Chapter 31: Triumphal Return

The Month of Ceres Day 27 Year 675 Of the Second Holy Calendar

Thomas Segon was a soldier of the First Division of Antlatur. Taken prisoner during the Second Battle of Hayden's Ford, he and his comrades were shoved into a mining pit on the outskirts of the city of Grastide. When they arrived at the mine, they met with their comrades who had been taken prisoner during the battle of Grastide. Those soldiers had had all of their will sapped out of them, and they looked like dead dogs. He and his comrades had initially laughed at them for losing their will so quickly, but now he understood why proud soldiers could so easily succumb to obedient slaves.

The Kingdom of Black had several mines in their territory, which was one reason for their constant raids on Antlatur - to gain the slaves necessary to operate their mines. Over 80% of the slaves in the Kingdom of Black were employed in mining. Most of the female slaves, instead of being used by the kingdom itself as sex slaves, were sold off to other countries. As the Kingdom of Black didn't lack free citizens willing to become prostitutes, what it lacked was labor for their mining.

They even had experience in dealing with former soldiers being demoted to mining slaves. Rebellion among the slaves was crushed quickly and with complete brutality. Prisoners were taken and then cruelly tortured in front of the survivors. They employed several torture methods, including crucifixion, hanging a soldier by his hands, cutting off his feet, and allowing the soldier to die of blood loss. Their final method was the cruelest of all. They would tie a soldier's neck and feet to a steam engine and then turn it on. The pulley would then rip the soldier in half, causing blood and internal organs to spray everywhere.

On a day-to-day basis, they were fed almost nothing, constantly whipped, and forced to do hard labor. They were closely monitored to prevent any communication between them. They were even divided frequently into different groups to avoid familiarity with one another. They were also forced to provide all of their mana every day to large magic stones that were provided to them. This drained their magic and prevented them from using it in the attempted rebellion or escape. On top of that, soldiers were everywhere guarding them, beating them when they got out of line, and generally making sure they stayed quiet and obedient.

Thomas was subjected to this the same as his other comrades, and eventually, he'd become a shell of his former self. He was unable to even think about rebellion or resistance. Just trying to survive was difficult enough.

He was rudely awoken one day by loud banging and shouting. Well accustomed to this, he hastily moved into the at-attention position. All of the fellow prisoners in his barracks did the same thing. The Magic Lights, which were previously off, were now shown on every single prisoner, blinding them temporarily. He knew, without needing to look, that soldiers also surrounded the entire building just in case any one of the prisoners attempted to escape or start a rebellion. Shortly after, they would be divided into smaller teams and shoved into the mining pit to begin working. After a few hours of work, they would receive their morning meal at staggered times. This was to prevent a number from even being able to eat together.

“I hope you had a good rest, Ladies,” a soldier in a Red Cloak shouted. “Today, the wise Lieutenant Colonel has an announcement for you.” Thomas's heart sank when he heard that. An announcement could only mean one thing: one of his comrades had attempted an escape or rebellion and was to be executed, and they would be forced to watch.

They were forced to form two columns, divided by a line of soldiers, and march to the center of the camp. Each barracks was about 300 housed soldiers. He only knew this thanks to his instinctual understanding of the military, which enabled him to tell the difference between the sizes of units. They came from all over the Antlatur Alliance, from multiple kingdoms, further dividing them to prevent them from committing subterfuge.

When they arrived at the square, it looked like only one another company had been gathered rather than having all the prisoners in the camp. There were also no prisoners on the stage; instead, only the man he knew as the wise Lieutenant Colonel. He was a tall man, shaven and lean. His black hair was peppered with gray, and his face was scarred. He wore a red cloak, marking him as an officer, and was surrounded by soldiers.

“You filthy Antlaturs,” The wise Lieutenant Colonel started. “I would personally love to keep you here for eternity and make you pay for your crimes committed here. Or better yet, sacrifice you on the altar of Noel to avenge my fallen brethren.” He spat venomously; clearly, he wasn't joking and would do that. “But unfortunately, the wise Queen Veronica and that damned fucking Council of Idiots have decided to make a peace deal with your damned homeland. Therefore, you can all go home. May you live the rest of your life in misfortune and misery and be eaten by a monsters on your way home.”

