The battlefield was littered with the dead and dying. There were so many injured that the Black healing Mages had to abandon many enemy soldiers. One of the advantages of winning a battle was that allied soldiers took priority in mana's usage. Luckily for the soldiers of Antlatur, there was enough mana left over after all of the Black soldiers had been healed. But unluckily, there wasn't enough for all of them. So many who were not valuable enough or too severely injured were simply left to their fate. The prisoners who were healed or captured uninjured were corralled inside their own camp, split up, and stripped of their armor. They couldn't be brought inside the city due to the overcrowding of refugees.
Deciding what to do with the prisoners long-term was a problem, but it was handled in the short term. Accommodations for the first division inside of the city were made. The reserve Brigade took no part in the battle and would be guarding the prisoners. After all, the first division had just completed a grueling march and battle, and Valerius wanted them rested for the battles to come. All of this was arranged quickly but happened slowly. However, the army had an abundance of daylight due to winning the fight before noon, and they so easily spent the rest of the day tending to the wounded and making their post-battle arrangements.
The first division filed into the city via the gate the reserve Brigade had already left, and the second division had already gone in. They marched in with high spirits, buoyed by Valerius's victory and promises of one rest-day. Entering the city, James was struck by how different it was from the last time he’d been here. Grastide had always felt like an empty city with too much space. It was quiet and ghostly, but now it was packed, and the streets were lined with refugees. Valerius and James went ahead and met with Livia. However, Valerius claimed it was to discuss important matters with her, which might be true, at least in a certain sense. The real reason was likely a request from Livia.
James and Livia had different fathers, with a 20-year age gap between them. On top of that, James's mother had died when he was eight, and his father had proceeded her death, leaving behind James and his younger sister, Jane. He could barely recall his mother; his elder sister had raised him. That being said, James didn't want to receive preferential treatment, especially from his sister, as he'd already been teased and made the butt of jokes due to her constant maternal attitude when she was around him, which contrasted sharply with her normal behavior.
They entered the military compound of Grastide, accompanied by Valerius's companion, Cavalry, who took care of their horses in the yard. Livia's aide guided them to a meeting room. As soon as the door opened, the three of them stepped inside. Livia approached James, completely ignoring Valerius, with her arms wide open, ready for a hug. James dodged her embrace before closing the door behind him, finally allowing her to hug him.
Over her shoulder, he saw Valerius's handsome face twisting into a smirk. Glaring at him, James reluctantly returned the hug, knowing it was the quickest way to escape the situation. After they separated, Livia looked him up and down, and he did the same. It had been approximately a year and a half since he last saw her, as he had been stationed on the southern border and then on the eastern border, which kept him away for a long time. The last time they met was when Valerius had gone to see his daughter and, more importantly, to sire his second child.
Livia was a handsome woman. She was tall and robust, almost as tall as James, with the black hair and green eyes of the tallwoods. She always dressed impeccably in her military uniform, a black military uniform with gold and red accents and a red cape. Despite being attractive and the matriarch of a powerful noble family in the Kingdom, she'd never been married, although she had many lovers. She'd always insisted that James was her heir and should have children to continue the family line.
“You look good,” she said before affectionately patting him on the shoulder. He was about to say it when he saw Valerius smirking at him and chose not to say anything. He instead chose to stare at the floor. Livia didn't seem concerned about it and turned to Valerius.
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“You look good, General Black.”
“You look good as well, General Tallwood,” Valerius said with a mischievous smirk. “I look forward to working with you and the second division as my subordinate.” When armies were cooperating, generally, the Monarch would decide which general, if of equal rank, would be in charge. But if it wasn't specified, then the one from the higher division or brigade would be in charge. In this case, since Valerius commanded the first division, Livia commanded the second, Valerius would be in charge.
James looked nervously at his sister, expecting the outrage of a senior officer being disrespected. Lola Corralo Looked outraged on her behalf, but Livia had a serene expression instead. “That's fine,” she stated in a calm tone.
Valerius was flummoxed, and James understood why. Livia had been his superior, his mentor who mocked him when he failed and guided him back to his feet. He still had complicated feelings even if he knew it was all just to make him a better person. He wanted to see her squirm at becoming his subordinate as a fair turnabout. But her willing acceptance ruined his plan. James found, to his surprise, that he was also disappointed. She seemed to know exactly what was happening in their heads, so she smirked.
The two of them just stood there, feeling awkward. The door busted open, and a messenger came rushing inside. “General,” he said, breathless, “the enemy is attacking.”
“Who, where, and how many,” Valerius said, the commanding presence of a general snapping back into place.
“They're forming up in the valley and attempting a counterattack. There were only about 2,000 strong. Brigadier Drake and Samuel are already moving to attack them,“ The messenger reported.
“Then why are you bothering to tell me.” Valerius said, “Tell Rycar to turn around and support them. Tell Samuel and Drake they have my full permission to run wild.” The messenger remained silent momentarily before Valerius snapped at him, “What are you waiting for? A tip?” the messenger saluted and ran out, presumably to give the orders.
Livia looked to Valerius. “Was that wise? I suppose it's fine since it's those two mad hounds of yours, but still.”
Valerius looked entirely unbothered. “Drake's been looking to vent his anger anyway. Samuel's been showing him up the whole war, so it's best to let him vent a little.”
Livia looked at James, baffled. “Is this normal?”
James just smiled; it was normal. Everyone in the first division was utterly insane. He should know; he had to deal with most of the problems they caused.
“You were in the capital until recently, right? How're my kids doing, Livia?”
“They're doing fine. Luce is taking good care of them. Maria is still a bitch, though. I hate her almost as much as I do the fucking Emperor. He was the reason it took so long to get here.” The Emperor was the nickname for the king consort Howard Towers, and he was an uncle of the current king of Redtowers. His nickname was derived from the fact that the kingdom of Towers, before its collapse, was called The Towers Empire, even though they never officially claimed the rank of empire. More important was his overbearing attitude. He had strong support at court but was still broadly disliked. Livia hated Valerius's wife and the emperor and wasn't shy about her opinion.
“My wife, when is she not a bitch.” Valerius commented. “I'm just glad she's out of my life for good now. As for the Emperor, his precious son fled to the capital and abandoned the third division. On that subject, do we have any idea what happened to Roderick?”
“I believe he was at Eldon's gate when it got stormed, so either dead or prisoner. We could have used Falcus to trade for him if he was still alive.” There was a hint of reproach in her tone.
Valerius sounded defensive when he responded, “We have plenty of prisoners, including officers. We'll get Roderick back if he and the rest of our soldiers are still alive, with or without Falcus.”
“We should be more concerned with affairs in the capital,” Lola interjected.
Valerius glanced at her lazily. “We'll discuss that tomorrow. For now, I'm tired.”