YEAR: 1724. OCTOBER 15TH. LOCATION: SOMEWHERE IN THE SOUTHERN IN THE EASTERN LINE

Well, it turned out I was right. I had gotten myself into bigger problems.

Word spread around the fort quickly that an elf, Lura, was here, and it didn’t take long for officers and soldiers, mostly male, to start trying to sneak a look at her. It even became a nightly issue. One night alone, not one, not two, but three officers tried to sneak into the room to spend the night with her. It was a complete disaster.

Unfortunately for me, I was sharing a room with her to keep a close eye on her, which meant I had the misfortune of witnessing the whole thing. I hadn’t realized until then just how creepy men could be when blinded by lust.

The three officers were quickly demoted and given harsh punishments, but that didn’t stop others from trying. The situation only worsened. Soldiers and officers alike seemed to think they had a chance, and it got so bad that I had to adjust my plans. Originally, I intended to leave at 9 a.m. after a good night’s rest, but with things spiraling out of control, I packed up and gave the order to depart at 6 a.m. instead. There was no way we could stay any longer.

That’s why I found myself riding alongside 3,000 zombies who were barely managing to stay awake. From what I’d heard, they’d spent the night celebrating their victory over the bandits, and because of my sudden change of plans, they hadn’t gotten any proper sleep. I could only pray we wouldn’t be ambushed as we moved closer to the Eastern Line.

Lura, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected. Her face remained as emotionless as ever. Despite nearly being assaulted by three men, she stayed calm. Too calm, in fact. It made me wonder if she had experienced worse.

Even the horse Lura was riding seemed to reflect her mood, glaring at me with what I could only describe as irritation. The eyes of the horse literally screamed “Why did you make her this unhappy?!” I guessed elves got along with animals but this one definitely wasn’t happy with me.

Thankfully, the gods seemed to smile on us as we reached a minor fort, Fort Cainhorn, which served as the headquarters for the 4th Corps. Upon entering the fort, we were greeted by a chaotic scene. Thousands of injured soldiers lying on the ground, with medics rushing through the maze of bodies, frantically trying to treat them. There weren’t enough beds for everyone.

I was quickly escorted to the commander of the 4th Corps, General Declan, a man in his early forties. His gaze immediately shifted to Lura, who I’d ordered to follow, but after a moment’s pause, he said nothing and turned his attention to me.

"I assume you’re Major Aria, the one who received the Crown of Emerald?" Declan asked, sighing deeply. "Please tell me Cedric didn’t only send 3,000 soldiers."

"No, sir," I replied, offering a salute. "The second wave of reinforcements, 5,000 soldiers, will arrive in two weeks, and the main force of 32,000 should arrive within four weeks, at best."

"Not enough time!" Declan suddenly kicked his desk, a shout of frustration escaping him. But just as quickly, he composed himself, looking ashamed of the outburst.

"I apologize," he said, his voice quieter. "The battle has me a little... on edge. Please understand."

"There’s no need to apologize, sir," I said, offering him a look of understanding.

It was clear the 4th Corps had been through hell dealing with the Imperials. If I were in his shoes, I’d likely react the same way. Learning that the first reinforcements only numbered 3,000, with the bulk of the army not arriving for another month, was enough to push anyone to the edge.

“If not, can I see the situation?” I asked.

It was true. I hadn’t had much time to gather information on the way to the 4th Corps. Traveling quickly across the region didn’t leave room for much beyond the basics. If someone asked what I’d done during those days, well, let’s just say it was hard enough riding a horse while skimming through battle reports, even in my sleep. The bandit hunt hadn’t helped, and neither had the situation with Lura.

Declan sighed heavily, lighting a cigarette with an artifact. "I’d say it’s not good. We’re not dealing with regular Imperials here. We’re up against the 20th Knight Brigade. The Storm Crusaders."

"I beg your pardon, sir?" I asked, unfamiliar with the term.

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"The Knight Brigades," Declan explained, his tone grim. "They’re an elite force within the Empire. Elites among elites. Normally, they stay within Imperial territory to suppress rebellions, but for some reason, one of them, the Storm Crusaders, is here, in Shiena."

I blinked, trying to grasp the weight of the situation. "Sir, even if they’re elite, how could they have done so much damage? From what I’ve heard, the Knight Brigades typically number around 5,000. Surely, they couldn’t have caused this much destruction."

