New Phase (2)

The air in the secluded room felt unusually heavy today.

“…What will you do?”

Unlike usual, only two members had attended the Group of Four meeting.

The expressions of those present had hardened with gravity.

The silver-haired priest spoke with a tone of complaint to the man who had his arms crossed.

“The nobles are being cautious because of that woman’s warning. It seems like… we’ve really messed this up.”

The man gave no response to his words.

He merely tapped his finger rhythmically on the desk.

Tap, tap, tap.

Most of their plans had come to nothing.

The attempt to take control of the Legion had failed, and the Partisans were effectively annihilated.

The Western Legion Commander had regained his senses and was now showing a cooperative attitude toward Loen Franz.

The situation was dire.

If they were to withdraw from the West without any accomplishments…

Not only would they lose face before their Lord, but they might also have their qualifications to lead the demon army called into question.

They couldn’t let that happen.

“This has become troublesome.”

The man muttered quietly as he rose from his seat. The silver-haired priest’s gaze followed his movement.

“The Group of Four is disbanded. From now on, act on your own.”

“What? What do you mean…?”

The priest’s eyes widened in surprise.

But the man disappeared outside the room without any explanation, emitting an ominous aura.

The priest left behind exhaled softly.

“Haah…”

“W-what is that?”

“What’s going on… huh?!”

In the vast encampment in front of the Western Legion Fortress.

A great commotion broke out among the soldiers who had been enjoying a rare moment of rest.

The once quiet encampment suddenly began to stir.

The reason was none other than a massive caravan of carriages raising dust on the horizon as they approached.

It was no ordinary procession.

“Just at a glance, it looks like a hundred, no, over two hundred carriages?”

A soldier muttered while rubbing his eyes.

“That must be the support they said would arrive soon.”

“Just how much gold must be flowing…”

Unlike the soldiers, the knights who had more insight couldn’t hide their astonishment for a different reason.

It was because of the escort forces and the banners they carried.

“I never thought I’d live to see them in person…”

“I heard they hardly ever mobilize.”

The two ducal families that represented magic and knighthood in the Empire: Franz and Bastard.

And the elite forces of each family:

The Magic Battalion and the Armored Knight Corps.

These forces were known to be on par with the highly regarded Imperial Armored Knight Corps, and in some cases, were considered even superior.

It was no wonder people were surprised to see them appear simultaneously.

The caravan entered the fortress to the full attention of the legion soldiers.

The heavy sound of wheels echoed throughout the fortress.

Eventually, the long procession stopped upon reaching the central plaza.

And Loen’s group, who had been waiting in the plaza after hearing the news, were equally unable to hide their surprise.

Psyche and Leus repeatedly exclaimed in admiration with sparkling eyes.

“Wow… the carriages are endless, aren’t they, Loen?”

“This must be the true strength of the Franz family!”

Seraphine opened her round eyes wide and couldn’t continue speaking. She clearly hadn’t expected that even the Bastard family’s elite forces would come.

“Why is the Armored Knight Corps here?”

Finally, Loen.

Brother, didn’t you say you’d send a moderate level of support? But this…

‘In what way is this considered moderate…’

Loen’s red eyes trembled slightly.

“…”

Soon, the leaders of the Magic Battalion and the Armored Knight Corps dismounted and walked respectfully toward Loen and Seraphine, bowing their heads.

“Young Master Johan asked me to send his regards.”

“Young lady, have you been well?”

The fortress, which had been quiet as people rested, was now filled with lively bustle as the massive supply of provisions arrived.

The expectant cheers and footsteps of the soldiers shook the entire fortress.

In the fortress dining hall.

The four members of Loen’s group huddled together at a corner table, continuing their meal.

Looking back at their recent exploits, they could be described as nothing short of heroic, yet all their faces appeared gaunt.

The forced march and battles that had continued for days on end, followed by the arrival of the massive caravan just as they were about to rest.

Their already thin cheeks seemed to have sunken in further, making them look haggard.

“…”

“…”

Everyone silently stuffed food into their mouths.

Only the occasional sound of utensils hitting plates could be heard.

Amidst this, Loen struggled to speak.

“Is everyone’s body okay?”

To his question about whether their battle wounds had healed well, each responded briefly.

“Yeah.” Seraphine answered shortly while picking at her salad with a fork.

“Yes.” Psyche mumbled with her mouth full of food.

“I-I’m fine! Thanks to the healing artifact Senior Psyche gave me, I recovered quickly!”

Except for Leus.

He was already being treated as the youngest.

From Haven until now, he had proven his abilities through numerous battles, so his recruitment into the Inspection Corps was essentially confirmed.

Moreover, since he was young, Loen had decided to speak to him casually.

