YEAR: 1724. JUNE 13TH. LOCATION: ROYAL CASTLE IN THE CAPITAL CITY OF SHIENA KINGDOM
In the very heart of the Kingdom of Shiena, the capital city of Heartspire was bursting with life. People crowded the streets, laughing, eating, drinking, and talking. At the very center of the city stood the royal castle, the largest and most beautiful building in Heartspire. Built by the first king of the Shiena Kingdom, it stood proudly as a symbol of the kingdom's enduring strength.
Inside the royal castle, the throne room held a fat man sitting on the throne. This man was Aric Von Smallstar, the king of the Shiena Kingdom. Currently, he looked displeased at the old woman standing before him, who was speaking with a stern expression.
Her name was Vespera Sinhope, the commander of the 1st Corps and the marshal of the military. Even at the age of 50, she was still serving in the military. She was known as the most brilliant commander to ever exist in the kingdom.
“Your Majesty, you must send reinforcements to the 9th Corps,” Vespera said, her eyes cold as she directed her gaze at the king’s face. “Even with the northern army defeated, the Empire will likely send more troops, this time someone who knows what they are doing. Lieutenant General Cedric needs soldiers.”
“But he defeated 20,000 soldiers with just 5,000. He should be fine, no?” King Aric smirked. “After all, even if the 9th Corps were to be defeated, we could still defend the capital with my Emerald Order.”
The Emerald Order was a knight order that directly served the king himself. They were the most elite soldiers in the kingdom and also served as Black Ops for the king. They numbered more than a thousand but could take on 10,000 soldiers.
“Your Majesty, if the Northern line falls, not only will the capital be threatened, but the Eastern line will also be at risk,” Vespera said, gritting her teeth. She wanted to cut the king down for his foolishness but restrained herself. “There is no guarantee they wouldn’t attack the Eastern line.”
The Eastern line was already struggling to retake major forts captured by the Imperials. Despite their efforts, they were slowly being pushed back. If the Northern line fell, they would have to face the Imperials from both the east and the north.
King Aric didn’t respond but merely huffed. Vespera couldn’t help but sigh at the king’s foolishness. She knew King Aric understood he should send reinforcements to the Northern line, but a personal issue was holding him back.
The reason King Aric refused to send any reinforcements was that Cedric’s granddaughter had refused his marriage proposal. Freya Airviss, known for her beauty, had turned him down, stating she loved someone else. Aric couldn’t force the marriage due to Cedric’s importance to the kingdom, fearing betrayal if he displeased him.
Thus, King Aric aimed to weaken the Airviss Household by eliminating the 9th Corps. Without military achievements, Cedric’s heir would lack the influence to oppose him, allowing Aric to force the marriage without concern. However, this personal vendetta risked the entire nation.
“If you continue like this, I will have no choice but to resign from my post,” Vespera suddenly declared, dropping a bombshell. “Refuse to send reinforcements, and I will resign.”
King Aric only smiled at her words as he thought she was joking. However, when she started to leave the throne room without any other words, King Aric’s face turned deadly pale.
“Wait! Okay, I will send reinforcements, so please don’t resign!” King Aric shouted frantically, his previous arrogance gone.
Even King Aric wasn't foolish enough to lose Vespera, whose leadership was crucial to the kingdom’s survival. The Eastern line was still standing only because of her. Losing her would mean the collapse of their defenses.
“I will keep checking on you,” Vespera warned as she exited the throne room.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
King Aric sighed deeply, realizing his future marriage with Freya had to be put on hold. He had already prepared the entire wedding, now a waste of money. But one question lingered in his mind: What made Cedric so bold in attacking the Imperials? It was too perfect to be a coincidence.
“Tell the Emerald Order to investigate the 9th Corps,” King Aric said, smiling slightly. “Find out who was responsible for this action.”
From the shadows behind the throne, a figure moved and disappeared. King Aric chuckled softly as he gazed out over the bustling capital city.
([0])
YEAR: 1724. JUNE 13TH. LOCATION: GENERAL KHILE’S OFFICE IN FORT STONEBRIDGE.
“Is this true?” General Khile, the supreme commander of the Eleventh and Twelfth Legions of the Emavia Empire, asked, his eyes narrowed.
Khile was formerly the Lieutenant General of the Twelfth Legion, but after the commander of the Eleventh Legion was lost in battle, he was promoted to supreme commander responsible for invading the Shiena Kingdom. This dual command was the main reason it was taking so long to invade the Shiena Kingdom; managing one legion was hard enough, but commanding two was nearly impossible. Khile was slowly adapting to the new post, but it would take more time to fully control both legions.
However, there was a bigger problem. The Northern Line had fallen, and Major General Ayas was dead. Personally, Khile never had much regard for Ayas, considering him foolish. However, the death of many promising officers and knights was a significant loss.
Now, he had to somehow manage the Northern Line to prevent the 9th Corps from joining the fray. There was no telling what would happen if the famous Silver Tip joined the battle. He needed to prevent that as soon as possible.
The problem was that he didn’t have enough troops to send to the Northern Line. Typically, it would be the Empire’s responsibility to send reinforcements, but the First to Eighth Legions were engaged in other battles, while the Ninth and Tenth Legions were protecting the Empire. Thus, the responsibility naturally fell to him.
“What did His Majesty say?” Khile asked his aide, Colonel Elten.
A letter had already been sent by a lightning bird, a creature capable of moving as fast as lightning, to the Emperor of the Emavia Empire, informing him of Major General Ayas's defeat.
“His Majesty has been generous and will send us the 20th Brigade Knight Order, the Storm Crusaders,” Elten responded with a hint of pride in his voice. “They are famous for charging into battle like a fierce storm. No matter how strong the enemy, they are blown away like paper before the Storm Crusaders.”
Khile was slightly surprised to hear that their majesty would send a knight order. Usually, knight orders were responsible for protecting the Empire rather than attacking other nations even though they were among the elite forces. However, that didn’t mean they were weak or greedy like Ayas; they were among the strongest soldiers in the Empire and seldom seen on the battlefield.
Hiding his surprise, Khile asked another question that lingered in his mind.
“What kind of knight order was under Major General Ayas?”
“They were just a bunch of retired knights trying to make money.”
Khile raised an eyebrow at the mention of “retired,” but he didn’t pursue it further. It was indeed strange to send a knight order to someone irresponsible with their position as a commander.
The good news was that they could now send troops to the Northern Line to crush the 9th Corps. Khile was thinking of sending the Second and Third Division as he wanted to use the Storm Crusaders for the battle in the Eastern Line. Typically, a knight brigade consisted of 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers but had the equivalent power of a Legion or more.
Despite the 9th Corps current advantage in the Northern Line, Khile was confident that the Second and Third Divisions, which numbered 50,000, would be enough to crush them.
“Send the Second and Third Divisions of the Eleventh Legion with Major General Remnell in charge. Tell them to crush the 9th Corps with everything they have, and then attack the front line from their position.”
“Yes, Sir. I will inform the runner at once.”
Elten exited the office to relay the orders. Khile quietly stared at the battle map in front of him. The map depicted the battlefield with multiple chess pieces lined up.
Thoughtfully, Khile moved the pawns. ‘Though I must wonder, what made Lieutenant General Cedric make such a bold move? If I were in his position, I would have protected Fort Kespare instead of launching a sneak attack. I wonder who is really responsible for this.’
However, he knew he would soon get his answer as he surrounded Fort Whitestone with his pawn, the fort currently held by the 8th Corps of the Shiena Kingdom. Then, he pushed away the pawns representing the 8th Corps, replacing them with his own troops.