Volpos was Shaboray's elder half-brother and the nominal first heir to Earl Omichear. Once Grand Sorceress Sophia stepped down, he would become the next lord of Silvermoon Castle. Combined with his command of nearly half the military force in Silvermoon, it could be said that he was the second most powerful figure there. For him to extend a personal invitation was the highest honor for the recipient.

But things were not so simple. As soon as Volpos finished speaking, Rosen subtly lowered his head and scanned the tent with just the corners of his eyes. At the same time, he opened his adventure log to get a close look at everyone's reactions. Most showed envy, some were lost in thought, and the intermediate wizard Horus, one of Volpos' confidants, wore a look of contemplation mixed with unconcealed jealousy.

From their earlier conversation, he should be quite close to Volpos. As a wizard himself, Rosen was a direct competitor if they both served Volpos. Clearly, if Rosen accepted the offer, Horus would likely oppose him at every turn. And the more outstanding Rosen's performance, the more favor he gained from Volpos, the more intense Horus' backlash would become.

Of course, competition was ubiquitous, and Rosen was not necessarily destined to lose to Horus. But could he accept the offer? He could, but at considerable cost.

Firstly, as a current follower of Shaboray, switching to Volpos would be seen as betrayal. Any rapport with Shaboray would be destroyed.

Then how would Grand Sorceress Sophia see this? Shaboray was raised by Sophia herself and their bond ran far deeper than her stepson the Earl. How would she view Rosen's betrayal?

And what about his teacher? While disapproving of Shaboray's vices, the teacher did not loathe him and even admired his frank nature. How would he see Rosen's betrayal?

So even if he stayed on in Silvermoon, forget ever receiving guidance from the Archwizard again, or even earning the teacher's contempt. He would not be named a full wizard before Volpos became Earl either. Because that required the Lord's recognition, and the current Lord was still Sophia.

So defecting to Volpos was far from the rosy prospect it seemed. The costs would be tremendous.

These convoluted considerations took less than two breaths in Rosen's mind. He gave Volpos a solemn bow, face impassive and neither servile nor assertive.

"My lord, I'm afraid I cannot accept your offer."

Volpos' expression darkened slightly. "Why is that? Is my sincerity lacking?"

Rosen continued. "Of course not. To be precise, it is not that I do not wish to, but that I cannot."

"Cannot? And why can you not?"

Volpos narrowed his eyes, concealing most of their icy light. He was quite displeased at having his offer declined.

Sensing the concealed anger, Rosen's heart beat faster. He focused himself and went on.

"There are two reasons. First, I joined the army by the Earl's decree. The Earl ordered me to follow General Shaboray, so I cannot go against his wishes. Second, General Shaboray entrusted me with continuing to lead the Silvermoon Rangers before he lost consciousness from his injuries. I cannot betray his trust either."

This was watertight. Volpos could not find any pretext to retaliate even if he wished to. Of course, this meant Rosen had thoroughly offended the Commander. He was certain to face great trouble in the future, especially from Horus. Now that jealousy had taken root, it would not disappear without expression.

'Hahahaha!'

Volpos laughed loudly, but his eyes remained fixed on Rosen, still icy cold.

"As expected of one favored by the Earl. Truly extraordinary. Since it is the Earl's command, continue following my worthless brother as a ranger wizard."

"You have my gratitude for understanding, Commander."

"Dismissed!"

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Rosen bowed again before exiting the tent. Once he left, Horus sidled up to Volpos and murmured, "Commander, it is not a good thing for one so talented yet loyal to Shaboray to be here."

Volpos slanted a glance at him and snorted.

"Most important now is defeating the invading Frost Dwarves. Everything else can wait until after victory. Understood?"

Sensing the warning, Horus' heart quailed. He quickly bent slightly at the waist. "Yes, my lord."

Seeing Horus withdraw to the side, Volpos leaned on one hand, gazing at the painting on the table yet recalling the youth's spirited visage. Complex emotions roiled in his chest.

"That useless Shaboray actually obtained such a gem. What ridiculous luck."

But he harbored no murderous thoughts. The boy was just a fledgling wizard after all. At most he would make Shaboray's days more comfortable, not enable his comeback. They were brothers, after all. As long as Shaboray posed no threat to his status, there was no need to keep him beggarly and humiliate the whole Omichear clan.

