Knys looked at me in thoughtful silence for a moment before he replied officially. "The Adventurer's Guild sees merits in keeping the Necropolis as an untamed dungeon. However, the Necropolis might be a poor choice for such a place, Your Highness. If I guess correctly, my Lord, you want to leave it as a dungeon where no one can feel even remotely safe, as a dungeon that is going to kill Adventurers with every step. No fail safes, no mercy."

"That is correct. I thought that a dungeon such as the Necropolis might be useful for guild operations." I nodded and Idna lowered her ears in borderline disagreement, so I asked her for her opinion. "Idna?"

"My Lord, I must agree with the Guild Master. The Necropolis is ill-suited for such a place. The Undead present a whole different set of hardships, even in Avalon. Undead monsters are usually far too resilient and unpredictable to tackle such challenges. Even our top-ranked Adventurers, equipped with the best armours and weapons of Avalon, would hesitate to delve into such a dungeon," Idna replied. "But you could use other dungeons like this, my Lord."

"I see. Then I mark the Necropolis as a place to conquer." I shrugged.

"I think the best candidate for being left as an untamed dungeon would be the Desolate Forest Dungeon in the northwest. It's not aggressive and is quite a fair dungeon, so it was pretty popular among all kinds of Adventurers," Irene suggested.

I looked at her for a moment, knowing the painful memories connected with that place. She smiled flatly, seeing the question in my eyes, but waved her hand dismissively. In the meantime, Idna and Knys discussed her idea among themselves and they seemed to like it. Irene lowered her head and pretended to check her own notes when I finally realised her intentions. "I agree with Irene. Once our forces close on the Desolate Forest, I will leave it be."

By leaving that dungeon alone, Irene wouldn't have to visit it ever again. Also, it was the best choice from the Adventurer's Guild perspective. "In that case, Amber, can you summarise the current status of the citizens and supplies for us?"

•••

Blair was looking at the orders he received from the capital and smirked. He prepared half of the legion under his command to replace Legio Fulminata, which was currently stationed near the western border. He sighed heavily and looked toward Avalon. "Don't ask me for the impossible, my King..."

"What's the problem, Lord General?" Kirin's amused voice interrupted his grim thoughts.

"I don't have enough soldiers to cover all the key points in the province, Lord Kirin." Blair sighed.

"How many more soldiers do you need?" He asked in a more serious way.

"Five thousand at least..." Blair made a sour face.

"Hmmm... I can build a Legion Spawner, but I will need mana to keep it running." Kirin thought aloud.

"Wait... That's it! You mentioned that your inverted tower is ready for tests, right?" Blair looked at the figure of the wolf from which Kirin was talking. It was the first thing Blair asked him to do once he arrived in Westwood, since talking to the air was awkward.

"Yeees?"

"I plan to station all the Guardsmen I brought from Avalon in Westwood. Since we do not have any adventurers, my Guardsmen will be delving into your combat grounds. With this, I will keep them sharp and you will get mana. Thanks to that setup, you would be able to spawn legionaries. I will even ask the King to build us stables for horses."

"Lord Blair, this is a great idea!" Kirin's voice brightened, but then he sounded as if he cleared his throat. "Anyway! This was not the reason I haunted you today. Queen Lavender wanted to see you. She wanted to ask you to join her and her sister for lunch."

"Her sister? I thought that Dryad Queen was immortal while other Dryads have a similar lifespan to humans..." Blair was confused.

"That's true. Lavender's life is connected to the Dryad tree. As long as any Dryad tree exists in the world, she will live. However... Hmmm... You know what? It's good that your Guardsmen stay in Westwood." Kirin snickered.

"What?" Blair replied flatly while he put on his uniform jacket and adjusted it perfectly.

"Oh, it's nothing bad. Just... You know. Young boys and girls..." Kirin laughed.

"For Hestia and Eriar... Gods, give me patience..." Blair sighed when he understood.

•••

Mia smiled once they crossed the Hilgvarian border after her scouts confirmed, using their Radar skills, that there were no ambushes waiting for them. It took them less than three days to reach the border of Avalon, so they arrived far before anyone could anticipate them. The Verksan forces still hadn't reached this side of her kingdom, which suggested that Gilmour's forces were far less capable than her and King Theon's estimates. She looked at the sixth legion that was surrounding her and smiled coldly looking at West. "I'm coming for you, Gilmour of Verksa. Major Silva, inform our allies that I have returned to Hilgvar, and I have received help from Avalon. Don't be precise about what kind of help, but inform everyone that I am returning to the capital."

"As you wish, my Queen." He bowed his head and turned his horse towards the Hilgvarian scouts.

"Tia, I plan to divide the Legion after we retake the capital city. You will retake the east of the country and I will press towards the western borders."

"As you wish, sister." Previously, they needed three days to covertly leave Hilgvar. Now they moved quickly and openly so they would reach their destination in one day. "While Hilgvar is far smaller than Cridia or even the Kingdom of Avalon right now, our roads are far superior. Verksa will regret their invasion."

