At the height of fall, Governor Janus has ordered us to move out of Figaro.

“United Kytherean forces will be arriving soon,” he said. “In the meantime, we’ve more important things to do.”

I went to him directly after ensuring that my soldiers got the announcement. I’ve been quite perplexed by his decision since his speech about holding on to Bohemia was not long ago.

“And what are those things?” I asked. He seems quite frustrated ever since I entered his headquarters. Or rather, I’m pretty sure he’s been this way even before I came. If something’s bothering him, I’d like to know.

“Governor Caelum left Figaro one week ago,” he said. “He’s headed for Sarsbury, that buffoon!”

Now I understand why he’s so upset. He’s right about the strategy he talked about - if Rhapsody falls, Kyther can now directly invade Lorraine. The original plan has been to wipe their forces at Figaro by having our army cut their escape, but that stops working with Caelum gone from the city entirely.

“He fell for their bait?”

“OF COURSE HE DID! That idiot knows nothing about war! He’s the reason we almost lost the Wyrm Hunt and why we even had that scuffle with Barav in the first place! He’ll be the downfall of this country, I swear! I had hoped that this wouldn't happen but that idiot still walked into it!” His rant went on for a while until he calmed down, though even after he did I could still hear him mumble “If only Vulcan was here.”

I decided to leave at that point. The Governor’s mind is made up and his logic is as sound as ever. If Figaro falls without resistance, then our entire campaign here at Rhapsody falls apart.

Bohemia only has 5000 Rhapsody soldiers at the moment, but Figaro had less on the assumption that we are to let it fall after fierce resistance. But with Caelum gone and the United Kingdoms’ forces arriving, we could spare our soldiers here to reinforce that front instead.

Thus we decided to leave.

The night before we left, however, Governor Janus summoned me to his headquarters one final time.

“Your unit will be leaving immediately. Tonight. Your soldiers, along with some 1500 others, will take the train to Figaro.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked. I mean, it’s only natural he’d want his soldiers to know, sure. But what’s weirding me out is that, at this moment, it’s only the two of us. “Shouldn’t the others be here too?”

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“I’ve sent for them, but they’ll arrive a little later. I’ve got something I have to tell you first.”

I’ve got a bad feeling about this…

“Somehow, I knew this would happen. Every time with that idiot, and we’re all forced to correct his mistakes! But that’s why I’ve got a plan set up already. Only half the load will be transported for speed, so you should arrive at Figaro soon.”

He handed me a file and a badge.

“You’ll take command of this 2000-strong army. I expect you to defend Figaro to the best of your abilities.”

I took a bow. “Thank you, my lord…” I’m not sure this is the wisest decision, but if Governor Janus places his trust on me… I’ve no real choice but to live up to it.

As he said, the others arrived a little later than me. The Governor explained the situation to them, and we were aboard the train fast enough. The train left Bohemia before midnight, and the rest will begin their march back by dawn.

***

As scheduled, the train arrived in Figaro within a week. Upon arriving there, I wasted no time in setting up a perimeter of defense, coordinating with the local Rhapsody commander with regards to our formation.

Terribly, we received grim news as soon as we arrived in the city. While we’re still in transit, Kyther has invaded Rhapsody and is fast approaching the city of Figaro at this very moment. Battle may be upon us any day now.

I recalled my previous visit in the city, and the miserable charge that I managed against Governor Janus during our simulation. The defense of the city would be terrible, but we need to hold on at least until Governor Janus and the rest of the army arrives. To that end, we need to first ascertain how long we can last, thus I visited the city’s storehouse.

“Lord Caelum has taken most of our provisions,” the commander of the garrison here said. “He said that his army would be marching all the way to Sarsbury.”

I can already see Janus’ face when he hears it… In fact, I’m guessing that I’m probably making a similar face right now.

That barely matters, though. I should focus on the upcoming battle.

First things first, we need to stock up as much as we can if we want to be able to fight off the siege. The first thing I did was send a request to Galileo, the capital of Rhapsody. We have no direct train to the city, so it’ll take some time to get there. In the meantime, we need to get as much food as we can from the surrounding areas.

I organized my own personal unit - now rebranded as the Paul Unit after my second - to begin hunting and scavenging for food. Anything will do as long as it’s edible, we can worry about the small details later. The companies will each take turns for the following five days to get as much food as they can from the land that surrounds us.

We managed to continue like this for about a week, creating a huge stockpile of food that could last us for a week.

“It’s still not enough…” Anais said.

“No, it’s not.” I doubt it’s any comfort having to hear your commander say that straight to your face, but the facts are facts. “It will have to do, though. The battle is upon us.”

Kyther has arrived at the edge of Figaro.