Night came. 

I looked out the window of the study, seeing the moon that was high in the sky. 

My hand was rather sore from writing so much. I sure did miss the conveniences of technology. Showers was another convenience. The bathing here, even with the Baron’s luxury, was painfully subpar. 

Well, that would be fixed once I got my manor. 

I leaned back, relaxing against my chair and sighing. 

“You know…”

Then, I heard a soft voice. My right hand reflexively shot toward my left, grabbing the knife underneath my sleeve. 

But realizing who it was, I settled. 

“I don’t enjoy waiting for an hour in your room. Can’t you go to bed earlier, like normal nobles?”

“What can I say? I do some of my best work at night.”

I spun around, seeing Gentle Snow sitting on my desk. She plucked a paper that was laying out, one that contained some blueprints. 

She waved it.

“What’s this? I can’t read it.”

“Good. That means I can keep my things safe from invisible women who go sneaking into my room at night.”

I smiled while snatching the page back, causing her to chuckle. 

“Huhu, I guess so.”

“Hm, so, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

I asked, and Gentle Snow’s smile turned. She became solemn and silent, as if pondering something. 

I waited until she spoke. 

“...There’s something I need to tell you. Are you aware of Corrupt Rifts?”

“Yes, I’ve heard of them.”

I nodded. Corrupt Rifts were hell spewing fissures of unknown origin. It was said that these rifts were the source of a sorcerer’s power and the tides of monsters that annually threatened cities around the world. 

Demon beasts were the proper term for animals that were corrupted by the rifts and their power. And naturally there were different types of demon beasts, each more powerful than the last. 

I frowned as she continued. 

“Well, recently, one of the sorcerers in the militia spotted a Corrupt Rift in the mountain range. We aren’t sure of its exact location…”

“But that means Northtown is going to be attacked. Shit…”

I cursed at the horribly bad news, instantly piecing things together. Any city that was near a Corrupt Rift was fortified with walls and a standing army to combat the annual tides of demon beasts. 

Northtown was not equipped in the slightest to deal with such monsters. 

There was only one comfort. 

“The Months of Darkness come during the summertime, so there are still around two months before the tides come. Thankfully…”

I muttered while seriously pondering what I was going to do. 

And after a quick thought, I suddenly wasn’t so anxious. 

In the Verlenium Empire, nobody was allowed to maintain a standing army besides the Marquesses and Dukes who were in charge of national security. 

If it was found that anybody was forming an armed force, especially in secret, then it could result in accusations of treason and horrible punishment. 

I had debated how I was going to go about forming my own army with these restrictions. But, if I had the valid excuse given to me by this Corrupt Rift…

This would either be a great blessing or a disastrous curse. 

I looked at Gentle Snow. 

“Ms. Snow, I can’t say how thankful I am for this information.”

“Don’t worry about it. I… saw what happened with Tiya’s father.”

“Huh?”

My brow raised. 

“Not that I’m angry or anything, but just how long have you been lurking around?”

“You can never be too careful, Lord Audius.”

“That means you’ve been around for a while.”

“Hehe.”

She chuckled, confirming my guess. 

But then her smile faded. I couldn’t help but feel like she was struggling with something. 

“Snow.”

I called to her directly, catching her golden gaze. 

“I can imagine that your militia will be finding a new place to live. Leaving the mountains entirely might be the best move. But I’m not going to insist that you come here. I just want you to know that your militia will always have a place here. Whether you simply need shelter or you’re being chased by the Order, if you show up on my doorstep, you’ll find refuge.”

“...Thank you… Audius.”

She slowly smiled before jumping off the desk. 

Then, she bowed a little. 

“I’ll take my leave.”

“Alright, but the next time you come snooping around, at least say hi.”

I waved as she disappeared, and soon, my study was filled with silence. 

I decided that to be the end of my night and retreated to my bedroom.

……

…

The next day was filled with urgency. 

With sudden key information, I couldnfoundation ’t be so relaxed. I had a two month schedule to either turn my city into a fortress or lose this foundation for my future empire. 

