Once again, the Riberan charge stopped as my army advanced. It was only a fifth of the size, but still, I could see the fear infect the eyes of the enemy, noting this new obstacle on top of the monster known as the Arbiter.

Hana’s ponytail whipped behind her as she stood strong, batting away the few loose strikes that came for her.

My troops marched up to her, facing down the Riberans with stony resilience. In the front rank, spearmen levelled their weapons, and the Mages behind them charged fire and kinetic energy in their palms.

“We have the numbers!” It was the same voice from before. I didn’t know if it was loyalty, fear, or simple determination, but that single voice seemed completely unwilling to read the writing on the wall. That would lead them to their deaths.

While it was true they had an overwhelming numerical advantage, that wasn’t all that mattered. We had the terrain, the uncompromising power of Hana and Shia, and really, Duke Kalvin’s troops were just better-trained.

All that led to not only cancelling their advantage, but taking one for ourselves.

They no longer charged, fearful their momentum would see them butchered, but they inched forward, step by step, ready to meet my army and overwhelm them.

I huffed. In truth, I’d hoped this display would be enough to put them off, but one man offering encouragement had been able to drive them on. Maybe they were scared of the consequences for failure, that an ‘honourable’ death was better than execution, but self-preservation would kick in eventually.

It was time to play my last card.

Shia, I thought, do it.

Finally. Her chest soared as she received my order, and I felt the magic surge through her, a grin breaking out. She channelled magic from the Divine Grimoire, and the earth itself began to shake.

The first screams pierced the air. Soldiers lost their footing as cracks began to appear, men stumbling over each other to escape, or advance; I don’t know if even they were sure, at this point.

The quakes intensified, and I felt energy surge through Shia’s body, sticking every hair on end while she directed gravity to grow. Strained expressions overtook their faces, backs bowed and weapons clattering to the floor.

Mages tried to toss fire and force, but they could barely raise their arms.

All right, I thought to Hana, repeat after me.

Clearing her throat, she projected her voice across the now-ruined landscape. “I imagine you have all been told that this is a noble quest, one in which you will defeat the ‘false King’, and finally be able to take your country back.

“But I ask—is it worth it?” She levelled her sword on the opposing crowd. Nice touch. “Which of you want to die for a man who would sooner see you dead than ever know a taste of freedom?”

Even if they didn’t fully believe her, all it took was one seed of doubt, and they’d begin to fracture.

Silence reigned as her words echoed across the plains. Thoughtful looks appeared on some faces, but others just appeared as if they were rats who’d been locked in a cage with a lion.

“Retreat!” Once again, that voice rang out, but this time it lacked the previous resolve it had held. Instead, it was shaky and fearful.

The enemy scrambled to follow their de-facto leader, trudging through the gravity zone like they were sprinting through syrup. They weren’t really my enemies, though.

Aleister was.

And so, as I watched the retreating backs of an entire duchy’s worth of soldiers, I reflected on a job well done.

We’d won the battle without a single loss, but still, I couldn’t help checking the War tab to see the cost of my victory.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

War

Territories (-100–100): 0

Losses: 0

Enemies Wounded: 542

Enemies Captured: 0

Enemies Killed: 12

***

General Melric was awestruck, and his eyes filled with stars every time he looked at me. Karron just asked me to marry her. It was tempting, but honestly, I figured I wouldn’t be able to handle her, and besides, the idea of a loveless marriage left a sour taste in my mouth. I barely knew the woman.

When Shia and Hana returned, the latter actually smiled, then returned to the expressionless wall-painting I’d gotten used to. Shia went as far as hugging me. Not that it didn’t fill me with fuzzy warmth, but it was surprising, and people usually had ulterior motives for that kind of thing.

Still, it was Shia, so I accepted it, patted her on the head, and told her, “Good job.”

Her smile made it worth it.

The next few days passed in a blur, with so many things moving at once I barely had time to breathe. Duke Kalvin insisted we reward the troops, even though their entire role had boiled down to ‘stand there and look menacing’, but I couldn’t dispute them a bonus. The Treasury could scarcely afford it, but it was fine.

Morale was important, after all.

Then, he offered me his daughter’s hand in marriage, apparently to ‘strengthen the ties between our two duchies’. We both fell over ourselves giving excuses, eventually coming to the conclusion that our alliance was strong enough already.

Besides, if the direction of her glances when I used Combat View were anything to go by, I wasn’t her type.

Konstantin informed me that the Merchant Guild, though making an overall loss, had swelled in membership, and the new movement of the economy combined with increased tax income might make my amphitheatre possible without Ribera.

I just ordered work on the bathhouse instead, beginning my entertainment district. Since the buildings were already there, all we’d need was plumbing and a Fire Mage to heat it all, so I could expect completion within three months.

That sounded long, to me, but given how complicated the plumbing systems were in this world, I accepted it. I still wasn’t giving up on the enchanted pumps idea, though. All it needed was a power source.

Could I bring electricity to this world? As I understood it, some Light mages could control lightning, which again confused me as to the magical classification. Maybe one day, I’d have Shia explain it in detail.

But if it was possible, wouldn’t someone smarter than me have thought of it already?

It didn’t take long for Cannara to report the return of the armies, and Captain Maxwell’s desertion from Aleister’s forces. He’d taken the first chance he had to join up with her and begin planning a revolution.

On my order, they spread discontent, telling the truth to all who would listen and having several gatherings broken up by the Zaruan Guard. A few of the deserters were caught and executed, and my chest flared at the news. Everything came with a cost, true, but why did it have to be paid in blood?

Still, it was better than the alternative, which was an all-out war that could potentially cost thousands of innocent lives. It frustrated me to no end that I couldn’t find any others.

Eventually, the public in Ribera cottoned on to all the lies and propaganda, demanding answers from Aleister as to why the people of Larm were happy while they were miserable, and why a lavish tyrant such as myself had won such bloodless battles.

He responded with the same old platitudes about his benevolence and right to rule, but this time, his people refused to accept it.

From there, riots erupted, citizens taking every chance they got to make the Guard’s lives a living hell. Several on both sides ended up dead, and I again chewed my lip and pounded my fist on the table, but I had to remind myself that this was just the best of a bunch of bad options.

The riots grew into a full-on rebellion, and fires and melees began taking hold in the streets of Zarua. I had to use Ruler View efficiently, having Cannara give orders to the revolters to evacuate those uninvolved and minimise losses.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.

At this point, the force who’d attacked Larm returned, led by a man named Andus Kellyn, who I assumed was the source of the directing voice from our skirmish. He’d had a change of heart, and immediately joined Cannara and Captain Maxwell in the upheaval of their current order.

Eventually, Aleister’s line crumbled beneath the relentless pressure, and despite my warnings, a party of citizens charged his fortified manor.

They were slaughtered without mercy, and every subsequent assault failed after running into clever positioning of archers and catapults.

Yes, the madman was using catapults on fucking civilians. When I heard that, red invaded my vision, and I trembled with an icy rage I’d never known until now. The battle was at a standstill.

After conferencing with my three Generals, we unanimously agreed that there was only one course of action. As I’d told Duke Kalvin in our first meeting, the citizens of Ribera had done most of the work for us, but asking more of them was callous at best.

There was no need for them to throw their lives away anymore.

It was time to march on Zarua.