•••

"My King! Queen Mia Francesca returned to Hilgvar. She is currently heading here!" Gilmour's advisor stormed the plundered throne room.

"About damn time..." Gilmour sheathed his sword and waved towards one of his guards with whom he had sparred. "When should she be here?"

"We couldn't estimate her forces and many factors depend on its size, but probably three or four days..." The alarm trumpets started blaring through the empty city.

"What's going on?!" Gilmour yelled at the advisor and ran towards the Palace balcony.

The Hilgvar capital city, Asteria, was a bigger and overall nicer city than his own capital. Unfortunately, he realised that far too late and his soldiers managed to raze most of the city. Now, his view through the ruins of the northern district was unobstructed and Gilmour, in horror, saw a huge army bearing the flags of Hilgvar. In silent terror, he watched his most elite warriors trying to oppose the enemies, only to be mercilessly butchered. He heard the trumpets changing their call from alarm to full-scale retreat, however, he knew it was far too late. The wet sound of a body hitting the floor startled him, and he turned his head sharply. His advisor lay dead with a huge wound across his chest, and in the doorway to the throne room Mia Francesca stood. She was assisted by ten black and gold clad knights whose swords were dripping with blood.

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"Gilmour of Verksa..." She started with authority, but Gilmour simply jumped off the balcony.

She managed to surprise him this time, but as long as he lived, this war still could be won. He aimed at the big tree just below the balcony, and nimbly catching its branches, he descended to the ground. He ran as fast as possible towards the southern limits of the city, hoping to rally as many of his soldiers as possible. He heard two muffled thumps behind him and realised that Mia must have sent her new knights after him. Without looking back, he ran through the familiar layout of Hilgvarian Castle and finally he spotted his soldiers running towards him.

"Stop the pursuers and head south!" he ordered, dashing between them and towards the exit.

"Yes, my Lord!" the soldiers bravely replied.

The sound of the fight ensued soon after Gilmour crossed the corridor toward the main gate, but it stopped alarmingly fast. The gates were still open, but thirty Verksan soldiers were preparing to close them. "Stop!" he yelled. "Leave it be, knights! We must retreat from the city and regroup with the main force."

"As you wish, King!" They surrounded him and started running with him toward the south of Asteria. "What is going on, sir?"

"Mia Francesca returned with some reinforcements and took us by surprise. Once we meet with our main forces and mercenaries, we will begin the siege of the city." The wrath was boiling in Gilmour. "She was lucky this time..."

•••

"Gilmour is running towards the south, as you predicted, Sister." Tia relayed the message she received from the Storm Eagle lent to them by King Theon.

"Why hasn't he reinforced the city?" Mia sat on her ruined throne, wondering if she would ever manage to restore her home.

"From the very beginning, he planned to feint retreat from the city, leaving some of his men inside. His main forces were preparing to lay a siege to a freshly recaptured city. We have to confirm this, but I suspect he managed to compromise the southern walls." Tia shrugged. "Anyway, two Praetorians are chasing him. Should we catch him?"

"Hmmmm... King Theon would definitely order to capture him as soon as possible." Mia bared her fangs in a grin. "But I must send a message to our neighbours who are preparing themselves to interfere..."

"So you want him to rally his forces and beat him in a fair battle?" Tia looked at her sister with understanding.

"Hahaha, fair?! No... Facing one of the Legions of Avalon is far from fair, sister. But yes. I will crush the Verksan forces in the field." Mia's eyes burned with delight as she began to imagine her victory. "I have to make Theon proud of our achievements, sister."

•••

The next day, the Verksan army arrived on the outskirts of Asteria and looked surprised at the immense army waiting for them in a strange formation. The estimated size of the enemy army was equal to Gilmour's own forces. What was alarming, however, was the fact that their enemy resigned from the cover of the city, deciding to face them in the field. The weakened fragments of the wall were demolished, so Mia had seen through his plan. Without delay, Gilmour looked at his own ranks and gave the order to the front lines to attack the Hilgvarians. His regular army, accompanied by the mercenaries, started their charge towards the Hilgvarian knights. When his secondary and third line received the order to attack, Gilmour heard the sharp whistling as the enemy army moved in splendid unison. The front lines swiftly changed into a wall formation of huge, full-body shields, and rows of deadly spears emerged from the tiny gaps. The next whistle, however, made him understand that this battle would be the hardest in his life, if not impossible to win.

The enemy army slowly moved forward a few steps at a time, keeping their tight formation. A few screams from behind enemy lines, surely orders but impossible to hear, made his eyes wet from despair as the blanket of arrows rained over his soldiers, killing scores of them. The mercenaries, seeing the demise of their comrades and the fear in his soldier's eyes, started breaking formation and retreating. Gilmour rallied as many of his soldiers as he could and ordered them to push forward, grabbing his sword and shield and leading the way. The enemies were incredibly tough to kill. Their armours were far better than Gilmour's personal armour and the flashes of magic signified they had personal magic barriers. He prevailed, however, and pushed forward despite any obstacle. Hacking and slashing the enemy soldiers, he felt the terrifying gap between their levels, but there was no return. He would win here or his country would be doomed. The soldiers, led by his example, raised their war cries and relentlessly pushed forward. Under Gilmour's blade fell scores of enemies, and he was sure he had managed to destroy one of the strange rectangular formations.