“Good, that’s a relief.”

“Thank you!”

Though what he was thanking him for wasn’t clear.

As Loen lowered his head again and picked at his food, Psyche’s voice reached his ears.

“By the way, Loen. We’re going to rest for a while, right?”

Loen was inwardly surprised.

Psyche saying something like that?

‘Even large dogs get tired after walking all day, so there’s no reason Psyche shouldn’t get tired.’

Loen nodded in understanding.

“Yeah. We plan to rest for about a week.”

“All right~”

Everyone smiled faintly at Loen’s words.

Having fought three battles without rest, everyone needed time to regroup.

In fact, considering what they had been through, even a week seemed woefully short.

The table grew quiet again.

Seraphine suddenly raised her head as if remembering something.

“Oh, right. Did you hear the news? They say the Capital Corps reinforcements have passed through the gateway.”

“I heard.”

“Huh? This is the first I’m hearing of this?”

“Harkon told me.”

The dispatch from the Capital Corps.

I heard that it was approved by the Imperial family around the same time we were fighting to recapture the satellite fortress.

Of course, the entire Corps wasn’t being dispatched.

“Wow, they’ve already passed through the gateway? That’s surprisingly fast!”

“Of course. It’s not the entire Corps, just the knight division.”

“Ah, I see~”

To be precise, it was only the 1st Knight Division of the Capital Corps, but still, it was a formidable force not to be underestimated.

It consisted of no less than a thousand elite knights.

In any case, there were now effectively three Legions present in the West.

From Loen’s perspective, this certainly wasn’t a bad thing.

The vast expanse of the West was large enough to establish two or three kingdoms. To quickly suppress the chaos throughout this expansive region, having more allies was always better.

However, in this case…

“Doesn’t the command structure become a bit ambiguous?”

Loen muttered without realizing.

Even if the Western Legion was fine since Commander Harkon held goodwill toward me, how the Capital Corps reinforcements would react was uncertain.

There was no way they would simply follow his command.

“Command structure? Since there’s no immediate threat now, can’t everyone move separately?”

“That’s true.”

Loen nodded at Seraphine’s question.

Come to think of it, with the Magic Battalion and the Armored Knight Corps having joined, they had more than enough forces anyway.

Perhaps there was no need to worry about the command structure.

At that moment, Psyche interjected. Her eyes sparkled mischievously.

“From what I can see~ Just like what happened in the South, His Majesty might give Loen something!”

“What?”

“Hmm. Well, what’s higher than a Legion Commander?”

As Psyche pressed her hand to her lips in contemplation, Leus quickly came to her aid.

“Are you referring to the position of Commander-in-Chief?”

“Ah, that’s it! Commander-in-Chief! Anyway, I think this is when His Majesty will appoint Loen as the Southwest…Army? South…Western Force? Something sounds off.”

“Southwestern Combined Forces is the correct term!”

“Right! As expected from our youngest. Anyway, Loen will be appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Southwestern Combined Forces—”

THWACK!

“Ouch! Why are you hitting me again?”

Psyche clutched her forehead and looked at Loen with an expression of injustice.

“Don’t say such ominous things.”

“Huh? Why is that ominous? Isn’t it a good thing…”

I’m already struggling as it is.

I’m scheduled to take the position of Investigation Team 2 Leader after this expedition ends, and now you want me to be Commander-in-Chief too?

To Loen, that seemed completely unreasonable.

After finishing their meal, the group left the dining hall and headed to their respective quarters, ending their exhausting day and falling into deep sleep.

And the next morning.

“An imperial envoy has arrived?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Due to the sudden news of an imperial envoy’s visit, key personnel including Loen gathered in the fortress plaza.

The entire fortress was buzzing from early morning.

“Everyone, silence!”

Soon after, an envoy who delivered the Emperor’s orders descended from a golden carriage and spoke:

“I will now convey His Imperial Majesty’s command.”

Loen with an uneasy expression, Psyche with sparkling eyes, the staff officers and Commander Harkon with puzzled looks…

As the attention of everyone gathered focused on the envoy’s lips.

He opened his mouth with a resonant voice.

“Effective immediately, Loen Franz is appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Southwestern Combined Forces, overseeing both the South and the West.”

Loen froze in shock.

Her eyes shook violently in disbelief.

She quickly took the letter from the envoy and scanned its contents.

Then she bit her lip.

The reason she bit her lip was none other than…

The word “interim” that should have been placed before “Commander-in-Chief” was nowhere to be seen.

That word did not appear anywhere in the letter.

Finally, Loen squeezed her eyes shut.

Behind her, Psyche and Leus secretly whispered to each other.

“See? I told you this would happen.”

“You’re amazing…!”