Caesar, who had resolved himself, finally made it to the main fox-kin stronghold gate where the sound of sobbing entered into his ears. He could see Symphony and Seraph wailing loudly as they held on to their mother"s hands.They, however, were not the only ones crying. Andrea and even Ahri were silently weeping at the devastating sight. Not many people were capable of leaving their children, not to mention those that were as cute as the two currently hugging Andrea. Their dark blue hair coupled with their yellow eyes made them appear quite adorable.
Fortunately, or maybe, unfortunately, Caesar wasn"t a very sentimental person. As such, Caesar"s facial expression didn"t contort in the slight whilst gazing upon the saddening scene. In fact, he would prefer if they quickened the process because he knew the longer she stayed, the more she would regret.
It was due to this reason that Caesar decided to finally show himself. He was still somewhat drenched in sweat and his tight black shirt stuck to his abdomen. His unique white hair was slicked behind his ears and he walked with steady steps, garnering the attention of everyone present.
Seeing him, Andrea quickly wiped her tears and patted both Symphony and Seraph on the head, she then proceeded to walk towards Caesar with a self-deprecating smile… once she was a close distance, she opened her thin lips, "Ahri had told me that you formulated this plan after "rescuing" us from the troll encampment…" her words paused as Caesar nodded his head in agreement.
"Did you rescue us with your twisted plan in mind, or was it, at first, merely a gesture of good faith?" she abruptly asked, perhaps this was her way of testing him. Unfortunately for her, Caesar was not someone who liked to lie about himself unless absolutely necessary.
"When I had first seen the two children, I wanted to just simply save them from a life of slavery, as they reminded me of someone… however, when you awoke and insisted on leaving, that was when I created this stratagem" Caesar replied honestly.
Andrea wanted to retort, but not sensing any dishonesty in his tone, she just shook her head and walked towards the carriage, "please take good care of them…" She said quietly so that only Caesar and Ahri could hear her words.
After speaking, she soon boarded the carriage with the help of Ahri holding back the two children. She then whipped the horses and they soon moved along, leaving Caesar"s line of sight.
Soon, only the sound of weeping rang in Caesar"s ear, however, he didn"t pay it much mind and walked towards Ahri. As he walked, a beautiful silver earring with a ruby embedded into it suddenly appeared in his hands.
Once he reached her, he pulled her into his embrace and gently placed the earring on her ear, "She was a great a woman, and we won"t allow her to sacrificed in vain; as such, I have decided that you, along with the citizens, will evacuate with both Symphony and Seraph" he said softly, to which Ahri"s eyes opened wide in surprise.
"I won"t allow it! I want to fight with you, with my clan, with my grandfather… I don"t need to be sheltered and protected" she retorted angrily.
Unfortunately for her, although Caesar normally catered to her demands, this was something that he had already decided upon, "I am truly sorry, but I can"t allow you to join this battle. It is not because you need to be sheltered, but because I love you" Caesar replied calmly as he gazed into her eyes.
"If you truly loved me, then you would be honest with me, what is the real reason you won"t let me join the war?" Ahri breathed out a deep sigh and calmed herself before staring at Caesar challengingly.
"The true reason? Very well, it is because you are weak…" Caesar said straightforwardly to which Ahri wanted to retort, however, his words continued before she could speak, "similarily with Andrea, you told her the truth, not thinking about the consequences. Sure, you may have saved her two children, however, now we have more people who we can"t afford to protect, not to mention the fact that her words would"ve been much more believable if she wanted to save her children"
Caesar paused for a moment, "you are a warm-hearted woman, which is one of your best qualities but is not a quality that belongs in a war. Thus, if you refuse to listen to me, then as the current general of the fox-kin, I order you to evacuate with the other citizens, I will not take no for an answer" Caesar spoke seriously and turned away from still flabbergasted Ahri.
The two children, who were now done crying, jumped into her arms, as they and Ahri had formed a bond last night. This distracted her for a few moments, resulting in her not being able to argue with Caesar, thus, she could only grind her teeth in anger.
And Caesar, the man who was currently being cursed by quite a few women, was steadily walking towards the training grounds. He had a plethora of reasons for not allowing Ahri in the battle, however, the main reason was Musashi. His old age, coupled with his determination, made it quite likely that he was going to fall. Unfortunately, he knew that Ahri would do anything in her power to prevent such a thing.
As such, she would be more of a liability than anything. He already had enough people who he needed to protect, he could use a few less. With this in mind, he soon arrived at the training grounds where quite a few soldiers had already formed.
His appearance was soon noticed and the small number of soldiers saluted with the utmost respect. He had, after all, beaten every clan head at the same time, solidifying his position within the clan. They were a race that respected strength.
Seeing their respectful gesture, Caesar nodded his head and got a strange idea, "move into a wedge formation" he abruptly ordered… to which the fox-kin tilted their heads in confusion.
Annoyed, Caesar quickly explained what a wedge formation was, and the small number of troops finally abided by his orders, looking similar to the tip of a triangle. After they were in formation, albeit sloppily, Caesar"s eyes radiated a deeper shade of crimson.
He could somewhat see the weaknesses and fix them accordingly, he ordered them to move tighter and swapped a few soldiers" positions, until finally, the wedge looked perfect.
Seeing that his theory was correct, Caesar smiled widely, his new "power" was perfect for commanding soldiers. He then dismissed the troops and inwardly decided that he would teach the entire fox-kin a surplus of formations, that would inadvertently raise their chances of victory.
He would teach them the Shieldwall, deep columns, the crown, and even the phalanx. As he thought about these strong formations, the smile on his face deepened, and the nearby fox-kin shivered uncontrollably.
As he was deep in thought, more and more soldiers staring congregating at the training grounds, and soon, even Musashi and the 13 clan heads made their appearance.
"And so it begins…" Caesar whispered, seeing the ma.s.sive amount of warriors.