The streets of Crimson Rose City, the capital of the Kingdom of Ocrana, were filled with the thrill of celebration as throngs of people excitedly made their way to the main thoroughfares. Colorful decorations lined the streets and musicians played their instruments, filling the air with cheerful music. The winds of war were coming to Ocrana, but instead of a bleak atmosphere, the people's morale was high.
After all, the King has proclaimed that they shall emerge victorious, and when has their King ever failed them?
The side streets of Crimson Rose City were filled with a festive atmosphere, but it couldn't compare to the center of celebration that was the King's Road, the main thoroughfare of the city.
The King's Road was a massive highway that led from the city gates all the way to Rose Castle. With a width of more than fifty meters, an entire army could march down King's Road in full formation, and that was exactly what was happening on this auspicious day.
Ranks upon ranks of soldiers garbed in colorful armor marched down the King's Road in full splendor, their sabatons stomping down on the concrete in flawless synchronization. As they marched on, huge crowds gathered at the sides of King's Road cheered on, throwing confetti and flower petals in the air.
The King's Road eventually led to a large plaza in front of Rose Castle, where the armies would be gathered. A huge balcony on the castle gave a good view of the plaza below, and it was here that the Royal Family of Ocrana was currently seated as they watched the procession, dressed to the nines in their signature colors: the vibrant red of a rose.
The first battalion of soldiers soon reached the plaza, a green banner featuring snaking vines being carried in the middle of the formation. When their formation arrived right in front of the Royal Family, they saluted as one and a knight on horseback moved forward, a sound-amplifying device attached to his collar.
“His Lordship, Baron Vincent Orel Chabot, pays his respect to His Majesty and sends five hundred of his elite troops to defend the Kingdom!”
As the knight finished his sentence, the battalion of soldiers behind him stomped their feet in a rhythm and shouted all at once. “Long live the King!”
The audience positioned around the plaza cheered and hooted at the battalion's display, which further increased in volume as King Milos raised an open palm at the battalion as a sign of approval.
When the cheers died down, the first battalion moved away from the center of the plaza and positioned themselves to the side to allow the second battalion of soldiers to enter.
The second battalion that arrived was more numerous than the first, and unlike the green of the first battalion, their arms and armor were colored in bright shades of violet. The banner being carried in the middle of the formation featured twining vines of wisterias.
Just like the first battalion, the second battalion of soldiers positioned themselves in front of the Royal Family and a knight moved forward.
“Her Ladyship, Countess Diana Alethra Purpleguard, pays her respect to His Majesty and sends eight hundred elite troops to defend the Kingdom!”
The battalion presented their own chants and rallying cries, once again eliciting raucous cheers from the audience and approval from the King.
Several more battalions marched into the plaza over the next hour, each one larger and grander than the last and bearing the coat of arms of the noble houses they represented. The plaza was soon filled with soldiers who wore varying colors of armor, lending the whole area the appearance of a vibrant garden filled with colorful flowers.
The mood in the plaza was festive as people cheered on the soldiers, but Christine's mood was anything but happy as she watched the proceedings with a neutral face.
“People are going to think you're a wet blanket if you don't so much as smile at the crowd, you know,” Randal muttered beside her.
“How could I smile at that sorry excuse of an army?” Christine replied acidly. “One look is all it takes to realize that the little boys parading down there in their cute costumes have no experience in war. And they still have the gall to call themselves ‘elite’ troops. I don't get how the people could think that these soldiers would be able to protect their homes.”
“Not everyone has a mind like yours that could discern something like that, Christine,” Randal said in exasperation. “And besides, even if the troops that the nobles sent are inexperienced, that's still better than no one to defend our borders at all.”
“I guess they'd make the perfect meat shields,” Christine muttered.
“Christine!” Randal chided. “Don't you ever say that again. Even if they're inexperienced, they still deserve respect for risking their lives to protect our kingdom.”
Christine sighed. “Yeah, you're right, I'm sorry. But my words weren't entirely untrue, you know. Once they're shoved into the battlefield, they won't be able to do much apart from bolstering our numbers.”
Randal had a conflicted expression on his face as he looked at Christine. “You know, I keep forgetting you're just a six-year-old girl with how you talk of morbid topics with indifference.”
“Just because I'm a kid doesn't mean I'm immature,” Christine said with a huff. “Now give me some of that candy you're keeping in your pocket.”
Randal chuckled as he handed her a piece of wrapped toffee. “You know, I brought these candies with me in case a certain sister of mine threw a tantrum and needs to be appeased. Glad to know she's a mature woman already.”
Christine pouted at him.