There was a moment of silence on the square as the 600 Antlaturs processed what was just said. They couldn't believe the wise Lieutenant Colonel's words, which made sense—the most challenging days of their life hadn't been the war with the Kingdom of Triton or even the war with the Kingdom of Black. It had been the past month where they had been put through enough suffering to last an entire lifetime. Some part of them still thought this was a trick, a trap set by their captors so that way more of them could be executed. Ultimately, the blatant unwillingness of the wise Lieutenant Colonel and others resulted in the realization that this wasn't a trick, and they began celebrating.

As the aide of the wise Lieutenant Colon, he made the same suggestion that he always did. “Sir, shouldn't you prevent them from celebrating? What if the other prisoners hear?” The Black soldiers had gone to great lengths to prevent the other prisoners from knowing that some of their comrades were being released. All the other prisoners were currently down in the mining pits, which would prevent them from seeing that their comrades were getting released and wanting to follow them. Thanks to the lengths that they were willing to go to blind the prisoners of the operations of the camp, they wouldn't even notice that their comrades had gone missing. This wasn't the first batch released, and it wouldn't be the last.

The wise Lieutenant Colonel responded the same way he always did. “I hope they do start a riot. That way, we can kill them all,” he said viciously.

The Kingdom of Black didn't just engage in cruel methods out of a sick pleasure in doing it but rather because they had to. There were about 45,000 prisoners taken in this war, which was more than the Kingdom of Black had in soldiers. If they started a riot, there would be serious consequences to the Kingdom of Black. But they also did it out of righteous anger against the soldiers of Antlatur.

The Black Knife Valley had almost been destroyed and the Black Valley had suffered a similar fate after barely recovering from its previous conflict. Although the mountainous part of the country was largely spared from the devastation due to moving out of the way during the invasion, it still suffered damage and disruptions to its regular way of life. This angered the soldiers, who vented it on the prisoners suffering a ruthless fate.

*****

Valarius oversaw the prisoner exchange and the handover of territory. However, he didn't particularly appreciate Busy work, so he made James Tallwood do it. At the same time, he hunted monsters in the Black Valley, played war simulation games with Livia Tallwood, comforted Charles after hearing of his brother's death, and drank himself into a stupor. He also started training the first and second divisions along the border to show off.

Despite all this giving off an air of him being entirely at ease, he wasn't. He was anxious to return to his family as much as any soldier in the army. Partly to confirm their safety, although he had received reports and direct letters from Luce confirming their safety, he still wanted to confirm it with his own eyes. His son would be almost 8 months old, but despite that, he had never even seen him because he'd been on the battlefield or in a military fortress the entire time. He was eager to return home but couldn't show that because the soldiers had to remain to oversee the transfer. If he revealed his anxiousness, it would only cause the already fluctuating morale to fluctuate further. So, instead, he laughed, joked, hunted, drank, and got into fistfights to display to the soldiers that everything was normal and acceptable.

Finally, on the 23rd of Ceres, the exchange was complete; 7000 soldiers from the third division who had been captured at the beginning of the war and were returned. The rest of the soldiers were released in exchange for ransoms, and the compensation was paid. Once that was done, the first division was recalled to the capital to guard the compensation and ransom money as well as to guard the capital. The second division would guard the city of Grastide for the moment the Black Valley fortresses were to be temporarily abandoned. That came straight from Veronica, so Valerius followed it without complaint.

The 7,000 soldiers from the third division would be used to supplement the ranks of the second in the first division depleted by the war. The Kingdom of Black had pulled out all of the Financial Resources to build the third division destroyed in this war. Although dead soldiers didn't need to be paid, their families still needed to be compensated, which was close to 5 years of that soldier's pay. This needed to happen to motivate soldiers to fight. However, it was still financially devastating, so temporarily, the Kingdom of black would return to its two-division system, with the major cities and Fort Frances all playing hosts to garrisons and the first and second divisions being the actual military force of the Kingdom.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

*****

The first division crossed the Howard Bridge and proceeded to Lapetra. There, they encountered the devastated remnants of Michaelton, named after the first patriarch of the Black family, and more ruins of villages and farmland. Though the Harden War veterans were accustomed to such scenes, they still felt a twinge of sadness. After all, this was their homeland, not a foreign land.

As they approached the city, a scout he sent ahead came riding back to report. “Your Highness, a group of people is waiting for us in the city.” After surprising so many of his enemies, Valerius insisted on maintaining a perimeter at all times, even when he was in the heartland of his kingdom.

