Chapter 69Time pa.s.sed by and the battles continued on without an end in sight, at least from a quick glance. There were many areas in the mid-continent that remained peaceful. For now, winning depends not on geographical strategies and individual soldier"s skills but on the soldiers" overall morale and their ability to work as one.
Lucius the First and Sir Rabi were impatient men who were well-versed in battle tactics while Sir Bentier was much more patient and careful. This made Sir Bentier the perfect commander for the current standstill situation.
As Lucius the First slowly took over Oz, Sir Bentier never wavered in his position. While the Acreian emperor took and lost his ground over and over again, Sir Bentier stood his ground, unmoving and then suddenly, things changed dramatically.
Sir Bentier had been patiently looking for a chance to attack, and when he found one, he raided it with everything he had. He moved like an angry bull and in one day, he was able to take over half of Mongsheim. At this great news, Lucius the First sent a congratulatory message to Sir Bentier. He also reflected on how wrong he was about him.
"I always thought Sir Bentier was too careful, very unlike the young men nowadays, but I see that he has just been waiting patiently for the right time. I have so much to learn from all of you, my knights."
This event led to a significant change in balance. When Oz heard of the news as well, the Oz army began to strengthen their defense further. Lucius the First now had a decision to make. Mongsheim was much weakened and with more men, this was the chance that the Acreians could complete its mission. But to send men to Sir Bentier meant Lucius the First would have fewer soldiers to fight against Oz.
But to not send any men didn"t make sense either, so how should he divide and distribute his men?
Normally, Lucius the First did not have a strategist. He liked to hear every knight"s opinions and follow his instinct. Because most of the men were young and inexperienced, they rarely protested against their emperor no matter how odd and unconventional his tactics were. But as time pa.s.sed, the men began to offer more and more opinions and ideas.
Poliana was a.s.signed to be a personal guard, but if there was a strategy division, she would have been given a position there.
Mongsheim was in chaos after losing a major part of its land, and along with it, the rumor Lucius the First prepared spread rapidly, causing further turmoil. Just a little more push and Mongsheim was going to fall.
The discussion of how many men to send to reinforce Sir Bentier began heatedly. Some argued that Sir Bentier had plenty of men already and therefore no more were needed to be sent. Another knight suggested that they should send a thousand men to help. If they didn"t push hard now, it would give Mongsheim time to recuperate. This was the time to take Mongsheim out, and with more men, it could work. But on the other hand, if Lucius the First sent too many men, their position against Oz would weaken.
Suddenly, Sir Ainno, who has been quiet until now, offered, "I will go, your highness."
Everyone turned towards him, and Lucius the First frowned. "Inno… I don"t want to hear another of your suicide plan again."
"This isn"t a suicide mission, your highness. Mongsheim is no longer an organized group; it is just a bunch of people in chaos. This means that I can go in and destroy it completely."
"You are talking like it"s going to be easy."
"I don"t even need that many men, your highness. Please allow me, 27 men."
At an odd number of 27, everyone looked curious. Sir Ainno explained confidently, "I looked and counted 27 decent soldiers. Having idiots wouldn"t help me at all, so I don"t want them. I selected 27 men only based on their skills; not their age, their looks, or their ranks. If you give them to me, I will bring you the rest of Mongsheim, your highness."
Sir Ainno wasn"t asking for 1000 men, just 27.
When Lucius the First hesitated, Sir Ainno kneeled in front of him. The emperor thought secretly, "This guy is a habitual kneeler."
"I, Ainno, exist only to serve your highness. I exist to kill your enemies, remove your obstacles, and make a comfortable path for you to go forward. I am ready to take an order from you, your highness, whatever that may be. If you order me to bring you a dragon"s heart, I will," Sir Ainno continued.
"I don"t like reptiles."
There weren"t many reptiles in Acreia due to its cold climate, so Lucius the First never knew how much he detested reptiles. He tried to hide his hatred as much as possible in front of his men.
Lucius the First couldn"t refuse Sir Ainno when he was being this serious.
"Alright Inno, if you insist, you may take any men you want. I will give you full control over this mission."
"Thank you, your highness. I will get right on it."
Sir Ainno stood up from the ground and looked around the tent. The other knights cringed slightly, fearing that they might be one of the 27 Sir Ainno planned to take. Sir Ainno looked like a wolf looking for its prey.
Sir Ainno pointed at the man standing behind Lucius the First.
Sir Mahogal.
The head of the emperor"s personal protection division screamed silently. He was horrified that he had to be under the supervision of the evil Sir Ainno once again. Poliana looked at Sir Mahogal with sympathy.
Next, Sir Ainno"s eyes stopped at Sir Rabi, who shook his head firmly. Sir Rabi certainly was one of the most skilled knights in the Acreian military, but he was currently responsible for leading the soldiers against Oz. Thankfully, Sir Ainno wasn"t as crazy as everyone thought; he pa.s.sed Sir Rabi and continued to look around the tent. Eventually, he stopped and pointed at Sirs Howe and Beke.
Sir Howe paled while Sir Beke followed in resignation. His brothers Sirs Aeke and Deke were already under Sir Bentier"s army, so he was going to be reunited with them.
When Sir Howe looked uncertain, his father, Sir Baufallo, pushed him forward.
"Father!"
"If you want to be promoted and have a successful career, you must go, son."
A mother lion wouldn"t push its young off a cliff, but a human parent would push his or her children for their own good. Sir Rabi grabbed Sir Howe, who was about to escape the tent.
"Please, sir!" Sir Howe protested.
"This is your chance to s.h.i.+ne, Sir Howe."
Sir Rabi handed Sir Howe to Sir Ainno, who left with the men selected by him.
Lucius the First wondered, "The best of the best of the Acreian army… I am curious about what kind of team they would make."
"Probably the best in Acreian history, your highness."
"Hmm… Inno"s new special forces already have very skilled young men…"
Later, these hand-selected men would form the very first and the very best team of knights in Acreian history. They would be called The Emperor"s Sword. The only problem with them was that as Sir Ainno said, these men were selected sorely on their skills. This meant that some of them had horrible personalities, with their leader, Sir Ainno, being the meanest of them all.