Proofread by Thomas F
I watched Margaux's ship sail away and turned to the work in front of me. She had made all the preparations; she will do well.
I hope so; the future of the city is riding on it.
"You all did very well. I now feel the dominion is a lot more secure than before," I said to the three in front of me. "It's all thanks to your leadership, my lord," replied Stone.
He is not one to suck up. If he is giving praise, it is genuine.
"Still, we should not stop the recruitment, my lord. The numbers we have are a minimum of what we need." Advised Cardin.
"I know, General, and we will not stop, but we will slow down the aggressive recruitment," I replied.
We have finally got an army of one hundred and fifty thousand. One hundred and forty-two thousands of them are experienced people, having fought at least one battle.
The eight thousand are newly recruited. The majority of them didn't even have a class.
We have finished the target in nearly half the time.
We already had a hundred and five thousand fighting personnel after the war. Twenty thousand came from Gailhorn's old army.
Around eighteen thousand we have recruited from Panar, Inam, and the Empire.
The rest of the city.
I could see the unwillingness on their faces, and I wish I could continue recruiting as aggressively as before, but unfortunately, I can't.
The city does not have money. It is going to take a massive amount of it to maintain the army of one hundred and fifty thousand.
It isn't just the salary, but also food, equipment, and other things.
"I am glad you have accepted the revised draft of the military labor law," I said to them, and the expression on their faces became bad.
They were against it; I wanted things as they were, but unfortunately, that is not an option we have.
In this world, nobles keep armies, but countries also has standing armies. There are wars, but there is also a time of peace.
In the peace when there is no battle. The soldiers' pay is docked around 30% and they have also been ordered to do the labor.
It is too expensive to maintain armies. They have to get use out of them.
In Greltheaven, we only dock the pay by 20%; it is one of the attractive things about the Greltheaven army. Now, we will start to make them labor as well.
In the new military labor law, we are bringing out. The army will have to do the labor, and it will be optional.
Though those who accept it will receive full pay, it is only for common soldiers. Officers' pay is always full, and it increases slightly in wartime.
The elite army will also be exempted from it. Like the officers, we never dock their pay.
It is one of the reasons why so many people apply to join them, but very few can. Its tests are complex; a few could pass them and continue to pass as they are tested every three months.
"We should delay it for a few months. We need the army to be ready to defend against any threat," said Stone.
He is opposed to the whole law. Saying it will affect the morale, and it might, but as I had said, I didn't have much of a choice regarding it.
"The city needs labor, General. A lot of it," I replied.
With soldiers as laborers, we will not only solve the problem of labor but will also save a lot of money, as it will be much cheaper than hiring new labor.
To preserve morale, the military labor will only work on public and military infrastructure.
"We will release the order tomorrow," he said finally. "Good. I want them working within a week." I replied.
We need a lot of people; there are also a lot of roads to be made, underground sewage lines to be dug, and a lot of other things.
There is a lot of work, and I hope to receive enough applications. I really don't want to make it mandatory.
They left soon, and I also went to the conference room to attend a meeting before returning to my office and working on things.
"Greymoor had been captured," Informed Zela.
For a moment, I wasn't able to remember the city, but I remembered something about it.
"Isn't he the place where he is being held captive?" I asked. "Yes," replied Lola. "I don't know whether he is alive or not after what they did to him," added Lola, shuddering.
The Crown Prince's vengeance is without limit. There is no limit to his cruelty.
It is one of the reasons why he is in control. People fear him and the things he might do to them if he wrongs them. He had already proved he has no limits.
"Count Thalewin is the one leading that front right?" I asked, and she nodded.
He is a noble of Geim, a very young one. He had been making slow but steady progress in Yatgar. I didn't expect that he would win Greymoor.
It is the territory of the Marquess of Greymoor: a Lv. 40 noble and one of the Prince's most trusted men.
He was also a sick bastard.
"What happened to Marquess?" I asked. "He was able to retreat with the army," replied Zela. It would have been great if the bastard were dead.
I didn't say anything and closed my eyes.
We had mentioned something when we were talking. I just want to confirm it. A minute later, I opened my eyes with a smile on my face.
The thing I planned to do will make the Crown Prince very angry.
I wouldn't want to mess with him, but I have the man, who is imprisoned, and it would solve one of my greatest problems.
"Contact Count Thalewin. Ask if he is willing to talk to me," I said. "I don't think it is worth it. After what Prince did to him, he is dead weight. Getting him will only bring us trouble," advised Lola.
I smiled and turned to Zela. She closed her eyes, while I turned to work. "He is willing," said Zela, a few minutes later.
"When?" I asked. Tonight would be best; the prisoner is important. After Prince had done to him, he was pretty useless.
Still, I want him and made sure he didn't kill him.
"Now," she replied to my surprise. He just conquered the city; I didn't think I would be able to talk to him, much less now.
