Translator: Cinder Translations
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Antonio rode a white horse, patrolling the Gabella military camp. The groans of injured soldiers reached his ears, and despite having faced the hardships of war for many years, he still felt a deep sorrow upon hearing those painful sounds.
He knew that many would not survive the subsequent fevers, leaving this world forever.
In these moments, Antonio yearned for the church to proclaim that paradise was real, even as he harbored a deep resentment for the institution.
Those who were uninjured or only lightly wounded would salute and cheer as the commander passed by.
Antonio responded with a stern expression, carefully hiding his sorrow, revealing not a hint of it.
The culture of Gabella made its soldiers yearn for a commander who was ruthless rather than merciful.
Antonio and his army were positioned in the Kriel Kingdom—an affiliated nation located north of the Gabella Empire, directly confronting the advancing orc horde.
Although he had smoothly seized power during the coup, the threat posed by the northern orcs was very real. Having taken control of the imperial center, Antonio could not afford to neglect this threat; otherwise, his legitimacy would diminish greatly.
Thus, after the initial stabilization of the situation in the imperial capital, Antonio left the old Marshal McDonald to oversee the rear and personally led the army to confront the orcs.
The spears of the south clashed head-on with the shields of the north, and both sides engaged in continuous battles on the land of Kriel, with victories and losses on either side.
Overall, the orc cavalry held the advantage, with a larger army comprising around one hundred thousand troops, including their main force and subjugated human vassals.
In contrast, the Gabella army was more elite but smaller in size—Antonio had to leave a portion of his elite forces to guard the still-unstable rear.
A rider approached him, none other than Antonio's deputy—Siegfried.
He smiled, allowing himself to relax in Siegfried's presence.
"Have you completed the patrol in your area?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"How's the morale?"
"Very high, Your Highness! Everyone is eager to go out and fight the barbaric tribes again tomorrow."
"Well, that's good!"
Siegfried came closer to walk alongside Antonio.
"Your Highness, I seem to see a trace of worry on your brow! This is not like your usual self."
His tone was light, seemingly aimed at lifting his friend's spirits.
"Oh, my dear Siegfried!"
Antonio confided in him.
"I've never fought such a battle—not due to a disadvantage in numbers, but because… I am far away from Gabella, facing the enemy while my rear is unstable."
This was precisely where Antonio felt ill at ease. Although he had faced opposition from figures like Felix and the D'Arshi family in the past, he had his father, Bartley, overseeing everything, ensuring that his rear was generally stable.
But now it was different; his authority was not yet established, and the various lords had a wait-and-see attitude toward the situation in the imperial capital, some even harboring… ambitious designs.
He felt a warm touch on his shoulder as his friend placed a hand there.
A surge of strength flowed into him.
"All difficulties can be overcome,"
Siegfried said with a sincere voice. "Antonio, we are all by your side."
"I have always believed that!"
Antonio replied, feeling his inner turmoil lessen significantly.
The two men returned to the large tent in the center of the camp, ready to share a drink, only to find someone already waiting for them inside.
Master Aldridge, a renowned scholar from the Scholar's Tower, stood up to greet them upon seeing Antonio and Siegfried enter.
Antonio asked with curiosity, "Honorable mentor, is there something important you wish to discuss at this late hour?"
Aldridge furrowed his brow slightly, and with a serious tone, he said to Antonio, "Your Highness, I have come to offer you some suggestions."
"Oh? Please sit down and elaborate."
Antonio gestured for him to take a seat.
Once the three were settled, Aldridge quietly spoke, "Perhaps my suggestions will not be well-received, but the development of the situation does not allow me to remain silent."
"Have you received any recent news?" Antonio urged him to continue.
Aldridge nodded, "Several students have brought me secret news; some lords in the southeast are conspiring against you, Your Highness!"
Antonio's expression darkened.
Scholars from the Scholar's Tower had always been highly sought after by the lords of Gabella. They spent lavishly to recruit scholars to manage their territories, strategize, or educate their next generation.
These scholars scattered across the empire formed an essential part of the ruling class in Gabella, holding significant positions.
Thus, the information Aldridge received should be quite reliable.
"Those ignorant fools!"
Siegfried scoffed from the side.
But he too frowned, realizing that instability in the empire had reached the point where some were bold enough to openly oppose the imperial capital.
Antonio looked at Aldridge, "Mentor, I remember you said you had suggestions to make."
"Yes." Aldridge nodded and said, "In fact, I suggest that you make some concessions to the orcs!"
"Absolutely not!" Antonio immediately rejected without a second thought.
"Are you asking me to hand over Kriel? How would that look to others—someone who has just seized power in the empire's leadership, and the first thing he does is betray the empire's interests?"
Aldridge shook his head, "It's not about Kriel."
"Not Kriel?"
"It's not Kriel! For the orcs, their strongest desire for thousands of years has been to obtain a cultivable plain; whether it's Kriel or not doesn't matter."
Antonio frowned, "Then where should it be? I believe anything that relates to the empire cannot be acceptable, whether it's our territory or that of our allies."
Aldridge looked at him and said slowly, "Neron!"
TLN: Let MC know about this, I wanna see some bloodshed...
Antonio and Siegfried were both taken aback.
"That is Aldor's land!"
"Yes, Aldor's land," Aldridge emphasized, "Isn't it a fitting solution? We preserve our interests while the orcs also gain something."
"That won't work either!"
Antonio shook his head again, "We have already weakened Aldor with Gales. If the orcs take over Neron, Aldor's hinterland will be directly exposed to those savages. That would be too dangerous; it would disrupt the entire balance of the western continent."
TLN: Hinterland is a German word meaning "the land behind" (a city, a port, or similar)
"Disrupting the balance takes time! Moreover, the northeastern defense has cost Aldor countless resources; losing Neron might allow Aldor to gather even more strength."
Aldridge persisted in his viewpoint.
"The hidden pieces we have laid in Neron should start moving."
(End of the Chapter)
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