If I wasn’t smart about this, there’s no telling how many years I would be set back. 

So my first order of the day was speaking to Sir Campbell. 

The accountant was rudely awakened by my summons, but my words quickly sobered him up. 

“Sir Campbell, what are the laws pertaining to building an armed force beyond local security?”

“...”

He was silent, shocked by the implications behind my words. But I was being dead serious, so he had to answer. 

“...According to my understanding, anything greater than a single guard per 200 residents is in violation of imperial law that restricts nobles underneath a Marquess from forming an army. That means this city isn’t allowed to have any more than about 150 guards enforcing security.”

“150 guards… That’s actually not a bad number, but I’ll need more.”

“Lord Audius, I hope you aren’t thinking of doing anything treasonous. Disregarding yourself, doing such a thing would stain the Fawkes name.”

“...I happened to receive some intelligence not long ago.”

I mumbled with a low tone. 

“A Corrupt Rift was spotted in the mountain range to the north. I’m sure I don’t need to explain what that means.”

“Corrupt Rift? Impossible…”

Sir Campbell was stunned, going silent. 

“With this new threat, I have about two months to fortify this city. I’m going to need a wall, guards, and weapons to fight the tides of demon beasts that are going to spill forth from the mountains. Tell me, Sir Campbell, are 150 guards enough to combat those beasts?”

“Wait, you mean you plan to fight?”

He was shocked yet again. 

“Lord Audius, building a wall and training a military force big enough to fight demon beasts isn’t possible in just two months. We might be able to draft some residents now and give them basic training, but building a proper wall can take half a year!”

“Sir Campbell, I understand your concerns. But rest assured, it can happen in a month, let alone two. I’m not asking whether the defense of this city can suceed. I’m asking about the legal ramifications of militarizing this city.”

I looked the accountant in the eye, causing him to go silent. 

And for a moment, he seemed to understand what my goal was. It was understandable from his perspective.

Grace and I were the youngest children of the Fawkes family, and from birth we had next to zero chances of fighting for the position of Fawkes Heir. 

Now my city was about to be attacked. If I handled this correctly, I could build a significant foundation of power and might for myself that would launch me into the competition for Heir. 

Sir Campbell was probably thinking that I was taking advantage of this chance for that reason. 

But of course, I couldn't care less about the fight for Fawkes Heir. I just wanted an excuse to build a standing army. 

“...It’s a dangerous game, you’re about to play, Lord Audius.”

He spoke with a deep tone. But his words only caused me to smile. 

“Well it wouldn’t be fun otherwise, now would it? So, what legal moves to I need to take?”

“Sigh…”

The accountant sighed, seeming to age a few more years. 

“Well, a letter to the Duke is top priority. You need to brief him of the situation. I will also write a letter. After that, you must keep news about the Corrupt Rift from leaking. The Marquess to the south cannot know about this by any means, otherwise he will personally lead an army here to establish a stronghold, and you will lose your hold on the city. As for the legal ramifications of having your future army discovered… allow me to give you a piece of advice the Duke often operated by.”

He smiled just a bit. 

“In this world, there’s no such thing as asking for permission. Take what you want now, and ask for forgiveness later. So long as you have the power to lay claim, they won’t force your hand, and you’ll have the authority you want. Doing otherwise simply forfeits your chances.”

“Heh, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”

I couldn’t help a chuckle. 

“Very well. Let’s have these letters sent by tonight. And you’re the only one who now knows of this information, so my trust is in you.”

“...I understand, Lord Audius. I have a question though.”

He narrowed his eyes. 

“Where did you attain this information?”

“Let me worry about that. If you want, send one of your trusted men to the mountains and scout the area. He can confirm it.”

“...No, I suppose I’ll just take your word for it. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

The accountant left to work, and I had no time to spare either. Grabbing a sheet of paper, I quickly scribbled down a message to my father. 

In it, I gave him the details, but intentionally left my thoughts on the matter vague. It could be summarized simply. 

A Corrupt Rift has appeared, and I’m going to begin forming an army in order to protect my city.