The parade went on for another hour, and soon, the last and largest battalion arrived, sent by Duke Anrod Darvan Corvin, one of the three Dukes of Ocrana and brother of King Milos.
After a brief glance, Christine realized that Duke Corvin's army was of better quality than the rest. It was obvious that the Duke's army was largely composed of veterans. Unlike the soldiers of the other nobles, the Duke's troops were grim-faced as they marched in their dark brown armor. They showed no signs of excitement as the audience cheered them, and their salute to the King was crisp and disciplined.
A towering knight moved forward, his armor unadorned with useless decorations except for the scratches and scuffs that signified the countless battles that it had already experienced. His mount was a huge armored warhorse that looked ready to charge into enemy ranks without fear.
“Duke Anrod Darvan Corvin honors his responsibility as a peer of the realm and offers five thousand of his elite troops to aid in the defense of Ocrana,” the large knight announced with a deep booming voice. “The Duke sends his regards to His Majesty.”
Christine belatedly realized that the man wasn't using a sound-amplifying device and merely spoke with his raw voice. It was obvious that this man was used to making himself heard over a large area, or rather, a battlefield.
“That knight looks pretty strong,” Christine commented.
“Of course he is, that's Thorun Ironheart!” Randal said excitedly.
“Who?” Christine asked with a confused face.
Randal rolled his eyes at her. “I know you dislike politics and interacting with the nobility, but as the First Princess, you should at least try to know the important people in the kingdom. Especially when you've been given the task to lead our kingdom to victory against Edria. You'll eventually have to interact with them sooner or later.”
Christine grumbled as she nibbled at her toffee. As much as she wanted to refute Randal's words, her brother was right. Even after several gentle and not-so-gentle nudges by her mother to start forming connections with other nobles, Christine adamantly refused to associate with other peers of the kingdom her age.
The first time she tried to start a light conversation with a young son of some important Earl, he was like a robot with rigid directives to try and impress her. The boy started bragging about his father's riches and exploits when Christine commented about the weather, and by the end, the Earl's son listed the benefits he could bring if she was married to him. That was the last time Christine tried to interact with the nobility.
“Right, right. So who's this Torn Ironfart?” Christine said.
“It's Thorun Ironheart,” Randal corrected with annoyance. “He's a peak fifth-level augmenter and is widely regarded as the strongest warrior in the kingdom. If you want a powerful card to use in the war, then you better acquaint yourself with him. Thorun alone can turn the tides of a battle all by himself.”
Christine perked up at her brother's words. She knew a lot about the different Levels of Augmentation thanks to the books in the castle's library. The fifth level of augmentation was often regarded as the limit of what a human could accomplish, and to think that this Thorun Ironheart managed to not only reach the peak stage of the fifth level, he also looked no older than a man in his forties. The fifth level of augmentation required a lifetime of dedication to augmenting one's body, but Thorun managed to reach it in his middle ages. It was a monstrous display of natural talent.
“Hold on, if he's the strongest warrior in our kingdom, then why is he under the employ of one of the Dukes?” Christine asked. “I don't know about Father, but I'm sure as hell Mother wouldn't allow someone as powerful as him to move around the kingdom without being sworn to serve the throne.”
“Well, Mother did try a long time ago, but you can't really force a decision like that on a powerful man without creating an enmity,” Randal replied. “Thorun Ironheart refused Mother's offers to offer his service to the throne and decided to serve Uncle Anrod instead. It's pretty understandable given that Uncle Anrod raised Thorun like his own son.”
“I'm surprised Mother didn't try to threaten Thorun into service,” Christine commented.
“Well, in other situations, Mother would have resorted to threats,” Randal whispered as he surreptitiously glanced at the Queen at the other side of the balcony. “But since Thorun was tied to Uncle Anrod, Mother and Father didn't worry about it too much. But if Thorun served someone outside the family, I'm sure she would have sent someone to kill him. Mother always keeps her eyes open for any possibility of a coup, and if she sees one, she always nips it in the bud.”
Christine felt goosebumps on her skin as she glanced at the Queen, who was smiling and waving to the audience in the plaza. As if sensing her gaze, Queen Nesta glanced at Christine and gave her a bright smile. Christine shivered.
“I'll try to acquaint myself with Sir Thorun, then,” Christine said as the large knight led his army to their position.
With all the armies finally here, the plaza was extremely packed. The battalions of soldiers in the plaza were actually just a small part of each noble's army since the large square could only accommodate so many people. The rest of the armies were camping outside the city walls.