On the other side, the chill wind struck Rosen as he exited the tent. Raising a hand to his forehead, he found it slightly damp with cold sweat. Facing down the Commander had been risky business. What if Volpos was a petty tyrant who had just dragged him out and chopped him up? He could reprimand him afterwards but Rosen would not rise from the dead!

But it seemed Volpos still had some depth after all. Calming himself, Rosen headed towards the medical tent. But he had barely gone a dozen meters when two armored templars blocked his path.

"Restricted area, no unauthorized entry!"

Rosen said, "I'm General Shaboray's adjutant. I'd like to know his condition."

But the templars did not budge. "The Healer is treating the General. He is in no mortal danger, so rest assured."

Seeing they would not be moved, Rosen could only leave. The massive camp was filled with strangers besides Shaboray and some rangers. Unsure what to do, he could only wait outside the medical tent.

After a while, some familiar faces walked over - Captain Hamill and his men. They had washed the blood off themselves and dressed their wounds. None seemed gravely injured.

Rosen went up to them. "How is it? No issues?"

Captain Hamill looked worried. "We're fine, but I'm afraid the General is in bad shape."

The other rangers also wore somber expressions, understandable given their concern for Shaboray and their own futures. With the commander badly wounded but subordinates unscathed, they were already guilty. No one felt like talking so Rosen said, "Then let's wait here."

"Yes."

The warriors nodded. After about an hour and a half, the tent entrance parted and a somewhat familiar figure emerged. Rosen recognized her as Healer Vina and quickly called softly, "Lady Vina! Lady Vina! How fares General Shaboray?"

Perhaps because Rosen was conspicuous as a child in camp, Vina remembered him. She raised a hand to her lips in a silencing gesture, then said something to the templars who stepped aside.

Rosen hurried over, the other rangers following closely. Up close, he quickly asked, "Lady Vina, how bad are the General's injuries?"

Vina's hands were covered in blood as she headed towards a wash bucket. Rosen scooped up ladlefuls of clear water to help wash away the blood as she talked.

"The General is gravely wounded with severe trauma to his organs and many lacerations. But he is hardy and treatment was timely. Lying abed one or two months should let him move again. Full recovery will take at least half a year."

"Half a year?" That was a long time. By then the war would likely be over.

Vina gestured for more water. Once Rosen poured it over her hands, she continued, "Being able to fully recover is already the best outcome, so there is no use complaining about the time."

She was right. For such serious injuries, avoiding disability was already fortuitous.

When Vina's hands were clean, she took out a silver disk about the size of a palm from her pocket. It bore the Omichear family crest. She handed it to Rosen.

"Here, the token of command. General Shaboray woke briefly and insisted I pass this to you. He said for you to take command of the Silvermoon Rangers in his stead."

Rosen was taken aback, apprehensive. Though he had expected this, he had never formally studied warfare. Leading troops in battle now, even if just two squads of rangers, still made him anxious.

Just as he hesitated on whether to accept it, Captain Hamill's voice sounded from the side. "Wizard Rosen, since it is the General's wish, please accept it. We are willing to follow your orders."

"Yes!"

"Go ahead and take it."

"We need a commander after all. No one is more suitable than you."

The rangers voiced their support. With that backing, Rosen steeled himself and accepted the token, tucking it on his person. "I will do my best."

A gentle smile graced Vina's face. She took out four small bottles and handed them to Rosen.

"The green ones are healing potions for emergency treatment, three in all. The blue is a mana potion for you to hold as emergency stock."

These were life-saving items far superior to their rudimentary first-aid kits. Rosen was deeply grateful. "Lady Vina, you have my deepest thanks."

Vina patted Rosen's shoulder. "It is I who should thank you for fighting on the frontlines. Just take the utmost care."

The healer exuded an ineffable aura of goodwill, her ordinary words imparting a warmth that reached the heart.

As she turned to leave, Hamill watched her departing back and could not help sighing, "Gentle and compassionate, truly befitting a priestess of the Golden God."

The other rangers also looked upon her with reverence.

Rosen's mind stirred. "The Temple's skill at winning hearts is formidable indeed."

Personally of course, he did not object to such means. Their healing and gifts were a great boon. But leading the rangers - he was utterly clueless about that.

(End of Chapter)