I’m sure my father would reach his own conclusions, which is what I wanted. I also ensured that, just in case this letter was intercepted and read, nobody would be able to blatantly assume that I was doing something unlawful. 

I even drafted a letter that could be sent to the Marquess down south who was the nearest authority that could amass and control a military. 

I left myself ways to escape in case something backfired. My identity was also a failsafe. 

After all, who would expect the ambitionless son of a Duke, who had been kicked out of his own household for being a deadbeat, to suddenly attempt to do something treasonous? 

“I just want to protect my city. Do I need another reason?”

I smiled and tapped my pen. 

And after summoning the Baron, I quietly began preparations. 

……

…

Gentle Snow watched as Audius wrote his letter, reading every word with curiosity. 

After many days of observing this young man, she had reached the conclusion that he was far more complex than he showed himself to be. 

He was cunning, able to flavor his words with finesse, and smart enough to prepare for myriads of outcomes. 

Well, he was a noble. Such attributes weren’t surprising for nobles. 

But Audius was supposed to be the no good runt of the Duke’s children, one with no fire or spine to push him to fight his siblings for the glory of being the Fawkes Heir. 

The situation with the Fawkes Heir was so widespread that even the Sorcerer’s Militia in the mountains had heard of it. In the Verlenium Empire, they were causing the biggest stirs, bigger than anything the Imperial children were kicking up. 

So where did all this ambition come from? Or was Audius just that good at concealing his nature?

But even beyond that, Gentle Snow felt that there was something different about Audius. Something that made him different from other nobles. 

She had observed many nobles in the past. She had watched as Counts would sneak out of their manors to enjoy the depraved flavor of their local red light districts. She watched as Barons would work their citizens to the bone for just a bit more profit.

She had seen a lot, from good nobles who wanted nothing more than to live a peaceful life with a village that was just as peaceful, to nobles filled with incalculable rage, ambition, and the desire to take over the world. 

And yet, Audius didn’t fit in with any of them. 

He was too calm, too smart and level headed. He could be cunning, but he was also genuine. 

Their talks under the midnight moon weren’t fake. She could see it. He genuinely cared, and his offers of hospitality and refuge weren’t merely formalities. 

She knew that if she showed up with a group of fugitive sorcerers, he would take them in and keep them safe. 

He was hardworking enough to outline all kinds of precise instructions for his workers, generous enough to buy the outpost of a lowly miner and offer him the position of a manager with amazing pay. Other nobles might simply pay the man a few hundred coin and kick him to the curb. Years of work would be for nothing. 

And above all, the moral mind he held in order to take in a poor father who only wanted to be with his daughter. 

Seeing Audius appoint David Pointe as a knight, and hearing his words of morality, confirmed everything for Gentle Snow. 

What kind of a man was Audius?

She wasn’t sure she could ever possibly understand all the things that went through his mind and form a conclusion. She had seen many different sides to him. 

But she did know that he was the one. 

The one who might bring true justice to sorcerers. 

Because unlike others, he knew why he was good to sorcerers. All of his decisions and morals came from deliberate belief, not blind faith in an ideology like all those who hated them. 

And unlike others who might just hide sorcerers away in a basement and call it helping, he had a plan. He had the plan, the vision, and the intelligence necessary to move toward a world where he could keep sorcerers safe. 

She could see the first steps toward that plan. 

As Audius moved to begin building the wall and to recruit soldiers, she knew that it was all for the purpose of something greater than just protecting his city. 

He wanted power, but that ambition was exactly what they needed if they ever wanted to fight against the genocide of the Order. 

It was much unlike her Militia, a mere tribe of thieves that constantly hid away in the mountains, living a life no different from the bears and goats. 

Gentle Snow watched Audius leave the study with large strides. His sharp gaze always moved with purpose. Not only was he smart, but he was hardworking. What other noble worked out every day, running themselves toward exhaustion and pushing their muscles to the brink of collapse, only to do extensive logistical work right after?

When she thought about her militia, about Helva…

“...What’s so wrong with wanting to trust someone?”

She mumbled and left the manor, her steps leading her back toward the mountains.