With the military parade finished, King Milos finally rose from his seat and walked to the edge of the balcony to address the entire gathering. A high-quality sound-amplifying device was attached to his collar to allow his voice to reach every corner of the plaza.
“Citizens of Ocrana,” King Milos began, his deep voice amplified and transmitted throughout the area. The murmurs of the audience immediately ceased to let their monarch speak. “We are glad to welcome all of you today for taking the time to participate in this grand celebration! Not often do we see the military might of our beloved nation, and it is a good thing, for it means that the land is at peace and there is no need to bloody our blades.
“But the time has come, people of Ocrana! The winds of war have blown our way once again as our long-time enemy, the Kingdom of Edria, marches for our land! Their greed knows no bounds, and they will stop at nothing to claim what's ours! They will steal our livestock, rape our wives and daughters, and pillage our land until nothing is left!”
The plaza erupted as the people shouted in outrage. The soldiers slammed the butt of their spears into the ground as they roared their disapproval, and the civilians, from the youngest of children to the oldest elder, cursed the name of Edria.
“I know all of you have heard rumors of an impending war for a long time now, and I am afraid the rumors have become true. Despite several attempts at negotiations, the Edrians spurned our offer of peace and chose war! Tell me, people of Ocrana. Are we just going to lie down and let the Edrians step all over us as they desecrate our land with their greedy hands?!”
The noise that erupted from the crowd doubled, and a vehement NO echoed throughout the plaza.
“That's right!” King Milos roared, his calm demeanor gone as he shouted along with the people. “If the Edrians expect to find cowards and sissies when they enter our borders, then they will soon find themselves mistaken! Our armies have lied low during our times of peace, but that does not mean we are weak! The time has come again for Ocrana to stain its blades with the blood of our enemies. We will never bow down!
“These men standing before you will be the heroes of the coming conflict. Honor them, for they will spill their blood for the people of Ocrana!”
The final roar that followed eclipsed the previous cheers as the people and soldiers shouted their hearts out. The ground trembled from thousands of stomping feet, and the air shook from the heartfelt cries of defiance of the people of Ocrana.
Christine watched the spectacle with a cold heart. The goal of the speech had been to raise the morale of the army and the people, and the result had surpassed their expectations. But Christine knew that the purpose of the Father's speech wasn't as innocent as trying to raise the kingdom's morale.
All-out war was always a bloody and costly endeavor. No matter whether a country was the attacker or defender, massive loss of lives always followed. For someone like Christine, who was a peer of the realm, the effects of war weren't as drastic to her way of life. Even if they lost to Edria, as the First Princess, Christine had a high chance of escaping Ocrana and being sheltered by an allied nation.
But for the commoners of a kingdom, war had a high chance of crippling their lives, whether they were on the winning or losing side. Men would be drafted to fill the ranks, food prices would rise as the army took everything to feed their soldiers, and any settlement not considered a strategic position would be left to fend for itself.
In war, the commoners had everything to lose with no chance of gaining anything at all.
Which was why the King had to give the people a reason to support the war, and what better way to gain their support than to paint the Edrians as their mortal enemies? By telling the people that the Edrians were savage monsters out to steal their homes and rape their women, they would easily gain their support.
But Christine knew there was more to the war than what was being told to the people. The Queen had spies in Edria, and all of them concluded that the Aglarian Empire had a firm hand in the upcoming conflict. The largest human nation in the continent had discreetly manipulated the smaller Kingdom of Edria to attack Ocrana, probably to weaken both kingdoms. And when the Empire finally came knocking, both kingdoms would be too ragged to put up a defense.
Christine and the other higher-ups knew that the Empire was the true enemy and that their best chance of winning against the superpower was to broker an alliance with Edria. But that was almost an impossible task when Edria was already deeply infiltrated by the Empire.
And so they were left with their final option: win against Edria and use them as a buffer once the Empire finally decided to attack while they shored their defenses.
“Hey, we're the good guys, right?” Christine asked her brother.
Randal looked over at her with a sad smile. “The Edrians decided to attack us, so it is well within our rights to defend ourselves.”
Randal's words neither confirmed nor denied Christine's question. She pondered on what the true answer was as she listened to the people of Ocrana crying out for the blood of all Edrians to be spilled.
●●●
Taloress slipped through the alleys of the inner city unseen as she stalked the group of thugs that had just exited the Hartman Company Headquarters. There were nine of them in total, with a big tattooed man leading at the front.
Even with the leader's thick clothing, Taloress could tell that the tattooed man had huge rippling muscles. Normally, the sight of a powerful-looking human would have triggered her desire to fight, but tonight, any unnecessary thoughts would have to be discarded as she carried the Master inside her.
