The Union

Luther put his hand on the k.n.o.b of the huge door that serves as the main entrance to the building. He then turned his head towards Centurion Lyn.

"What!?" Centurion Lyn frowned. "Hesitating after you dragged me all the way here? Come on! If you don"t want to go, then let me go back to the camp."

"You know, that"s not how a subordinate should talk to his superior. And I did not drag you, I ordered you to come with me" Luther then looked at the doork.n.o.b "Besides, General Rickard said in his letter that I need to meet him as soon as possible. I can"t go back now"

Centurion Lyn went to the door and opened it. "There, opened it for you sir" he mocked Luther with a fake bow. "Let"s just go. Dragging me with you, what are you? A child?" he murmured.

Luther wanted to kick Lyn but he can"t. This is the headquarters of the knights. Violence is forbidden here. So he just bit his lips and entered the building.

What greeted Luther"s eyes was a sight worthy of the Omniscient"s envy. The inside of the building was s.p.a.cious. The walls were lined with gems and flakes of gold. The floor was paved with smooth marble tiles. But what captivated Luther the most was the ceiling. The domed ceiling of the building displayed beautiful paintings that melt the soul. It was as if Luther was being lifted into the heavens. Of course he had been here before, but he felt like this every time he enters the headquarters of the Knights.

"Tell me again Prefect, how much do they make each year?" Lyn asked him from behind.

Luther looked at Lyn and saw that the centurion was looking at the ceiling.

"Millions of gold coins Centurion."

Lyn looked at him "How?"

"Trade, loots and donation from the King and n.o.bles. Also they own ten percent of all the land in Tulosa" Luther answered. He then started walking towards Rickard"s room.

"That"s absurd Luther!" Centurion Lyn exclaimed while following Luther from behind. "How can we be sure that Tulosa is run by the King and not the Knights?"

Luther laughed. Centurion Lyn was naïve. "The government is run by both the King and the Grandmaster of Knights, Centurion. On the outside it looks like that the King is the one ruling. But the truth is more complicated than that. The Grandmaster can veto any orders from the King. He also commands twenty thousand Knights that can demolish the capital if they want to. They have become a state within a state."

Luther expected that Centuion Lyn would exclaim a curse or something, but the Centurion remained silent. Luther looked back and saw that the Centurion was staring at the floor while walking. There were large droplets of sweat on his forehead.

"Is that the reason why the faith of the Omniscient has slowly replaced that of the Great Rider over the years?" Centurion Lyn asked with a serious face.

Luther understood that as a believer of the Great Rider, Centurion Lyn had an animosity towards the Knights. It was the Order of the Knights which brought the religion of the Omniscient to Tulosa. The growing power of the Knights prompted many believers of the Great Rider to convert.

But Luther also hated the Knights. He"s tired of seeing the way they look at him. It was like they were looking at an insect from a high pedestal.

"Yes Centurion. And they are also the ones responsible for the Tulosan Civil War. People always blame Castonia for the civil war, but the real culprit is in front of them. They opposed the last King and that lead to a division among the n.o.bility. It is written in their book that Knights should protect the people, but they are the ones responsible for the death of thousands in the civil war. What a bunch of hypocrites." Luther said. It"s not that he cares for the people, it"s just that he was tired of the Knights acting like they are sinless.

"It seems you have a history with them." Centurion Lyn pointed out.

Luther smiled bitterly and remembered how he failed the examination to become a Knight. The Knights accept newcomers from both the n.o.bility and the common people. To become a Knight, one must train for years and pa.s.s the physical, moral and spiritual tests. Luther failed in all three while commoners like Centurion Stan and the b.a.s.t.a.r.d Henry, pa.s.sed. He couldn"t accept his failure. It was an insult to his bloodline. Being defeated by a commoner was a bitter pill to swallow.

Luther shook his head. He didn"t want to tell Centurion Lyn of his failure. "I won"t tell you, Centurion. We are not friends so why would I tell you about personal things?"

Centurion Lyn frowned. But after a while, he gave Luther a fake smile. "You"re right. We are not friends. Pardon me for asking Prefect"

After a while, the two of them reached Rickard"s office. Since General Rickard was one of the three Masters of the Knights, he had his own office in the headquarters. General Rickard"s guards first confirmed their ident.i.ties before opening the door.

Contrary to the marvelous sight outside, General Rickard"s room was dark and gloomy. The walls were not decorated and the floor was dirty. There were two swords crossed above the fireplace, but that"s the end of the room"s decoration.

Luther"s eyes were still adjusting to the darkness when a cold voice sounded.

"Sit" General Rickard gestured towards the chairs

Luther and Centurion Lyn sat on the two chairs in front of General Rickard"s table.

