“What? Rejected?”

“Yes. They said they could not supply the troops unless the situation became clear. However, they are willing to provide supplies for—”

Bang!

Baron August slammed his baton on the table, and the captains shrank back. It was rare to see their commander express his emotions. Although Baron August was a rather ambitious individual, he had always been cool-headed.

“It’s treason! There’s treason in His Majesty’s city! How dare they refuse to provide us with troops if they call themselves nobles of the empire?” Baron August shouted. He was the commander of the sixth imperial legion—the Firebird Legion—and he was a born soldier and a knight. He was a devoted man who had served in the sixth legion for more than ten years after leaving the management of his territory to an administrator. During his service, he had never taken a break. His life itself was tailored around his identity as a true soldier of the imperial army.

“Tell them to send soldiers right away! Otherwise, I will lead the legion there myself! Those reactionaries… I will personally lead my cavalry and rain down fire upon them!” Baron August shouted without showing any restraint. It was understandable. How dare they detain the crown prince? It was a grave crime of treason, and eliminating the three generations of the criminal wouldn’t even be enough to pay for his crimes. Moreover, the perpetrator was even a foreign monarch.

A foreign monarch detaining the crown prince meant war, and Baron August would become a hero who punished the traitorous scum who dared to challenge the empire.

“B-but sir, the nobles will surely protest. If we take into consideration our relationship with them—”

“Protest?” Baron August immediately turned his bloodshot eyes. His subordinate was pouring cold water on his blazing loyalty with those ridiculous words.

The deputy was afraid of the commander’s fiery gaze, but he endured and fulfilled his duty. “Sir, no orders have been issued from the imperial castle yet. For now, we should report the current situation and wait for a formal order to be—”

“Sir! His Highness the Crown Prince is being detained by a group of traitors! You want us to wait for a formal order when the situation is already like this?” Baron August asked.

“…”

The deputy was silenced by Baron August’s outburst. It was his duty to inform the commander that confirming the validity of the information was necessary, but he was forced to drop his head. He knew that he had no chance of convincing the commander, as the latter was already engulfed by anger.

“I apologize…” the deputy said.

“All soldiers will prepare to engage within today. Our target is the City of Petrucca. I will personally visit the nobles who refused to send troops on our way,” Baron August said.

“…!”

The gazes of the knights quivered with shock.

Would he really go there?

Setting aside the direness of the situation, was he really going to lead the legion into one of the largest cities of the empire based on nothing but the words of a few priests?

‘Has he gone mad?’

The knights were all worried about one thing—If the information were false, who would take responsibility for attacking a city of the empire?

‘Who else? The commander will have to take the blame.’

‘I don’t know… I’ll just do whatever I’m told.’

“Yes, Commander!”

The captains of the legion rose from their seats with a shout contrary to their true thoughts. The current situation with the imperial legion was completely different from what was known to the public. Everyone viewed the imperial army as a group completely unified under a strict chain of command, and in the public’s eyes, the warriors of the imperial army were true fighters who lived and died for the empire and His Majesty The Emperor.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t true, although it certainly was the case in the past. After decades; however, the imperial army was no longer the invincible group that once shook the whole world. It was particularly true for the legions stationed in peaceful areas like the Firebird Legion. There were few territorial disputes between nobles, let alone wars, which meant that the imperial legions rarely played an active role nowadays. Even if a dispute broke out, dozens of knights or a single company of soldiers were enough to resolve it. In the meantime, they made sure to collect money from nobles worried about their disputes becoming known to the imperial castle.

Indeed…

The sixth legion of the imperial army had long become a disorganized, disorderly band of soldiers unbefitting their title of the “Firebird Legion.” Most of the knights in the sixth legion prioritized their own profits over loyalty to the empire and the emperor, and they always looked for ways to fill their own pockets while waiting to be discharged. For such knights, the current situation was completely unexpected, and they wanted nothing more than to avoid it. Most importantly, they just couldn’t believe the testimony of the priests, who said that the crown prince was being detained.

The crown prince?

By a foreign monarch no less?

The great city of Petrucca was occupied by a foreign monarch without an army with him?

It didn’t make any sense at all.

In the first place, it was a completely unrealistic and ridiculous story. However, they could not remain still because the situation was tantamount to ‘treason.’ As such, the deputy and the knights of the sixth legion suggested confirming the validity of the situation before anything else. However, their commander was a true soldier and a completely inflexible man. Instead of heeding their advice, he gave orders to prepare all troops to depart.

“I will personally confront the families who did not respond on our way to Petrucca,” Baron August said.

“Yes, sir!” The knights stood up at Baron August’s growling words. For the first time since the formation of the sixth legion, all troops were being mobilized. However, the indolent knights could never imagine war breaking out.

As always, everything would pass.

Of course, the commander of the legion would either be fired or demoted after causing an unprecedented situation by mobilizing the legion in its entirety.

‘And that woman, too…’

‘That’s one good thing.’

The knights returned to their respective tents while finding solace in the silver lining they had discovered. The figure they had in their heads was none other than the ‘war mage’ of the Firebird Legion.