Taloress should've been ecstatic since she'd been given the chance to carry the Master, a privilege only Spider and Mr. Marion had been allowed to experience up until now. She had been ecstatic, but after the events in the Hartman Company Headquarters, the Master had been brooding. Her Creator's emotions echoed through her very being, and as a result, Taloress' mood plummeted as well. It's those thugs' fault! Taloress thought angrily as she stealthily stalked the group of thugs, who had finally arrived at the gates that led to the outer city.
Master, the thugs are exiting the inner city. Should we follow? Taloress asked the brooding Master. He had released His control of her body earlier, giving her freedom to stalk the thugs however she wished as He lay motionless inside her body with His eyes closed.
Yes, the Master succinctly replied.
Taloress obeyed and immediately approached a section of the inner wall where no one would spot her with Squeaky clinging to her shoulder.
Forming her fingertips into sharp spikes, Taloress forcefully created her handholds by digging her fingers straight into the concrete as she climbed. With her body made from C-rank monster material, Taloress' fingers sunk into the concrete like a hot knife through butter.
Taloress soon arrived at the top of the wall, providing her with a view of the outer city. Or rather, a view of the sea of darkness that was supposedly the outer city. It was like looking at a cloudy night sky: the outer city was a pure black expanse with a few lights that looked like solitary stars.
Taloress felt like she was standing on a wall that separated her between heaven and hell. Behind her, the bright and lively inner city bustled as people satisfied their vices to their heart's content. In front of her, the outer city was void of life and noise. It was a surreal sight that intrigued her, so she nudged her Master in hopes of catching his interest as well and cheering him up. She didn't like her Master looking so gloomy.
Master, look, the sight is pretty amazing, Taloress said. We stand on the line between heaven and hell!
The Master opened his eyes and peeked through the eyeholes of her mask, then sighed as his mood fell further. Heaven and hell indeed.
Taloress felt a light tap on the side of her head as Squeaky smacked her.
Squeak!
Ah, sorry, I had no idea it would make Master's mood worsen, Taloress apologized to the irate rat.
To be honest, Taloress was genuinely confused as to why the Master's mood had been so gloomy ever since they entered Halros. She wondered why He shook His head every time He saw the plight of some humans. Why was He saddened when the humans' suffering didn't affect him at all? It's not like it was His fault, so He didn't have to feel so bad for the suffering humans.
Maybe I should kill every human in the outer city and the slums so Master wouldn't have to see their suffering, Taloress thought as she dropped down on the wall and continued stalking the group of thugs.
Hey Taloress, how did you know about the Baronet, anyway? the Master suddenly asked, making Taloress stumble. Squeaky cried out angrily as she almost fell off Taloress' shoulder.
Ah, I was… asking Tedd for stories about Master's early life, and Mr. Marion shared the events that led to Master leaving Erfeld.
Oh, the Master said.
…Is Master angry about it?
What? Of course not. I never intended to keep any secret from any of you, the Master replied. But I'm still confused. How did Mr. Marion know what happened when he wasn't there in the Baronet's mansion during that time? Even Tedd wasn't there.
Master must have already forgotten, but Mr. Marion said he was once called the ‘thread suit’ before he turned into what he looks like now, Taloress said.
Ah! the Master exclaimed with a shocked expression. Mr. Marion was already alive at that time?! No wonder he knew about what happened…
The Master turned silent after that, closing His eyes again. Taloress wanted to ask more about His past life, like what the Great Helen was like. Tedd always extorted the benevolence of the Great Helen whenever the topic came up between them, but he would never discuss more about it, saying it was a sensitive topic that was too close to the Master's heart. Mr. Marion knew the Great Helen as well, but he also refused to tell Taloress anything about it, which always made her feel excluded. Tedd told her to just ask the Master about it if she really wanted to know, but she felt nervous about it, afraid that she might offend the Master.
But there was no greater time to ask than now when she and the Master were alone for the first time, not including Squeaky.
Master… Taloress began, but before she could ask, the group of thugs finally arrived at an intersection and was splitting up. Taloress cursed at the thugs for making her lose her chance to ask. Master, the thugs are splitting up. What do we do?
The Master opened his eyes and assess the situation for a moment. My initial plan was to kill them all, although this task becomes harder if they're split up.
Taloress felt a thrill run through her at the thought of killing the thugs. She would exact her revenge for losing her chance to ask about the Great Helen. There are only nine people, Master. I can easily kill them all right now before they can leave.
The Master narrowed his eyes, thinking. Move closer to the leader for a moment.
