Tamiron surveyed the room, noting the disbelief etched on each face. He had anticipated their reactions, but the silence that followed his announcement was unexpected. He took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his decision settle on his shoulders.

Everess’ hand found his, a silent show of support. He met her gaze and offered a small smile, grateful for her understanding. Turning to Sevidon, he found the man’s eyes fixed on them, his expression unreadable.

“You’re moving too quickly, Tamiron,” Sevidon interjected, breaking the silence. “We should discuss this further before making any final decision.”

But he only shook his head. “My decision has been made and final. We can discuss the details later once we’ve addressed the matter at hand.”

The disappointment was evident on their faces, especially Ravaen, who avoided meeting his gaze. Glaivel spoke up, his voice calm and measured. “If that’s your decision, so be it.”

Graveloth nodded in agreement. “It doesn’t matter who leads, as long as we work together to eliminate the threat. That is enough for me.”

Kaira turned to Aderon, seeking his opinion. He remained silent for a moment before speaking. “I have nothing to add. My earlier words still stand. Whoever takes over must possess the same qualities and clear-mindedness as Tamiron.”

Ravaen’s voice cut through the tension. “You seem unusually calm, Aderon. This isn’t like you.” Both of them shared a look.

“Don’t even start. Not today,” Aderon interjected, his voice firm. “Let’s get on with the meeting.”

Glaivel, still puzzled, directed his question to Everess. “How did you learn about Mencraft weapons before we could inform you?”

Sevidon, catching on, glanced at him before turning back to Everess. “Tamiron told you, didn’t he?”

Everess nodded, her gaze fixed on the table. “Yes, he did.”

Sevidon continued, “Have you confirmed that these weapons belong to the race of men, or are they remnants of them?”

Everess shook her head. “I cannot confirm that yet.”

Ravaen, unable to contain himself, interjected, “How could you? You wiped the town off the map.”

Kaira quickly intervened, “Ravaen, enough.” Kaira ended it, then looked at Everess. “But he’s right. Were you able to confirm the origin of these weapons?”

Everess sighed, “No. The town was heavily fortified, and my troops couldn’t penetrate it.”

Aderon pressed further, “So you decided to destroy the town instead?”

Everess explained, “I discovered that the town was being used as a storage for Mencraft weapons. Since we couldn’t take the town, I decided to destroy it.”

Ravaen argued, “You could have just destroyed the walls. Ravaen argued, “You could have just destroyed the walls. For Animos’ sake, you have magisters with you,” his tone hinted disappointment.

Everess countered, “Their magic can’t reach that far. If I had taken the lead, the soldiers would have become complacent. Our abilities on the mind of these soldiers? They’ll think they are invincible. That can lead to a very bad situation.”

Ravaen chuckled, “Like what? Men and women of the armies not dying? I don’t understand your logic, Grand Sage. And out of all of us, you are supposed to be the most logical one.”

Everess sighed deeply and leaned back in her chair. “There’s no point in arguing with you when you’re this hot-feathered.”

Graveloth interjected, “But Ravaen is right. You can do amazing things, powerful things, maybe even comparable to the Gods and Animos. It would be beneficial for us if you did, so we can end this war as soon as possible.”

Everess responded, “So you want me to end this war now? Do it all for all of you?”

Graveloth tried to clarify, “Well, that’s not what I’m—”

“Then after that, what?” Everess cut him off. “Your people, at least most of you, will then build monuments, then shrines, and then a few years later, I’ll have my own followers. I’ll be a god to them.”

“That’s not what he’s saying—” Glaivel attempted to intervene.

“That’s precisely what will happen if I do everything for all of you!” Everess shouted, her voice trembling.

“Not everything will be given to you,” Everess continued, her voice calmer now. “There are times when you need to work for it yourselves.” Everess made her point, as everyone did not attempt to talk back to her anymore.

The tension in the room was palpable. The servants did their best to cool things down as they served everyone matrik, except for Graveloth.

Graveloth broke the silence. “My apologies, Everess. I mean not to offend you.”

He could see the remorse on Graveloth’s face. The hologram was that detailed. He turned to Everess and reached out to hold her hand. Despite the iron hands he possessed, he could still feel the warmth of her skin.

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Everess sighed. “I didn’t mean to shout. I apologize for raising my tone.” She then addressed everyone, “Please know that I’m doing everything I can to make things go as smoothly as possible. Right now, and what happened to Ogbar, is what I can do to smooth things out for you. And the intel I have managed to gather.”

Aderon cleared his throat and took a sip of matrik. “Okay then, tell us what you’ve managed to gather.”

Everess composed herself and stood up, the projection of the map still on the table. She cleared her throat and began to speak, “Ogbar is just a distributing ground. That castle, a remnant of the wars of old, of the once prosperous Xerxecia in the distant past, is the main hub of the creation of the mencraft weapons. Oroz’Kram.”

Sevidon and Glaivel leaned forward, sharing a look before turning back to the map. “You two know this castle?” Everess asked them.

“Stories. Even I myself wasn’t born that early in the world’s history. But my father has countless tales about the old wars. Wars that shaped the very continent itself,” Glaivel said.

Everess nodded, “Recent patrols indicated that most of the mencraft weapons and armor are made here. The castle is very much alive as well, with forges burning round the clock. With the confirmation of the weaponry the Xerxecians possess by Glaivel and Sevidon, a head-on assault now would not be ideal.”

“I’ve only heard rumors and stories about mencraft. But for them to have this kind of advantage could explain their strength, besides their numbers,” Aderon remarked. “We need to restructure our plans around this.”