"Ok," I said.
A few minutes later, she nodded, and I touched her with my aura. It is akin to touching, and now I have enough control that I talk through it.
The spell connected.
"Count Thalwin, thank you for taking my call. I am sure you are very busy now," I said. 'I am Lord Silver, but I am more curious about your call; you are not a person I had expected to call me from the empire,' he replied.
His voice is melodic, but masculine. It feels beautiful to the ears.
'Surely, it is not the call to congratulate me?' he asked, and I laughed. Congratulating him would be treason; hell, even talking to him is considered treason.
It is why I am talking to him with a secure line of communication provided by my title. Only the Archimage Tower could snoop in on this conversation.
"No, it is about the prisoner, held in the dungeon of Greymoor," I replied.
"You mean Branor Schengen?" he asked, and I am not surprised; he knows about him. He would have done his complete research before attacking the city.
Besides, news of Sir Schengen being there is not a secret. Everybody knows about it.
"Yes," I replied.
"What do you want with him?" he asked after a moment of silence. "I want him," I replied, and there was a laugh.
"Branor Schengen is a powerful knight, and you are technically an enemy, Lord Silver. Our kingdom is at war with your empire," he said, but his tone was responsive.
"Branor Schengen is hardly any threat anymore, Count. I want him because he is a friend and would be grateful if you would give me to me," I replied.
"He is a high-value prisoner," said the man, and a smile appeared on my face. "And I am willing to pay a high value for him," I replied.
Ransom is a common practice in war; usually, it happens at the end, but I am sure he would be able to make an exception given Schengen's condition and the prize I am willing to pay for it.
…
Count Thalewin
"The northern direction to Alsik town had been secured," Informed Birwas.
Hearing that, I finally felt relieved. I had conquered the city in the morning, but it took the night to secure it from all directions.
Place the men in villages and towns along with scouts and aerial eyes.
The battle had been hard, and I wasn't able to kill the Marquess. If I had, it would have given me some breathing room.
I had only made him retreat. Meaning, given his nature, he will attack and attack soon, given that he has the support of the Crown Prince.
"I want every scout alert; we have conquered the Greymoor. Now, we have to keep it," I ordered.
Thankfully, defense is my specialty. Let him come; I will send him packing. Once I stabilize here, I will move forward to conquer more territory.
This is a generational opportunity to increase the territory of the house and advance my title.
This victory had given me all the contributions I needed for it. All I have to do is maintain, but that is not the only thing I want.
The Empire is ripe for taking. It would be really regrettable if I were just satisfied with this.
"Let's go. Let's check on the prisoner, who is going to provide us with a large number of the emotion essence potions," I said and walked out of the office.
We didn't talk about the numbers; we will after he sends his people, but it will be good. Silver wants him, and I want emotional essence potions.
If I had them in good numbers. Many good officers hadn't died.
I had already talked to the Prime Minister, and he agreed, which is no surprise given his condition and the threat he represents. There are a few continents that would be able to heal him, and it wouldn't be without a massive cost.
Even Silver would be very hesitant to pay for it.
The royals wanted half of the ransom Silver might pay, but I managed to negotiate it down to 30%. I want the emotion essence potions and will try to reduce their share even further.
I want emotion essence potions; they will be tremendously helpful in conquering further into the empire.
Soon, we reached the dungeon, and what I saw made me shudder. I am no stranger to torture; it is one of the tools in the hands of a ruler, but even we didn't go this far.
"The man is really sick," said Birwas, looking at the cells.
Soon, we reach the cell; it is a standard cell, leaking and filthy. "The man was a respected Knight; he should have been ashamed to keep him in such a condition," I said. Looking at the man whom my father had praised.
They had fought one in a brief war a decade ago. He was all praise for this man.
"We do not treat, even our mortal enemies, like this," Said Birwas with an ugly expression.
The guard opened the cell, and I walked inside before stopping beside him. Seeing him so close, even my expressions have turned ugly.
The man is no ordinary knight; he was a Knight Marshal of Imperial Knights.
The most prestigious and feared Knight Order of the Empire. These are people the former emperor used to send to deal with any difficult problem.
Now, once the grand order remained scattered across, it was loyal to different factions.
I had never met a man, but heard about him from my father. I always imagined him as an imposing man covered fully in armor with a great sword in his hand.
No, the man is so thin that the bones are sticking out of his skin, and that is nothing.
They had cut his arms and legs, dug out his eyes, and cut his tongue. Every inch of him is covered in marks, and I wish I could say that is the worst part, but it is not.
The worst part is those green crystalline veins covering him.
That is Serathine's Kiss, also known as Aura Bane. It absorbs the aura, seals the mana, and freezes one's body. This effectively turns one into a prisoner in their own body.
Something I wouldn't wish on my enemies.