Taloress obeyed and stealthily approached the human, moving closer but not too close as to risk detection. When she was about fifteen meters from the man, the Master spoke.
We cannot kill them now. That guy is an augmenter. It would take time to kill him, allowing some of his goons to join the fight and attract attention. I want to kill them all silently, the Master said coldly.
We can kill the weak ones first, then save the leader for last, Taloress suggested. Squeaky can follow the leader so we can keep an eye on him.
Good idea, let's do that, the Master muttered.
Squeaky separated from them to follow the leader while Taloress quickly made her way to the first pair of thugs walking along a dark street. Taloress skulked in the shadows, watching the two men like a predator in the night. There was nobody else in the lonely street, so Taloress prepared to pounce, but the Master spoke at the last second.
Not yet. There are people watching the pair from the buildings.
Taloress cursed at herself for not realizing something as simple as that. Unlike the forest, she was not used to hunting in a city where people seemed to live everywhere. She wouldn't be shocked if there were also people watching from the sewers.
Taloress had no choice but to wait for the Master's signal as she continued stalking the pair. When the thugs reached their first victim, Taloress got to witness how they conducted their business.
The thugs would bang on the doors of their prey like lunatics, attracting the attention of everyone living down the street. When the prey gave the money, the thugs would spit and insult their prey for a few minutes while relishing their momentary superiority. They did that for more than five minutes before walking away with their ugly mugs plastered with a satisfied grin.
Damn savages, the Master muttered. They're doing their work loudly on purpose to let the other people know how they operate. Probably as an intimidation tactic. We'll never be able to kill them discreetly if they keep on attracting attention like that.
Taloress deflated at the Master's words. She would no longer be able to exact vengeance upon the bastards.
Don't worry, I'm not saying we would let them go, the Master said after sensing Taloress' mood. We can't kill them in the open, so we'll have to get them in a secluded alley before we take them out.
Taloress thought up a way to get the thugs away from prying eyes and quickly started moving towards an alley that the thugs would pass through eventually. She positioned herself on the end of the dark alley and unraveled her right hand into several thin threadtacles, which moved along the ground like snakes until they reached the middle of the street.
When the thugs finally arrived, they spotted the weird strands of thread on the ground but thought them harmless. Up until they stepped over it.
The strands of thread suddenly slithered and looped around their ankles in an inescapable knot. The thugs cried out as they fell to the ground, their feet bound together tightly.
“Who's there?!” one of the thugs shouted as they tried to cut the threads with their knives, but to no avail.
Dark silhouettes appeared in some of the windows of the surrounding buildings as they checked what was happening, but the only thing they saw was a pair of thugs shrieking like little children as they got dragged into a dark alley. Moments later, their screams abruptly stopped.
Right after Taloress killed the first pair of thugs, she proceeded to the others in an excited mood. The Master's mood was slowly getting lifted!
Right when she killed the two thugs earlier by inserting threadtacles in their eyes and mouth and turning their brains into mush, she felt her Master's palpable satisfaction. She finally found the solution to the Master's bad mood!
So it was with great enthusiasm that Taloress tracked down the remaining thugs and killed them as brutally as possible. She killed the second pair by slowly sawing off their limbs one by one while they were still alive, leaving them to bleed out. She killed the third pair by inserting a threadtacle down their throats and blocking their trachea, slowly suffocating them. For the last pair, she gouged their eyes out and made them think they were surrounded by enemies. The two thugs cried like babies as they slashed their blades randomly in the air, and when they bumped into each other, they thought they were enemies and stabbed each other to death.
Throughout it all, the Master watched in silence but with great satisfaction, although Taloress couldn't help but notice His slight discomfort.
How was my performance, Master? Taloress asked expectantly.
It was… very effective. Although I hope you'll try to kill them faster next time, Taloress. No need to make them suffer.
Taloress was confused. The Master's words contradicted His emotions. She felt the Master's pure satisfaction as she killed the thugs slowly, but now He was telling her to do otherwise?
Taloress did not understand, but she still planned to obey the Master. When they returned to the intersection where the thugs split up, she prepared to kill the leader with a single strike to make his death as quick as possible.
Moments later, Squeaky returned and reported her findings to the Master.
Interesting… the Master muttered. We won't kill the leader tonight.
Whaaat? Taloress moaned.
There's been a change of plans, the Master continued. We'll observe things over the following days and plan our actions accordingly. Eight dead thugs should be enough to compensate for making a fool out of me. For now.
Taloress was disappointed at how things worked out, but in the end, the Master's word was law. So she reluctantly left, looking back one last time as the leader arrived at the empty intersection with a confused face.
