Chapter 380: The Situation
"Very well. With the unrest about to erupt across the Empire’s three great provinces, when the time comes, send someone to summon Phield and give him a chance to distinguish himself. Which legion do you think he should be assigned to?" The Empress blinked sweetly, looking every bit like a pure and harmless saint.
The minister immediately broke into a cold sweat. As the Chief Minister, he naturally understood exactly what she meant.
"Cannon fodder... I mean, the Right Vanguard Legion, where he can command part of the mercenary forces."
"Mmm. A sensible suggestion. Don’t forget to prepare your speech for the next Imperial Council."
In the Empress’s eyes, Count Ross had already lost his youngest son. There was no way he would willingly sacrifice his second son as well. He would inevitably send a powerful force to protect him, draining the Ross family’s military strength. At the same time, those troops could be used to weaken the rebels.
A win win situation. She would simply win twice.
"But I’ve heard Phield isn’t favored."
"If he truly weren’t favored, he wouldn’t have a powerful force protecting him, nor would he still be alive." The Empress waved her hand dismissively. "As long as I’m satisfied, showing the Ross family a little more leniency isn’t impossible."
She gracefully lifted her teacup and took an elegant sip.
"Your Majesty’s wisdom surpasses even that of the sages."
The minister hurriedly flattered her with a smile.
Damn... this venomous woman is ruthless. He cursed inwardly. The Ross family finally shows goodwill and fights to defend the Empire, and your response is to send them to their deaths. If their private army is wiped out, there won’t even be a family left to target. The neighboring nobles will swallow them whole.
And you even made me suggest it. When the Ross family comes looking for someone to blame, they’ll hate me to death.
The Chief Minister wanted nothing more than to burst into tears.
"Your Majesty, Miss Sherry requests an audience. She wishes to launch a large scale operation against the Night Owl organization," a guard reported.
Great. Now another overworked soul has arrived, one even more pitiful than the Ross family.
The Chief Minister could barely keep a straight face.
The Empress smiled gently.
"So the brave little Miss Sherry has come. Let her in. I happen to have a use for the Gassina family’s strength."
Three days later, in Nightfall Domain.
Phield had finished blocking the major routes throughout Nightfall Domain, significantly reducing the number of wandering corpses entering his territory.
Firomina had returned to her moon form and was sleeping peacefully.
"Now we can finally focus on farming. Ophelia, take your undead and block off the strategic passes throughout Nightfall Domain like we planned. We need to reduce the density of corpse tides."
"Fine, little trash lord. But I want a reward too." Ophelia planted her hands on her hips as her long tail swayed behind her. "Everyone else gets to make requests. I want one too. I refuse to fall behind."
"Sure. What do you want?" Phield asked curiously.
Ophelia waved her hand.
"I like watching performances. Hmm... never mind. I haven’t decided yet. I’ll tell you when I think of something."
"Alright. Take your time. I’ll return the slaves to the territory first. There are still plenty of loose ends to deal with at the border fortress."
Since he would soon be purchasing more slaves, Phield brought along the little angel who spent all day hiding indoors and headed for the border fortress first.
Viewed from the Nightfall Domain side, the fortress still stood tall and imposing.
From the Bull Territory side, however, it was a scene of utter devastation.
Collapsed walls, shattered siege equipment, and corpses lay scattered among the ruins.
The enormous piles of bodies outside the fortress had already been dealt with surprisingly quickly.
Most of the damaged weapons, armor, clothing, and supplies had been salvaged by Nightfall Domain.
The corpses had either been taken away by the noble coalition army or burned to prevent disease from spreading.
As soon as Phield arrived, Ashina cheerfully greeted him before her usual lively expression turned solemn as she reported the casualties.
"My Lord, the First Army of Nightfall Domain committed five hundred and fifty soldiers to the battle. Seventy six were killed, twenty one were permanently crippled, and the remaining wounded should be able to return to duty after recovering. The Second Army from Nightfall Territory deployed one hundred and twenty soldiers. Fifty three were killed, seven were crippled. Among the civilian laborers, sixty five lost their lives. I believe the Second Army suffered such heavy losses because they never went through our training and were forced into battle on short notice."
In just a few days of siege warfare, the casualties had reached a horrifying level.
Even Ophelia’s undead had absorbed the brunt of the frontal assault, and her thousand strong undead legion had been wiped out several times over.
The human army had defended from atop the walls throughout the battle, yet the losses were still staggering simply because the enemy’s numbers had been overwhelming.
Phield remained silent for a full ten minutes.
His eyes reddened, and when he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse.
"I’ll never forget what they gave for this victory."
"Phield, you’ve already done enough." Tisiana gently wrapped her arm around his and spoke earnestly. "Our casualty ratio was excellent. I’m proud of both you and our soldiers."
"It could have been better."
Phield’s face remained grim.
"The families of every fallen soldier must receive compensation. The crippled must be supported as well. We have to help them as much as possible. We can’t allow everyone else to lose heart."
Seeing his gloomy mood, Ashina quickly changed the subject.
"Oh, right, My Lord. A package arrived from the capital." She pointed toward a parcel on the table. "The sender must be an incredibly powerful mage. It was delivered by a magical pigeon."
"A package? Let me see."
Opening it, the first things he saw were two specially crafted crystal spheres, each sealing a Divine Artifact inside. Their exact appearance was hidden from view.
"So the Imperial Army wasn’t lying. The bounties really are real."
"What beautiful Divine Artifacts!" Ashina and Tisiana couldn’t take their eyes off them.
"They must be worth a fortune."
"If we ever run into trouble, we could sell them and buy lots of delicious food."
The two girls chattered excitedly.
Phield finally let out a sigh of relief.
There were very few people in the Empire he could still trust.
Only the Imperial Army had repeatedly demonstrated genuine integrity and unwavering resolve in battle.
No wonder the Empire was still hanging on.
Saving the best for last, Phield calmed himself before opening the envelope containing his military commendation.
Military Commendation
Baron Phield distinguished himself with valor during the suppression campaign in Rick Province, personally killing seventeen enemy soldiers.
As a reward, he is hereby granted one Imperial Medal of Honor, one bolt of blue silk, and fifty gold coins.
"Heh. I wonder if the Empress posthumously honored Baron Fierce Steed."
Phield had only claimed credit for his own achievements.
Every one of Baron Fierce Steed’s accomplishments had been submitted exactly as they happened.
As for the final outcome, it no longer mattered.
The man was dead, and Phield had already given him a proper burial in the treasured lands of Fierce Steed Territory.
He casually put away the commendation before opening the second envelope bearing the seal of the Imperial Army.
The letter was brief.
Letter
Dear Baron Phield, Lord of Nightfall Domain, our beloved patriot,
You have truly astonished me.
Please forgive my earlier presumption. When I announced the bounty, I was simply casting a wide net. Yet in less than a month, you have personally slain two notorious rebel villains.
May the blessings of the Goddess of War shine upon you. You are a true knight.
Please accept my highest respect.
Enclosed are the two Tier Three Divine Artifacts promised as your reward. They once belonged to my fallen comrades.
I sincerely hope you will continue your efforts and avenge the brave soldiers who gave their lives defending our homeland.
Signed personally,
Sinta, Imperial Army
"Heh. I guess rebels count as elite monsters. Kill one and the loot drops are doubled."
Comments