Chapter 26: Back Tent Dealings
The Month of Ninsum Day 31 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar
Andrew left his campfires burning overnight as he retreated from the battlefield. This caught Valerius off guard, as he had expected Andrew to continue the fight instead of making a stubborn tactical withdrawal. Valerius had only sent soldiers to monitor Andrew’s camp, anticipating a nighttime assault from Antlatur. The soldiers were deceived by Andrew's choice to leave most of his tents standing and his campfires lit, leading them to believe his soldiers were still present.
Andrew had already abandoned much of his heavy baggage, including many tents, to facilitate a faster escape. This decision made sense, as tents primarily served to ensure the soldiers' comfort and maintain morale; however, morale was already at rock bottom. Furthermore, each soldier was now considered a precious commodity. Andrew's main goal was to escape with as many lives as possible.
Due to this situation, Valerius was aware of his retreat the following morning when he had already made good progress on a different route. Valerius wasted no time; he quickly organized his forces and began his pursuit. His initial objective was to trap the Antlatur forces, but that plan failed. He had hoped to block them within the Norost Mountains, starving them out or forcing them into an unfavorable battle. However, with Andrew getting ahead, Valerius needed to outpace his opponent and set up a blockade to achieve his goal. Linnea countered that challenge by sending cavalry units ahead to seize the valley entrances and any strategic points where Valerius might attempt to make a stand. Valerius faced a numerical disadvantage despite all the fighting and was unwilling to engage in a fair fight on an open field.
Valerius's army shadowed Andrews as he continued to retreat, leading to a series of skirmishes between the two forces wherever they marched. Valerius focused on eliminating all of Andrew's scouts and began to succeed, aided by his scouts' terrain advantage. He also attempted to provoke Andrew into an unfavorable battle on multiple occasions, including Linnea Vanguard. He would hang the corpses of dead Antlatur in front of them and have his men shout insults at them as they marched; nothing worked.
Valerius's alternative plan to ambush Andrew's army while they marched seemed unlikely to succeed due to Andrew's commitment to maintaining an extensive network of scouts for intelligence gathering. Even after losing hundreds of his scouts, Andrew insisted on sending them out to gather information about Valerius's army's movements. Consequently, Valerius's attempt to ambush Andrew's forces while they were stretched out along the road failed. The situation became so dire for the Antlatur scouts that Andrew dispatched knights to assist them in hopes of reducing their casualties. This pattern of dead Scouts and the two armies following each other continued for two days. On the evening of the 31st, the Antlaturs set Camp on a small rocky plane next to a stream. The Black forces set their camp on a nearby hill barely one mile from the Antlatur and were within sight of each other. This was Valerius's last attempt at baiting Andrew into a battle, but it seemed his gambit had failed.
*****
Stephron Monica felt a familiar cool mountain breeze reminiscent of his homeland. As it touched his skin, he experienced a moment of peace. He quickened his pace towards the meeting spot at the urging of his trusted bodyguard, his only companion that day. The Antlatur had constructed a proper camp for the night, digging trenches and establishing rudimentary walls. Andrew likely feared he might meet the same fate as Falcus Ormond, and even Stephron could recognize that building walls were the safer choice despite being almost a novice in matters of warfare.
He arrived at the meeting place, one of the few tents they had left after discarding many during the retreat. Even Stephron had to do without many of his creature comforts due to their hasty withdrawal. Usually, he would knock, but there was no door. Since this was a secret meeting, announcing his presence might have been better. While he was lost in thought, the tent flapped open, and someone gestured for him to enter. He and his bodyguard stepped inside. The tent was simple, furnished with only a few magical lamps and mats on the floor. Most of their heavy baggage had already been removed, leaving no tables or chairs except for the war council table.
Zack Pickett looked at him with a snarky smile that Stephron found all too familiar. Many young people who had yet to learn to mask their arrogance and emotions often disdained royalty, especially royalty like him. He was the 31st Prince of the Kingdom, counting all his brothers and sisters. The likelihood of inheriting the throne—or anything else—was practically nonexistent. He held almost no value, even in a political marriage. The most likely outcome for his future was to become a minor knight captain if he was lucky. Of course, Zack was already a knight captain with a king's trust and was more potent than Stephron's father. Of course, he wouldn’t regard them as equals. He had achieved his position purely based on ability.
Zack and several other antler knights were gathered around, seated on mats on the floor. He recognized only Zach from their time in the war council. Stephron politely lowered his head to the group but did not bow, maintaining his status as royalty. Zach stood up, and his subordinate stood up more reluctantly. “I hope I'm not late,” he asked politely.
“No, you're fine,” Zach said, waving him off. It was rude to address a prince that way, but he had no intention of saying anything else. After sitting down, Zach and his subordinates followed suit, and the group remained silent momentarily. They knew why they had gathered, but no one wanted to speak it aloud. Depending on one’s interpretation, even this meeting could be considered treason, and what they planned would get them court-martialed.
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Stephron also felt nervous about their plan, but his training in royalty helped him hide his feelings more effectively than the rest of the group. However, as the silence dragged on, even he began to show signs of anxiety. He had always been in the background, never competing with his siblings for the throne and deliberately avoiding his mother’s attention. His father’s wives and concubines acted like hyenas, fiercely competing over which of their children would inherit the throne.