“A group of people, you say, not enemies, laying Siege to the city?” He said, somewhat concerned. Only about 3 years ago, he'd returned to the city to lift the siege of his now father-in-law, The Wolf of the Norost mountains. Even though that victory had won him international fame, it still left a bitter taste in his mouth as it was only shortly after that that he was forced to marry his wife.

“Yes, sir,” the scout responded. “They are almost certainly our people. They're even waving our flag.”

“They sound like the greeting party to me,” James said beside him. He had been sulking because Valerius had teased him about having to part with his sister.

The Scout nodded. “I believe the same thing.”

“Well, if they're not hostile, just keep marching until we reach the city,” Valerius said.

After they arrived at the city's gates, it became clear exactly what the Scout meant. A crowd had gathered outside the city, waving flags of the Kingdom of Black. When they saw the first Legions approach, they started celebrating.

“They're here to celebrate James's triumphal separation from his sister.” There was this smattering of snickering from the companion cavalry.

James turned a green-eyed stare on Valerius. “That was very funny, your highness, but hiding your feelings like that isn't good. I know you're disappointed that Lady Luce wasn't here to greet you. Especially since you've abstained from sex for how long now.”

This time, there was genuine amusement and laughter at Valerius's expense. He said nothing and smiled magnanimously, allowing them to laugh. After all, he had been doing the same thing to James for the past week.

They passed through the celebrating crowd gathered outside the City Gate. A delegation from the Grand Council came and congratulated Valerius on his victory, although he didn't care and hardly paid attention to them. Once he received permission from the council, he and his army marched into the city to the crowd's jubilation. Upon entering the town, the crowd gathered along Main Street and celebrated even louder: “Glory to the kingdom!” “Victory to the soldiers!” “Glory to Noel!”

The people continued celebrating with such cries. James shouted over the crowd, “The people are here for you, your Highness. Show them what they want to see.” Valerius raised his hand and waved at the crowd. There was an explosion of noise like a magic spell: “Glory to Valerius Black!” “Victory to the prince of the storm!” “All hail the savior of the Kingdom!” Eventually, the various cries formed into a single sound wave, and everyone in the crowd came to chant the same thing. “Glory to Valerius Black.” He winked at a girl throwing flower petals and smiled at the crowd. This only caused them to go crazier, and the shouting grew even louder and louder.

The first division reached a square located directly outside of the Citadel. The Citadel was shaped the same way as the city's walls, like a pentagon, and its walls were even taller than the outer walls. It housed several essential buildings, such as the Grand Council chamber, the palace, and most administrative buildings. Notably, the nobility would not be allowed to reside within the citadel. Even guests from foreign kingdoms weren't allowed to live there. Only the priestess of Noel and the royal family and their household were allowed to live in the Citadel. This was because it was technically enshrined in the sacred land of Noel. Only the royal family who acted as the High Priests of Noel, as well as were rumored to be descendants of her and her priests, were allowed to live there.

The square was large enough for the entire division to assemble. Valerius climbed onto the platform and looked down at the neatly packed rectangles of soldiers before him. Some civilians managed to get into the gaps around the rectangle, and the cheering continued throughout the city. Valerius formally promised an end-of-campaign bonus before temporarily disbanding the division.

Once he was done, he entered through the gates of the Citadel to go to the inner Palace. The Citadel was one of the last few places in the city where you could find nature. Several trees and patches of grass divided the buildings within it. As he walked past, Valerius ignored the administrative buildings and the Grand Council chamber. He saw Noble starting to spill out of the grand Council cham. He ignored them and sped up, practically moving at a run.

The Citadel was built before the city of Lepetra, and even though it was founded correctly, the Royal residence was built after the foundation of the Black Kingdom. This resulted in the Royal residence being shunted off into one side of the Citadel while simultaneously looking a lot grander than all of the other buildings within the area as there was a larger budget when constructing the palace in comparison to the different administrative buildings when Lepetra was only a city on the rise. Valerius had to enter and walk through the palace to reach the Detached Palace where he and his family lived. Luckily, the Royal residence was neither notably Grand nor particularly large outside of a series of meeting rooms and reception areas, a grand hall, and a ballroom meant for hosting events and greeting guests of the Royal Family. Once he got through the Royal residence, he arrived in the backyard, as it was called, which divided the primary residence from the detached Palace.

He glanced briefly at the window he knew led to his brother's room. But he was no longer the same as before. Francis was almost certain heir to the throne, and he was disdained bastard child of the queen. Their positions have been reversed, creating a nearly comic disparity. He was now the hero of the Kingdom who had led it to victory against its ancient rival, while Francis was a disgraced Royal who had fled in the face of the enemy. Valerius couldn't forget his position. There was a constant reminder behind him that his companion cavalry was always protecting him.