“We need to reorganize our troops due to recent losses as well,” Glaivel added, disappointment evident in his tone.

“That castle needs to be captured as soon as possible. We can’t afford to let it remain under their control for much longer,” Ravaen explained. “We also need to determine if the race of men still lingers on this continent.”

“Tamiron, I understand that the imperial army is using a different kind of steel. Holenshartz, correct? Why can’t we use that instead? It has the highest chance against mencraft,” Kaira inquired.

He seemed perplexed. “Despite them being evenly matched, there’s another problem that we can’t deal with.”

“What is it?” Kaira asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

He sighed, knowing what he was about to reveal. He stood up, opened the door, and summoned a Sulinhawi soldier stationed outside, followed by an imperial one. Returning to the room with them in tow, he addressed the imperial soldier. “You, give me your helmet,” he ordered. Confused, the soldier obeyed and handed it over.

“Where are you going with this?” Kaira asked, puzzled by his actions.

He stood before the Sulinhawi soldier, holding the helmet. “Hold this,” he ordered, and the soldier, visibly confused, complied.

He watched the soldier’s struggle, then suddenly let go of the helmet without warning. The Sulinhawi soldier nearly dropped it. “Too heavy for you?” he asked.

“No, Sire,” the soldier replied, but his shaky hands and strained expression told a different story.

“You need to be honest. Is it too heavy for you?” he pressed.

The soldier glanced at Glaivel and Sevidon, then admitted, “It is heavy, Sire.” Disappointment was evident on his face, mirroring the expressions of the others.

“Holenshartz is the most durable and strongest of all metals in the continent, though it is also the heaviest. That is a normal imperial foot soldier helmet. Imagine our arrows, swords, shields, spears, and armory. Other than the imperial army, the entire united forces would crumble under its weight,” he explained. “Trust me, I’ve thought about this too. But the Trasidian physique is vastly different from the rest of the kingdoms. Even Trasidian-bred horses have the same properties. Our scholars, along with some Orderian scholars, are trying to figure out why and how."

“They can be compared—no, they are greater than Kra’en weapons, if I remember correctly. Even our own skills of crafting weapons and armor can’t be compared to the Kra’ens. Now imagine Mencraft weapons.” Glaivel then further explained.

“Given this, it’s clear our weapons won’t hold up in a prolonged conflict. It would be wise that we halt any operations or missions involving an open fight,” Sevidon elaborated.

“Then perhaps I should explore other ways for you to fight in the Far East,” Graveloth interjected, offering his assistance. “Given the Iron Kingdom’s current political situation, it’s the least I can do.”

“Can Kra’enite even match up to Holenshartz?” Ravaen clarified.

“It can. I’ve worked with both myself. While Kra’enite isn’t as heavy, it possesses the right balance to rival Holenshartz, though not as strong,” Graveloth replied as thought about it too.

“Perhaps it’s worth investigating further,” Sevidon suggested. “At present, it’s our best shot to prevent our soldiers from being killed in a single blow.”

“I’ll arrange for our finest smiths to reach out to you in the Kra’en Kingdom. They might offer valuable assistance,” he offered, to which Graveloth smiled in gratitude.

“Thank you, Tamiron. That would be really helpful,” Graveloth acknowledged warmly.

With a deep sigh, Tamiron rose to his feet. “Very well, now that we have a course of action, let’s continue our efforts. We’ll await updates from Graveloth. Tomorrow, we’ll convene to discuss my successor as Grand Commander.”

“Are you really going to see this through, Tamiron?” Kaira asked, expressing concern.

He responded with a reassuring smile. “It’s for the best.”

As Everess promptly departed, followed by the others, Ravaen left without even giving him a glare or a look. Alone with Aderon, Tamiron broke the silence. “I noticed some commotion outside earlier,” he remarked. “Is everything all right?”

Aderon hesitated, his gaze momentarily falling before meeting Tamiron’s eyes again. “Everything is as it should be, Tamiron,” he replied, his voice tinged with a somber tone.

“It doesn’t sound like it,” he replied, concern evident in his voice. “Look, I know you don’t consider me a confidant or a friend, but know that I’m here to listen whenever you need me.” He reached out and patted Aderon on the shoulder.

Aderon’s gaze flickered to his iron hands, then back to his face. There was a moment of silence before he finally nodded. “Thank you, Tamiron,” he said softly, before turning and leaving the room.

He watched him go, a sense of unease settling in his chest. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, that there was more to Aderon’s troubles than he was letting on. But for now, all he could do was wait and hope that Aderon would open up to him — or at least to some of them — when he felt the time was right.

As he left the room, he took a few moments to reflect on the events of the day. The weight of his decision to step down as the Grand Commander hung heavy on his shoulders, but he couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief and anticipation. He had been considering this move for some time, and now that he had made the decision, he felt that it was the right move to make, especially given what was going on with their circle.

As he walked through the corridors of the castle, his thoughts turned to who would replace him as Grand Commander. He already had someone in mind, someone he knew was deserving of the position. It was a difficult decision, but he knew it was the right one.

He smiled to himself as he thought about the person he had in mind. They were a skilled and experienced leader, someone who had proven themselves time and time again on the battlefield. They had the respect and admiration of their peers, and he knew they would make an excellent Grand Commander.

As he reached the end of the corridor, he paused for a moment to take a deep breath. He knew that the road ahead would be challenging, but he also knew that he had made the right decision. As he was about to enter his room, he noticed three soldiers approaching. They were the imperial guard — the Queen’s Guard, to be more precise.

Confused, he waited for them to approach, and they saluted him before handing him a scroll bearing the Queen Empress’ Seal.

End of Chapter VIII