"It seems you brought a companion with you. Afraid?" General Rickard said as he poured wine into a cup. Luther thought that the General would offer them wine. But to Luther"s surprise, the General emptied the cup into his mouth.

"No General. My subordinate begged me to let him come. I can"t refuse him" Luther said. He then felt Centurion Lyn"s piercing gaze.

General Rickard chuckled to Luther"s answer. "Page thirty-six, paragraph seven of the Book of Knights. "The tongue is weapon. A Knight must keep the purity of his tongue. Lies and deceit are crimes."" He then pointed at Luther "You are lucky that you"re not a Knight. Or else I would have already punished you for lying."

Luther swallowed his saliva. It was foolish of him to lie to General Rickard. The General might not be as brutal as his uncle, but Rickard was stricter.

"I"m sorry General" Luther bowed his head. "So why did you call me here?" he changed the topic.

General Rickard did not answer immediately and instead looked at Centurion Lyn. "Fine, he will know sooner anyway." He said after a while. He then turned his gaze towards Luther. "What do you think of Timothy Castonia?"

Luther"s blood turned cold after hearing that name. It was the name of an enigma, a person Luther fears the most. Ever since the battle of Knightsend, Luther kept having nightmares about Prince Timothy.

Luther closed his eyes. He could still remember clearly the events of that day. It was terrifying. The cries of the trapped men inside the castle were still fresh on his mind. The scene displaying thousands of Castonian cavalry charging towards their camp still awed and scared him at the same time. The sinister feeling of falling into Timothy"s trap still causes him to physically tremble.

"He is a monster, General. My uncle was a fool for facing Timothy Castonia in battle. He is a puppeteer, someone who can make you question your free will. He can turn the darkest and bleakest situations into victory." Luther warned. Luther then looked at Centurion Lyn and gestured for him that it was his turn to speak.

"Ah, yes. Also, his soldiers are loyal to him. They will not rout even when facing our terrifying cavalry charge." Centurion Lyn added.

"Is that so? From your descriptions, he is a man we should avoid at all cost. " General Rickard said. He then sighed "Unfortunately, we can"t avoid him this time."

The General took a letter from his desk and gave it to Luther. The already broken seal was golden and the letter was from the King. Luther took the letter and read it.

After a while, Luther"s face showed a strange expression. He couldn"t believe what was written in the letter. Castonia in a civil war and Prince Timothy, or King Timothy if that"s how it is now, had declared war against King Leopold.

"General, I.."

"I know. I also had the same reaction when I first read it. With the Castonians fighting their own, we can now go back and attack again. The tables have turned. But I"m still worried about facing Timothy Castonia." General Rickard said.

"And you want the Whistlers to join you?" Luther asked

"Correct. I will give you funds to replenish the men you lost. I need the swiftness of your cohort. But more than that, I need your experience with Timothy Castonia."

"Can we refuse you General?" Luther asked. He was reluctant in fighting against Timothy Castonia again.

General Rickard shook his head. "No. But it would be better if you join me voluntarily. I don"t want to threaten you with execution."

General Rickard then stood up and went to the window. He stared at the huge tree outside. "You know that the Grand Master of the Knights is dying, right? He has been bedridden for years."

Luther understood what General Rickard was talking about. As one of the three Master of Knights, he can become the next Grand Master once the current dies. But the slight delay in the invasion of Castonia had lowered General Rickard"s popularity. Also, the General was a black sheep among the Knights. He was tough and strict. He also sees the traditional values of Knights like chivalry as relics of the past. General Rickard"s ways of doing things had gained popularity over the years and many other Knights had followed his example. Despite this, traditional Knights still dominate the Order.

"Yes General. And I suppose your desire is to be the next Grand Master. Isn"t that right?" Luther guessed.

"It is" General Rickard answered. "The Knights are falling behind of the times. Our presence has weakened Tulosa. Many Knights refuse to join the invasion just because we are the aggressors. This must change. The old ways of the Knights should go. Chivalry and kindness are not compatible with this world anymore. I will lead the Knights into the future, Luther. I will become the next Grand Master. Only then could the Order of the Knights become an a.s.set to Tulosa instead of a liability. But for that to happen, I need to show my worth by defeating Timothy Castonia." He then turned his head towards Luther and looked at him in the eye.

Luther saw the big difference between General Rickard and his uncle. General Rickard was strict, cold and harsh. But he had this unique charisma.

He pondered for a while. Since he couldn"t refuse, he had no choice but to return to Castonia and face Timothy again. He was afraid, but he was also hopeful that the current situation in Castonia will give them victory.

Luther revealed a defeated smile. "Then the Whistlers will follow you General"