Book 7, Chapter 78 (1/2)

Fame

A cloned brain flew over and landed in front of Richard, who leapt onto it in one graceful movement. Nasia did the same from behind him, after which the drone promptly flew towards the borders. Being much faster than the astral chrysalis and flying chrysalides, they reached the base when the reinforcements were still more than a hundred kilometres away.

However, by that point Salwyn’s vanguard was less than ten. To make matters worse, only 3,000 soldiers had managed to reinforce the base while the rest of the troops had been delayed along the way. The base was rather crude as well, the few walls of pitiful height with shallow pits scattered all around.

The soldiers that had just gotten here were making efficient use of their time, wolfing down their rations with big bites. A young mage from the Deepblue had come up with a recipe of ground meat, fish and vegetables mixed together that could be washed down with cold water or cooked as required, the result dropping supply requirements by a third.

Shadowed by Nasia, Richard walked around the base and re-organised his soldiers as normal, ensuring that he wouldn’t have any problems commanding them. Even knowing that they would be fighting nearly twenty times their number, these soldiers were fearless once they knew he would lead them; over the years, he had accomplished far too many miracles for anyone to be able to doubt him.

The troops were still resting when the earth began to tremble. Salwyn had come quickly, far earlier than even Richard had expected and having beaten the reinforcements by an entire hour. However, this had come at the cost of a constant march; the Iron Triangle soldiers likely had low stamina, and Richard even believed that the infantry could barely even stand.

A black flood appeared on the horizon, Salwyn’s vanguard. Standing in front of his own troops and gazing at the distance, Richard noticed the prince himself leading the force. All traces of luxury and elegance had been washed away, the man now kitted out in black armour with the aura of a soldier instead of a king. The only thing that could even connect him to the past self was the same carefully trimmed moustache.

Salwyn charged another kilometre before seeing Richard standing in front of the formation, pulling the reins tightly and getting his mount to twirl around a few times before it stopped. Seeing him come to a halt, the rest of his soldiers followed suit.

The two sides were several kilometres apart, but it felt like sparks would erupt where the two’s gazes met. A general by Salwyn’s side bellowed, “Your Highness, they have such a small force! How about we just go at them right now?”

The prince’s face twitched, but he eventually raised a hand, “No, all troops are to rest. Sub-legends on guard!”

“But the cavalry can still fight! Can we not deal with 3,000 footsoldiers?”

“3,000 footsoldiers led by the Crimson Duke himself? Richard Archeron?” Salwyn countered.

The words Richard Archeron immediately terrified everyone present. Richard’s name had become a taboo in the Iron Triangle Empire, a legend who nobody was willing to bring up. Every heroic general willing to challenge him had died in the Bloodstained Lands, and the jewel of the crown Salwyn had only barely escaped across their encounters. Even the campaign on Bluewater with vastly superior forces had ended in failure. The other famous general of the Empire, Rislant, simply didn’t dare take the stage.

The imperial cavalry slowly retreated and joined up with the infantry, dismounting to rest. Seeing this, Nasia’s eyebrows furrowed with confusion, “Why do they seem so afraid of you? Just which part of you is that amazing?”

Richard burst into laughter, “Like I said. As long as I’m standing here, they won’t take any risks.”

“Hmph! They’re just stupid. Don’t think you’re great because you’ve won against a bunch of pigs. It’s going to be a hard battle later, don’t let your guard down.”

“I never let my guard down.”

“Keep bragging!” she refused to have any of it. When he just smiled wryly without refuting, she continued, “This bet is still foolish.”

“Heh, maybe if you’re only looking at it on the surface. Think of the big picture; the Iron Triangle Empire is just a stepping stone and not the ultimate goal; I’ve given them a shortcut to survival, and they accepted it without hesitation. That means they don’t have the confidence to face me in open battle. Imagine the morale of their army if they can’t even accomplish something so easy; once I beat Salwyn here, they’ll probably surrender after two more battles.”