The new group stayed together and slept away from the adventurers and the civilians. They used a single torch for illumination, putting it out as soon as they were settled in their little corner. The adventurers returned to their spots from earlier and continued where they left off. Before long, everyone else fell asleep. The tranquility was interrupted by light snores which served as a lullaby for Dreu. Despite his eyelids getting heavy, Dreu turned to his footman.

Is there a duration before you are unsummoned? Dreu asked the footman.

Unless I am defeated in battle or you unsummon me, I will stand guard by your side.

Will keeping you summoned drain more of my mana?

No, the initial mana cost you use for the summon is all that’s needed.

That is good to know. How about you share with me your past?

My past?

I asked the first footman and he clamped up. Maybe you can shed light on how you became so proficient in battle. As the sorcerer said, my ability is exceptionally rare. I expected to summon weak footmen but the two I summoned so far are anything but weak. I may not be a veteran myself but even I can tell you and the other footman can fight better than most adventurers I’ve met.

The footman stared at Dreu but the young man had a hunch the footman was communicating with the other footman. There was still so much about his ability that he didn’t know. He waited for what seemed like several minutes before the footman walked away. Before he could call out, the first footman’s voice stopped him.

He will go stand watch for any dangers. We cannot be certain that the demons won’t mount another attack on us. I apologize for the secrecy. I was hoping to keep you in the dark as I believed it would be safer for you that way. I realized that my approach was wrong. Let’s start from the beginning. My name is Bayard, former general.

I’m Dreu Guillotin…former laborer.

His job title had never sounded so lame in Dreu’s head. He wasn’t sure how he could shrink into a ball in embarrassment within his mind. He also didn’t know why he put the former before the laborer. He might have the equipment and was traveling with adventurers and soldiers. However, his lack of training made him no better than any civilian given a weapon. Former general sounded a lot cooler, though the title did lead to a lot more questions than answers.

I was a laborer once before I joined the Knight Academy.

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The Knight Academy in York?

No, the Knight Academy in Xante.

The capital? I never heard of the one there.

That was over three hundred years ago. I was likely one of the many reasons they shut down the Knight Academy there.

Three hundred….years?

The drowsiness that made Dreu’s eyes heavy suddenly vanished. As an avid learner of history, he was always fascinated with the past.

How do I know you aren’t lying to me? You can be making up stories for all I know.

Making up stories? Surely you have records to confirm what I say.

Records beyond three hundred years ago are locked in the palace vault. No one except for those in high places has access to them.

What? Surely people still speak of the past?

I fear talking about the past is punishable by death. People who got too curious disappeared and were never found again. We were told that the past is hidden for our own good.

I see Xemir has hidden the past to solidify his control over the humans.

Dreu frantically looked around the cave for any mysterious being materializing out of nowhere. Since he joined the squad in Berkton, he developed a superstition of Xemir appearing if anyone mentioned the god’s name. He was told that the god’s name wasn’t to be spoken lightly. While he sincerely hoped the part about Xemir appearing was completely made up, he knew for a fact how extreme Xemir’s followers were. One was far more likely to be maimed or killed by those zealots for speaking the god’s name than feeling the wrath of Xemir himself. When Xemir didn’t appear out of nowhere, Dreu apologized to the footman.

To control through superstition. Xemir has done well for himself. He was always a master of manipulation.

You seem to have great disdain for him, Bayard. Did he wrong you in any way?

We were on opposing sides. I served under Emperor Gavienus Tobias, the follower of Xyheia. We fought in the Battle of Chilsor Plains and Xemir’s side won. The last emperor died in that battle and we’ve been waiting for a new emperor to lead us. For three hundred years, we waited and waited for a second chance. We nearly had given up hope. Then, you came along and we knew the new emperor is here. That emperor is you, Dreu Guillotin.

Me? I’m just an ordinary man. I have no powers. My parents were just simple farmers.

I never question Xyheia regarding her decisions. If you inherited the Emperor Class, you must have something special within you. Know that all of those you summon will be absolutely loyal and will fight in your name. My only advice is to not believe Xemir. He lies and manipulates people for his own dark agenda. He has already fooled all the humans about his supposedly good deeds. Behind that facade of his is a being who has far too much hatred within him. Once he learns about you and the Emperor Class, you will be targeted.

With his eyelids growing heavy again, Dreu asked that their conversation be postponed to a later date. Meanwhile, he tried to absorb everything he just learned from the footman. While he was never a follower of Xemir, he also never opposed the god as his life thus far was neither aided or hindered by the divine being. The thought of his new ability bringing about the wrong type of attention worried Dreu. He was already adjusting to the fall of Berkton so he wasn’t a fan of more possible changes. Before Dreu got any further, sleep embraced him.