Declan let out a dry laugh and pointed to the map. "That’s the average size of a Knight Brigade. The Storm Crusaders number 40,000, and we haven’t even scratched their forces."

I swallowed, the gravity of the situation hitting me hard. "And our numbers?"

"About 20,000 who are still able to fight," Declan answered grimly. "And another 5,000 too injured to continue."

Seeing that I was confused about the situation again, Declan sighed again as he gripped his desk in frustration.

Declan sighed again, flicking his cigarette onto the map. It landed on a spot where he pointed. "You really have no idea what the Storm Crusaders are capable of, do you? Right where that cigarette is, that’s where they’re marching now. Go quickly and get a sense of the situation. Since you’re not part of my unit, I can’t officially order you around, but there isn’t enough time to waste. Do what you need to."

"Sir, just marching? How can we assess their capabilities without seeing them in battle?" I asked, confused. Normally, a disciplined march could show some things, like their level of organization, but it wasn’t enough to understand their true combat power. For that, we needed to see them in a fight.

Declan scoffed, clearly unimpressed by my hesitation. "You’ll see what I mean. Take no more than ten officers or soldiers with you and be back in five hours. After that, attend the war council meeting."

"Sir, but—"

"Go now!" Declan snapped, throwing his chair in frustration.

Left with no other choice, Lura and I quickly left the office, and I gave the order to depart. Honestly, I needed some rest. At this rate, this military was starting to feel like one of those nightmare black companies from Earth.

[(0)]

I departed quickly with Lura and eight other officers in tow. Since General Declan had ordered me not to take more than ten, I chose officers who could fight well. I wasn’t sure about Lura, but if things went bad, she could use her magic. Not that the fort would be any safer for her. I'd already caught the lustful glances of some of the officers.

After two hours of hard riding, we reached a small cliff that offered a clear view of the plains ahead. Or, what used to be plains. The once-beautiful expanse of meadows, flowers, and wildlife was now overtaken by something far more ominous.

An army clad in ashen-colored armor was marching below, and they brought with them a literal storm, not some metaphorical aura, but an actual swirling tempest. Dark clouds swirled around the entire army, powerful winds howling as they ripped across the landscape. Branches shook violently, and the grass and flowers were torn up, leaving barren ground in their wake.

Using an artifact similar to binoculars, I examined the strange formation of the army. Groups of four knights surrounded single figures dressed in ashen-colored robes, each holding a staff. My guess was that the robed figures were mages, with the knights acting as their personal guards.

This pattern repeated throughout the entire army. The knights formed a protective perimeter around multiple groups of mages, who appeared to be commanding the storm itself, guiding the winds and chaos as the army advanced.

It became clear why they were called the Storm Crusaders. They didn’t just march through the storm. They brought it with them.

"Ma’am..." one of the officers murmured, his voice trembling as he watched the scene below. "Are we supposed to fight... that?"

"Looks like it," I nodded. "And from the looks of it, we’ll need to take out the mages if we want any real chance of winning."

"That’s going to be difficult."

I turned to see Lura speaking, her gaze fixed on the army below, seemingly unaffected by the storm. Her sudden contribution surprised all of us, especially me since she hadn’t spoken much until now. Ignoring the shocked glances, she continued.

"The knights’ armor is also enchanted. It generates wind, not as strong as the mages, but enough to support them if a few of the mages fall. It also makes them a little stronger in strength."

"Having a magic expert comes in handy," I remarked with a half-joking tone, relieved I had made the right choice in picking her as my aide.

Lura remained expressionless, but I noticed a faint blush on her cheeks. So, she did have emotions after all. I smiled, even as the situation weighed on me.

"Ma’am, with all due respect, this isn’t the time to celebrate," one of the officers cut in. "If Lura, sorry, Second Lieutenant Lura, is right, this is going to be even harder than we thought, even with the MPA units."

"Fair point," I sighed, standing up from where I’d been crouched. There was no time to dwell on the lack of information. We needed a plan, and there were likely more secrets about the Storm Crusaders that we didn’t know yet.

It was clear we had to regroup. "The 4th Corps has more experience with them," I murmured. "Hopefully, they’ve got a plan."

Without wasting another moment, I gave the order to ride back to Fort Cainhorn.