He arrived in front of the detached palace guarded by a gate large enough for a few horses to pass through. No proper door was attached to the palace, only this and a portcullis and a few secret tunnels and passageways in and out. This was for defense reasons, or at least so Valarius had heard, as the detached Palace had been initially built for Veronica and her mother, who'd been named heir to the throne despite opposition from most of the nobility. Fear of assassination had resulted in Francis stowing his daughter away in his sheltered corner of the palace under constant protection. When Valerius was born, although he didn't have a massive target painted on his back like his mother, he was still an outcast and was sent to a detached Palace.

He shouted for the guard to open the gate, and when he did, he entered and was promptly saluted by the gate guards, who all came from the first division they had followed him around through his numerous campaigns for years now. Their loyalty to him personally was precisely why he had chosen these guards to guard that detached Palace over allowing the royal guard who had divided loyalties to the queen, to the emperor, and the country over allegiance to himself personally.

When he entered, a small grassy area was enclosed by a wall. Part of it was the original wall of the Citadel, and a part of it was a new wall divided to keep the detached Palace separate from the rest of the Citadel. The house was made of stone and brick. Part of it was painted white, but for the most part, it was kept in its original color. The house would have looked like a sleepy little Manor house that a minor Noble would own in the countryside if it weren't for the fact that the towering black walls behind it framed it.

Valerius walked on the well-manicured path straight to the house. As he walked by, he passed a couple of servants, some of whom looked at home with Confusion, and some who recognized him saluted or bowed respectfully. But he completely ignored them, which contradicted his usual practice.

He finally arrived at the front door, which he vigorously opened, practically slamming it. Finally, his eyes rested on his target. Luce was not a beautiful woman. Almost everyone would agree on that. If you asked 10 people to rate her appearance, most would say she's cute and leave it at that. She had brown hair flowing down her back and an oval-shaped face. Her curves were nothing to speak about, but they weren't nonexistent either, and her choice of dress was the traditional black style, modest dark colors with lots of fabric.

She was waiting at the door for him like she always had done before. “Welcome home,” she said. Her tone had no lies or falsehoods; it was the same genuinely welcoming smile and expression. He finally felt at peace for the first time in over 14 months.

*****

Dominic had been rudely awakened, or at least so he felt, from his nap and dragged to the living room. He only wanted to go back to sleep, but unfortunately, his captors wouldn't allow him. Nora had also been dragged to the living room, and it was clear that she wanted to play. Dominic tried his best to appease her.

Luce had disappeared somewhere but reappeared, this time accompanied by a man. Dominic immediately knew that this was some form of a relative of Nora's. He had the same golden eyes as her, something unique that he'd only seen in her, although there might have been a common trait in this world. Other than that, he was the most handsome man Dominic had ever seen. He had sharp masculine features and outstanding cheekbones.

When he entered the room, even Nora, who had been happily playing, stopped and fell silent. Dominic felt a chill run down his spine, and he realized that only a second later, it was a thrill of extinction fear. That was just the type of presence that he carried. The man's golden eyes scanned the room until they locked with Dominic's. The man did a double-take and took a better look. Dominic wondered if he had something on his face.

He walked over to Nora and picked her up. “Do you remember me?” he asked curiously. Nora just stared at him like she had to Dominic all the time.

“Of course, she doesn't,” Luce said, rolling her eyes. It's been close to a year.” She finally giggled and reached out for his face. After a while, he handed her over to Luce and turned his full attention to Dominic.

“They told me you were different,” he muttered. “I just didn't expect this.” He picked up Dominic. Jane, who usually would have stopped this, knew how uncomfortable he was with random strangers touching him. But she didn't, maybe because of his aura or because she knew who he was. He looked at Dominic like he was looking at a wounded animal. He just had no idea why.

After a while, the man sat Dominic down and disappeared with Luce somewhere else. He knew what they were about to do based on the atmosphere between them. But Dominic was too busy thinking about something else to care. He'd been thinking about his powerlessness and inability to protect himself for a while. After all he got wrecked by a car. But after seeing how the man behaves, he finally understood all he needed to do was obtain power. It was so simple that he felt stupid because he hadn't realized that earlier. “All I need to do is get power. Power so I can determine my own fate.”