The sight of the golden fields soothed my soul.
Wheat in endless rows put me at ease in ways I never imagined, and made me forget all the tiredness and pain I went through to achieve this. I looked at the hundreds of corpses harvesting the grains meant to feed the living, and it filled me with irony. It felt nothing short of poetic how the dead worked tirelessly to provide the people of Sanctuary with life force.
"Such is the circle of life," I noted to myself. Things went well, but I felt tired. "I shouldn't complain when I became the Elder advisor to solve all kinds of problems."
The weather graced me with just enough rain so the crops grew strong, and now they dried out properly for the harvest. Considering how Alexandra recently returned, and people called her the Goddess of Luck, it felt like a miracle that my plan worked out too. Or maybe I gave her too much credit. The girl I faced in battle seemed neither strong nor lucky.
I did not want to rely on such a thing as luck, whether she bent it for or against me, but I realized how underprepared I was as my plan advanced. I lacked the right spell at the beginning, and if I managed to get rid of Lambert the way I wanted, I would have been in serious trouble. If I made the mistake of becoming arrogant, these errors could easily cost my life.
"But fate was on my side," I mumbled, looking into the distance. "I refuse to call it luck."
By the time that coward gathered enough guts to escape, I learned his tricks, and while it took a tremendous effort to finish growing wheat, my mana lasted long enough. I didn't leave that to chance, it was all thanks to my efforts.
The winter slowly closed in on us, meaning the sun appeared later in the sky. But even if the days became shorter, my minions kept up their work and repeated the same movements brandishing hundreds of scythes.
I developed a new appreciation for farming. The people couldn't comprehend how difficult it was to bring food to their tables. Lambert did well to learn about these spells instead of useless combat magic when we fought no wars. Most wizards looked for easy and flashy moves instead of useful ones. The boy was a coward but a serviceable one.
"Humans want everything for free... Now that the Lesser Races don't serve them, they'd rather starve to death than work for their lives." I talked to myself while some corpses started gathering the wheat stalks. "Maybe I should ditch Sanctuary instead and keep these guys alive."
By the time the sun's warm beams caressed the bottom of the soft, endlessly rolling hills, they nearly finished with the immediate area of the manor house. When they reached beyond the first treeline and the stragglers gathered all the hay, I expected Stern's men to take over and start making flour.
That was beyond the capabilities of the undead. My scheme could advance into the next stage once they baked the first batch of bread, and I already saw my glorious entrance to the slums if I closed my eyes.
"You all served me well, the least annoying underlings I ever commanded." I praised them with a smile. It was a shame they couldn't talk or even hear.
The corpses needed two or three more days of good weather to finish their job. After that, I planned to sacrifice them in front of Sanctuary to show off my power to the masses. I regretted destroying them, but keeping them alive all winter seemed too bothersome.
I wanted to drain some of their life force because my wrinkles deepened again from cultivating the lands. But it seemed more important to impress the people, and I couldn't risk revealing my necromancer ways. Even if I did everything to save them, the masses were easily frightened and too dumb to know their interests.
"That sly fox was right, and I was worried they would stab me in the back," I remembered our last discussion about the failed raid and showing my weaknesses to awaken sympathy in the people. "They missed their only opportunity to strike while I recovered."
My fears turned out to be unfounded. The nobles refused to send assassins after me, even after Stern revealed our failed attack in front of the council. I felt disappointed since murdering a few hired swords would not raise suspicion if I used them to replenish my youth. But I expected plenty of opportunities in the future.
"My lady!" Shortly after I thought of him, the new Captain of the Royal Company appeared. But as soon as I turned to greet him, I realized my error since he held a different rank now. The king promoted him to Major. "You summoned me? What can Major Stern do for you?"
"Congratulations on your promotion," I smirked if he went to the lengths of even mentioning his rank. He served me well and with a little push, the king might name him his rightful heir, so I didn't mind pampering him a bit. "The harvest is going well. Send your men tomorrow at the latest, and they shall prepare the rest. But first, I have an important task for you."