***

“I have to go, too?”

“That’s right. The entire legion is mobilizing, so you can’t be left out.”

“Your Excellency!”

A young woman screamed at Baron August. The beauty was dressed in comfortable clothes unbefitting a military base. She then stood up with the help of her slaves.

“Why would I? This is different from what you promised!” she exclaimed.

“No, but…” The supposedly ‘true soldier’ who was with the knights just a while ago had vanished. Baron August took on a troubled expression, then waved at the slaves.

The slaves hurried out of the tent, and Baron August finally took on a sweet, gentle expression before approaching the woman. “Artane, my darling. I am truly sorry that I broke my promise. However, this is a very good opportunity for you.”

Baron August stroked the cheek of the female wizard, Artane, with his thick hand. She avoided his hand and turned her back to him before saying, “I don’t want to hear it. You’re telling me to march while drinking dust and eating dirt?”

“How could that be?! I would never let my lovely lark suffer like that, would I? I will prepare a carriage for you, so you can travel comfortably. Moreover, this really is a good opportunity for you,” Baron August responded.

“A good opportunity?”

Baron August smiled when Artane slowly turned her sulking face toward him. Baron August then nodded and continued, “That’s right. Defeating the rebels who detained the crown prince is a good opportunity. You—the war mage of our legion—will contribute to the heroic and historical mission of rescuing the crown prince. His Highness will soon become the absolute of the empire. Do you really think he will just brush his savior off? Especially when the savior was a wizard?”

“…!”

He noticed her eyes quiver, so Baron August continued in a softer voice, “You might even become the imperial wizard. No, I’m sure of it. Think about it. The imperial wizard of the empire—that’s the dream of every wizard.”

The imperial wizard would be his lover and secret mistress, Artane. Indeed, such was why Baron August never revealed the identity of his war mage. He had fallen in love with a beautiful young wizard at first sight and brought her over to the military base. In addition, Artane was also pretty talented as a wizard.

Artane had willingly come with him knowing that her status would become elevated as a war mage, and she could receive preferential treatment anywhere.

Today; however, another opportunity had presented itself—the opportunity to rise straight to the heart of the empire’s high command.

‘How much longer can I waste my time in the middle of nowhere with this legion? This is indeed a great opportunity.’

These were Baron August’s true thoughts, though it was quite unexpected of someone known as a true knight and soldier. It was shocking, but in a way, it was expected and natural. Baron August wanted to live for the empire and the emperor. His resolution remained unchanged. However, there was no opportunity to take achievements in the peaceful area where the sixth legion was stationed. If he were to continue his uneventful life, his career would end without him ever having the opportunity to express his determination and loyalty as a knight of the empire.

As such, he was determined to seize this opportunity.

Had he truly disagreed with confirming the validity of the priests’ testimony?

Had he truly thought that waiting for a formal order from the imperial castle wasn’t worth it?

Unfortunately, his ambition caused him to grow impatient. After all, if the crown prince were truly being detained, this opportunity wouldn’t belong to the sixth legion alone. Would anyone leave such a serious, critical matter to only a single legion, especially a legion that had been dormant for as long as anyone could remember?

He would not have made this choice if he were an imperial noble. As such, Baron August decided to take matters into his own hands. It didn’t matter if the priests had provided the wrong information and everything ended up being a misunderstanding.

‘I can just push the responsibility onto the Governor of Petrucca and the bishop.’

The only sin that he and the sixth legion had to pay for would be the crime of being ‘too loyal.’ However, a legion commander mobilizing his soldiers out of his deep loyalty to the empire and the imperial family could not be counted as a flaw, especially when it was possible that the next absolute of the empire was being detained.

“Can I really become an imperial wizard?” Artane asked.

“Of course. Didn’t I promise that I would get you to a place as high as possible? As long as you are by my side, it will come true,” Baron August responded.

“Ah…”

Artane’s eyes dimmed. The imperial wizard of the empire… She felt as though the honor and power were beckoning her. However, she was still a wizard. She was intelligent, and her mental discipline was different from ordinary women as well.

“But if we were to set out together, I would have to use magic and attack those traitors, right?” Artane asked.

“Not necessarily. After all, the main culprit behind this incident is…”

Baron August relayed the words of Petrucca’s priest.

Artane’s eyes twinkled.

Artane couldn’t help but ask, “Are you sure? Is it truly related to vampires?”

“Of course. The alleged culprit, the King of Maren, is a famous vampire noble. Now, do you understand why I really wanted to take you with me?”

“Hohoho! Right. This really is an opportunity.”

Artane burst out laughing. She belonged to a school of magic that was more familiar with the Dark Clan than anyone else.

“If you speak of your school’s name, even a clan master will hesitate. After all, the most important thing for the Tribe of Darkness is…”

“The hierarchy. And the progenitor of the Blood Shadow School is a vampire Origin,” Artane concluded.

“Exactly…”

Baron August and his mistress laughed among themselves.

So their opponent was a vampire? In that case, there was no reason to even use magic. After all, every vampire would have to kneel and bow if she were to speak the name of her school’s founder.