"Sir! You must retreat at once!" One of his personal guards grabbed his pauldron, shaking Gilmour from a battle frenzy.

It was then that Gilmour realised he had been fooled. The formation he cut through was shallow, allowing them to have a fairly easy breakthrough, but now they were surrounded. Gilmour started maniacally laughing when he finally understood they were done for. Raising his sword up high, he cried for the herald to call to arms. The trumpet signalled an all-army attack and Gilmour started slowly withdrawing towards his lines. The battle hadn't ended yet. He wouldn't give that crafty Nekomi the satisfaction of an easy victory. His allies were watching this battle and as long as he could tip the scales of fate towards his side, it was still possible to win. Once his allies realised he could win, they would surely aid him in the war. The soldier who warned him about the trap suddenly hit him and fell on the bloodied ground holding his shoulder, pierced by an arrow.

The Verksan soldiers were falling around him and Gilmour was full of wrath. How did she manage to gather such a big and insanely well-equipped army? It was he who was supposed to be victorious. He screamed in fury as he cut at his enemies, but his sword was already dull. The enemies were using strange polearms, weapons that easily pierced and smashed through their armours. The enemy was not able to cut him off completely from the rest of his army, but he wasn't able to retreat from the ambush either. The prolonged battle was taxing and Gilmour began to feel the exhaustion. With an agonizing effort, Gilmour hit the head of an enemy soldier and smashed his helmet. He was sure the enemy was dead, but to his surprise, he simply took off the helmet that obstructed his field of view. What was under the helmet was far more terrifying than he expected. The two empty eye sockets were watching him with a deep, dark stare. The shiver of fear crossed his spine as he jumped back.

"Fall back! Everyone falls back!" He screamed, but when the herald was not sounding the retreat, Gilmour nervously looked around only to see the herald's body near the standard bearer. Gilmour, after looking back into the dark sockets of the Death Knight, hurried towards the herald's body and raised his trumpet towards his lips. He tried to call for a retreat, but the trumpet only made a flat, quiet sound. One of the pipes was chipped and Gilmour desperately covered it, trying to make it sound properly, but to no avail.

•••

"What is he doing?" Mia observed the charge of Gilmour at the middle maniple of the Sixth Legion.

"Committing suicide, I believe..." Tia's ears flickered in amusement.

"But... Why?!" Mia's ears also twitched in confused amusement. "I knew he was a musclehead, but I would never have guessed he was this stupid! What kind of King charges with the front line?"

"Gilmour." Tia giggled and offered an answer. "He saved us a lot of trouble. We should be thankful!"

"Ugh..." Mia covered her face with her hand. "Pfft... Fine. We will conclude this battle. Accept surrender from anyone willing to surrender and just hope the rest of our plans go as smoothly."

"The cavalry should attack now, my sister." Tia shrugged over the idea of the enemy army surrendering and pointed at the rear flank where the enemy was regrouping. "If we attack these soldiers, they might lose their morale entirely and start retreating."

"Agreed." Mia raised the mace she received from Theon and focused on the Hussars.

The Cavalry detachment of the Sixth Legion started their charge from the hill on which Asteria was located. At first, there was a silence that very soon turned into a whistle of wind and finally, into a thunderous roar that surprised the Verksans. Alarmed soldiers looked terrified at the huge mounts and menacing raiders that lowered their lances. In a swift, decisive strike, the side of the Verksan army was crushed. A few survivors were lying among the dead, too wounded or horrified to even stand up. Mia looked at this from the height of the city gates, frightened by the effects of her order. The enemy had no weapon to face the Heavy Cavalry of Avalon. Tia, using her authority as the general, ordered the attack on the second flank of Verksan's rear formation and the Legion Tribune, standing nearby, instantly complied. The Hussars gracefully, in one fluent motion, changed their course and soon formed into a capital letter V. The effect of the clash was exactly the same as before; a multitude of Verksan soldiers were killed and only a few survivors were left behind.

With an unwavering enemy in front and with the Cavalry that wreaked havoc on their rears, the Verksan army was unable to fight any longer. The battalions and regiments started waving white flags and soon after, the entire army surrendered. King Gilmour was captured, and he lost not only the war but also his right hand and sanity. From the ten thousand soldiers and mercenaries that Verksa brought to Hilgvar, barely half of them survived the only battle they had participated in. Mia, on the other hand, had lost five hundred legionnaires, which seemed surreal. She arrested Gilmour and any Verksan noble her forces found before disarming the remaining Verksan army.

"Hilgvar is safe again, Sister." Tia smiled at Mia, who looked off toward the horizon.

"For now." Mia sighed after a while. "We must restore peace in Hilgvar."

"I am sure we will manage to do it..."