"Oh, a task? What could it be?" He asked, clueless as always. "I hope you don't want me to bring more corpses. That would not fit a Major..."
"No, you complained last time that I didn't let you lead the army!" I noted with a mocking smile. "I want to compensate you for it and send out with some of your old troops."
"Why don't I feel like this is a reward?" He recoiled after he dismounted from his horse. "I take it, we talk about the men who let the Princess escape. You wanted to get rid of them, and now I'm going to lead them? Perhaps I upset you?"
"On the contrary, I'm satisfied with your recent work. And my plan also advances smoothly." I tried to reassure him. He looked at me suspiciously, but I didn't mind if he remained on his toes. "But there are some loose ends I want to tie up."
"Color me intrigued, my lady. So where will your quest take me?" Stern asked, observing the fields next to me. The undead worked fast and advanced a hundred yards along the fields since he arrived. "I take it you don't want me to murder my men somewhere out of sight?"
"I wouldn't phrase it like that... But I need you to take care of a reptile problem." I told him, feeling the crimson crystal burning my pocket. "After the battle at the crossroads, some lizards broke away from the destroyed horde and reached Nordhaben. Since your reports never mentioned them, I don't want the people to encounter any of their kind."
"Oh, just a simple lizard hunt then? I expected much worse." He raised an eyebrow right after his face relaxed. "You don't want me to bring back their corpses, do you?"
"What is this obsession with corpses, Stern? Do you think I need any more than these?" I answered in kind, resting my hands on my hips. "No, I don't need any dead bodies until the spring starts. I want you to return with fewer men than you set out with."
"You just said..." He raised a complaint, but I didn't let him continue.
"Hunt down the lizards first and push your men until they suffer some losses. You don't have to do it personally." I explained but did not finish. "If the small groups can't challenge them, don't worry, there are more reptiles to fight south."
"I suspected you had some control over the lizardfolks, but now you want me to hunt them down?" He crossed his armor-clad arms and I pondered how much I needed to reveal him.
"I control some of their tribe's shamans. Once they die or lose the crystals I use, the rest will do as they please." I told him, turning to observe the fields. "I no longer have use for those that act like bandits in our territories. And the Demon Lord also left his fortress."
"Y-you don't want me to fight him, right?" He seemed genuinely scared, and I enjoyed that expression. Eyes wide, his nostrils shaking, I almost felt doing just that, but I needed to stick to my plans. The Demon Lord was too big of an opponent, even for me.
"No, you idiot. I told you it's to hunt down some lizards and lose the ballast in the meantime."
"How far do you want me to go south?" He asked, still suspecting something.
"You are to round up and kill the reptiles that penetrated beyond the Cyreneian pass, then bypass Cranta Proper and harass their settlements on the fringes." I gave him the order and pulled out the magical crystal. "The game is afoot. The Demon Lord realized I lied to him, and nobody threatened his life. He leads an army against the lizardmen, thinking he can beat me doing so. But I don't want the remaining tribes under my control to engage him."
"So you want me to herd the rest towards the enemy while your other pawns will regroup?" He finally pieced it together. I nodded, and he continued. "And your orders are to lose enough men so they can't run their mouths."
"Indeed. You say they are harmless, but I don't want loose ends. And by sacrificing the lizards that are not under my control, I also preserve my forces." I confirmed and turned back towards him. "Oh, just one thing. I suggest you bring one of those fancy armor the paladin used against me. The lizardmen shamans know their stuff."
"You mean the magic-resistant one? Noted, and thank you for the warning, my lady." He bowed before returning to his horse. "So what force I'm allowed to take? Apart from the ones you sentenced to death..."
"A company should do. But don't engage their main forces and stay away from the armies of the Lesser Races." I stressed it once more. "I still have a use for you, so don't get yourself killed too. Just the witnesses are enough."
"You flatter me, lady Elder. I'll do as you wish." He was back at flirting again. This much I could still tolerate. He bowed once more before jumping into his saddle, nudging his mount into a gallop. He yelled before he reached the road. "I'll return with good news!"
