for a little girl," he taunted, pushing harder.

I met his grin with a smirk. "You haven’t seen anything yet."

Using the pressure he applied, I twisted out of his hold, forcing him to stumble back. Taking advantage of his brief loss of balance, I aimed my Windwhisper, and threw it at him.

A burst of wind magic struck his legs, sending him stumbling backward with a curse. His eyes widened in disbelief. He hadn’t expected me to shift tactics so quickly.

Using his surprise as my advantage, I quickly got hold of his neck and squeezed it. If it was just me and my own mana, I might have trouble but with the power of MPA 62, it was nothing.

The boss’ eyes rolled back as he collapsed to the ground. He wasn’t dead, but it would be a long time before he woke up. When the remaining bandits saw their leader fall, a terrified murmur spread through their ranks, and their morale shattered completely. Now, their focus shifted from fighting to fleeing.

However, my remaining force of 2,000 had already moved to block their retreat, charging in from the rear and cutting down any bandits who tried to escape. Trapped between two forces, the bandits fought with the desperation of cornered animals, but it didn’t last long. With the 3,000 cavalry closing in and completely surrounding the area, their will to fight crumbled, and many began to surrender.

Still, I had given clear orders: no survivors. My soldiers did exactly as instructed, cutting down the bandits even as they surrendered.

It might seem harsh, but in truth, I was doing them a favor. Under the law, attacking military personnel without justification was a grave offense, branded as treason. Those caught alive would face severe, public punishment as a deterrent. Killing them swiftly, without prolonged suffering, was the most merciful option available.

Some of my soldiers, however, hesitated to kill the surrendering bandits. They struggled with the task, uncertain about following through. I dealt with those instances personally, using Windwhisper to swiftly finish off the bandits they left alive.

Before long, the battle was over. Every bandit, save for the unconscious

boss, lay dead. My officers began issuing orders for the soldiers to gather any useful supplies left behind. Yet, there was one matter I needed to address first. I called over the twenty soldiers who had failed to carry out my orders to kill the surrendering bandits.

“You already know why I’ve called you here, don’t you?” My voice was cold as

I glared at them. “You failed to follow my orders. You hesitated.”

“But Lady Aria!” One of the soldiers shouted, his eyes filled with disbelief. “You saw their look in the eyes, they wanted to live! They are the same being as us, and how can I kill them? We may have been enemies just a moment ago, but bloodshed is not an answer!’

I glared at the soldier who had spoken out, his voice trembling as he tried to justify his actions. His words were emotional, but emotion had no place on the battlefield, not when lives were at stake. My force of 3,000 had executed my orders with precision, yet this group had hesitated, wavering at the last moment when the bandits had surrendered. And now, they were questioning me, despite knowing the consequences of disobedience.

"Bloodshed is not an answer?" I echoed, my voice colder than the wind sweeping across the battlefield. I stepped closer, narrowing my eyes at the group.

I had already thought about my actions about bloodshed long ago. However, no matter what I thought, peace couldn’t exist between nations and blood would be spilled no matter what happens. If one hesitated to spill blood, their blood will be the first one to be spilled. Thus I stopped thinking about the morals of humans long ago.

“You’re soldiers, not civilians. Your duty is to follow orders, not to be swayed by the desperate pleas of men who wouldn’t hesitate to slit your throat if given the chance.”

The soldier swallowed hard, but his gaze remained locked with mine. “They surrendered,” he repeated, voice quieter now. “They were unarmed.”

“Unarmed?” I scoffed. “They chose this life, attacking military personnel without justification. Under the law, that makes them traitors, and traitors are dealt with accordingly. If you didn’t have the stomach to finish the job, you should’ve stayed behind.”

Like I said, they were the ones who chose this life. It was their mistake that they chose to attack the military. They might have confused the military for a rich merchant caravan, but they had a traitor meaning they were fully aware of what they were doing. They had brought this to themselves.

I unsheathed Windwhisper. “Your hesitation puts our mission at risk. If even one of those bandits had escaped, they could’ve alerted another group or returned stronger. I gave you a direct order, and you failed to execute it.”

While I might have exaggerated the risk of the mission, it was still true that the bandits could return for revenge. There was no telling what would happen if we arrested them. Even if we took them as prisoners, the ongoing war depleted our supplies and we couldn’t afford to share with criminals. They were dangerous, and they could escape, possibly coming after us to avenge their fallen comrades.

I paced in front of the soldiers, all twenty of them standing straight but uneasy. “Do you know what happens to those who disobey on the battlefield? They don’t get a second chance. This isn't about mercy; this is about survival. If you can’t do what’s necessary, then you’re not fit to fight.”

The first soldier, still shaken, stepped forward again, his expression a mix of determination and fear. “I understand orders, Lady Aria, but… these men—”

“Enough,” I cut him off, raising Windwhisper in a fluid motion. I pointed toward the fallen bandit leader, still lying unconscious a few feet away. “You want mercy? Fine. You’ll have your chance.”

The soldiers looked confused, unsure of what I was implying.

“You will be responsible for him,” I declared, nodding at the bandit leader. “You will carry him, bound and gagged, back to the citadel. If he dies on the way or escapes, it’s on you.”

The soldiers blinked in disbelief, clearly not expecting this outcome. But none of them dared to speak.

“You think mercy is noble? Then you’ll live with the consequences of showing it,” I continued, my voice harsh. “If he survives the journey, perhaps you’ll understand that sparing someone today could cost hundreds of lives tomorrow.”

I sheathed Windwhisper with a sharp click, signaling the end of the conversation. “Now get moving.”

The soldiers quickly obeyed, gathering the bandit boss, binding him tightly as they prepared to transport him back. Their faces were pale, but they knew better than to argue further.

As they dragged the unconscious man away, I watched them go in silence. Sometimes, teaching mercy wasn’t about letting people live. It was about letting others see the full weight of their decisions. The battlefield was no place for doubt or hesitation. Only cold, calculated choices.

Turning back to the rest of my men, I issued the next set of orders. “Finish gathering the supplies. We march at dawn.”

“Lady Aria!”

Just then, First Lieutenant Henry approached me in a rush. “We found a slave in one of the tents.”

“So?” I raised an eyebrow at his report.

It was common knowledge that if slaves were found in enemy territory, the commanding officer had the choice to free them or claim ownership. I saw no reason for Henry to report this to me in such a panicked state.

“Ma’am, it would be better if you saw it for yourself.”

His tone held a sense of urgency, but I remained indifferent as I followed him toward the tent, unconcerned by his disrespectful behavior. When he opened the tent, I stepped inside, curious to see what had caused such a commotion.

Inside, there was a single metal cage, already surrounded by several officers whose expressions mirrored their disbelief. I approached and peered inside, immediately understanding their reaction.

Sitting cross-legged in the cage was an extraordinarily beautiful woman with striking, otherworldly features. Her skin was white as snow with hair dark as the darkest night. Her crimson eyes watched us warily. Around her neck was a thin metal collar, a symbol of slaves, though it barely seemed to constrain her presence.

What caught my attention most were her ears. They were not human, long, delicate, and unmistakable.

“An elf…” I whispered in disbelief.

The elven race, thought to have vanished from the continent long ago, was now sitting before me, her existence a mystery in itself.