Stephron knew he would be thrust into that world if his mother harbored any interest in him or believed he had a slight chance of becoming a contender. For years, he had avoided attention, kept a low profile, and maintained his place in line. That strategy had allowed him to survive for so long, but it was likely what had led him to this precarious situation.
His father was notorious for his drinking and womanizing. He cared little for anything other than his pleasures and ruled the Kingdom of Monica as a tyrant. He wasn't just a common hedonist but an exceptionally skilled tyrant and politician, as evidenced by his nearly 50-year reign over the kingdom. While it could be said that the kingdom had prospered under his rule, it certainly endured rather than thrived. The kingdom was experiencing a decline, primarily due to their overlord, the Kingdom of Antlatur, facing its general decline rather than any specific failures of Monica. Additionally, they lost several gold and silver mines to the Uscan Union.
The kingdom's politics had become increasingly complex due to several factors. One of the main issues was the presence of gold and silver mines. The Kingdoms of Monica and Unica were rich in these resources, and most of their territories initially belonged to the Uscan Union, which the Kingdom of Antlatur conquered. When Antlatur sought to establish Affiliated kingdoms, the gold and silver mines became a central point of contention.
Typically, a kingdom would welcome the creation of affiliated kingdoms. Nobles in the new kingdom would predominantly come from the motherland, and many of their citizens would be relocated. This arrangement would temporarily mitigate overpopulation issues and create a loyal affiliated kingdom that would provide taxes and troops without the burdens of ongoing maintenance costs.
The situation with the Kingdoms of Monica and Unica was different. The Nobles of Antlatur were reluctant to relinquish control of the gold and silver mines and the wealth they brought. As a result, a compromise was reached: both kingdoms would be granted their independence, but in exchange, they would have to surrender 80% of the ore produced by the mines and cover the costs associated with running them.
This arrangement worked well initially because the nobles were related, and the kingdoms were starting to establish themselves. However, over time, the kingdoms of Monica and Unica began to see themselves as separate identities rather than part of Antlatur. They started to resent the requirement to hand over 80% of their gold and silver, especially as Antlatur failed to protect them and their mines.
At the same time, the influence of Antlatur remained strong due to its power, and the Kingdom of Monica held the status of an Affiliated Kingdom. Many nobles were interconnected through family ties, with longstanding relationships between relatives from both kingdoms. The main factions in the two kingdoms formed around their positions on Antlatur: the pro-Antlatur faction and the anti-Antlatur faction. The King of Monica was certainly anti-Antlatur. Initially, the anti-Antlatur faction held the upper hand in the Kingdom of Monica, mainly due to the weakness and incompetence of Higgsbury IV. However, with the rise of the "Golden Stallion," the situation began to shift in favor of the pro-Antlatur faction. The King’s father had been reluctant to send reinforcements but felt obligated to do so because of their alliance contract and the growing influence of the pro-Antlatur supporters. He decided to send Stephron to command the army, as it was necessary for a royal to lead, and it made sense to choose a royal of seemingly lesser value.
Of course, this didn't matter to him as he wasn't particularly involved or interested in politics. Still, he was aware enough of the situation to realize that his father was probably celebrating at this moment as he had dutifully sent a war report to him. He probably held a private banquet with many pretty young girls as long as that report reached him.
“Are we going to do?” this one young knight asked.
Zach nodded. “We need to show those Rebels the pride of Antlatur. We must also show the Golden Stallion that Princess Linea is just a coward.” Stephron regarded his words. Linea had retreated from a battle where she and the first division had had the upper hand because she said it felt like a trap. Ultimately, it turned out to be a trap, but many officers, including Zach, criticized her for it, saying that if she'd only pressed the advantage, they would have emerged victorious. “It should be us, the proud knights of Antlatur, who take the lead, but instead, we were relegated to the river detachment. The Siege, if we'd been there, we would have broken Luca, and he merely would have become another notch on my spear.”
“The first division still has Samuel Magyar. He's cut down dozens of skilled knights, even a few Marshall Saints,” one older knight commented.
Zack scoffed. “He's a relic of the past. What is he, like, 60 now? His spear is rusted, and his wits have no doubt dulled over time, just like Falcus Ormond. And don't forget that I have a trump card.” Zach reached into space. A few seconds later, a fog emanated where his hand was. The mist was red and light blue, and a bright light emanated at the center. A Phase weapon could disappear into space and be summoned by the intent of their wielder. Stephron had never seen one before, which made sense. It took an exceptionally powerful enchanter to create one. For the most part, they were relics passed down through the generations and not weapons one made, and the kingdom of Monica, which lacked a long history, obviously lacked Phase weapons.
Although he knew about the weapon in question, who was the lance claimed from a Triton Noble during the war. The lance was named “Lafox alsairs.” The Lance of the Valiant. One of the King of the Azore's top generals used it during the conquest of Sapphire and Jade Island. Eventually, after the collapse of the Azores Kingdom, it passed, as many artifacts did, to the Kingdom of Triton. “With this Lance, I'm invincible. Let Samuel Magyar come at me, and I'll claim his head; so are you in?” He turned to Stephron. He felt the breath catching his throat, and his heart began to race. But he felt backed into a corner if he returned now with no accomplishments. Although he likely wouldn't be criticized, he wouldn't be praised either. Nothing would happen, nothing would change; everything would remain the same. He would merely return to being another Prince among 31 others.
“I'm in.”