‘Beauty does not exist alone. A man will always follow.’

  From Fritiz Weinston later executed for seducing the king’s fifth wife

  I found myself staring at the same elf I had once seen locked in a metal cage. Gone were the ragged clothes, replaced with simple but clean garments that, despite their modesty, couldn't hide her striking figure. She was almost unnervingly perfect.

  Anyway, the real reason I wanted her as my aide, however, was practical. Since she was technically still a slave, and I intended to keep it that way, no offense or anything. She wouldn't be able to reveal any secrets about me, even if she discovered them. The slave collar would ensure her silence.

  Keeping her close would allow me to monitor her and ensure she didn't do anything suspicious. Besides, elves were naturally gifted in magic, weren't they? She could help me with spells, something that definitely wasn't my specialty. Together, we would be unstoppable!

  At least, that was the plan.

  Ovras had arranged for us to meet privately so I could get to know her better. The elf hadn't spoken a word since her rescue, and I didn't even know her name.

  Deciding to break the silence, I took the first step.

  "Hello, my name is Aria. Nice to meet you," I said, figuring it was best to introduce myself first.

  After all, following the embarrassment of meeting Nine, I had practiced this exact scenario in my head multiple times just in case something similar happened again. (Though I felt rather stupid for doing so.)

  The elf stared at me with a blank expression for what felt like an eternity before finally speaking.

  "Lura Qinroris."

  Relief I hadn't expected washed over me. She had at least spoken to me, and given me her name, no less. That was a start.

  "Where are you from?" I asked, feeling somewhat nervous.

  "I don't remember."

  I blinked, surprised. "Okay... do you know who your family is?"

  "I don't remember."

  “Your age?”

  “I don’t remember.”

  “Your favorite food? Hobby? Or… anything?’

  “I don’t remember.”

  "...What do you remember?"

  "Only my name."

  From the look in her eyes, she didn't seem to be lying. But at the same time, something felt off, like she was holding something back. Still, if she wanted to keep secrets, that was her prerogative. Unless, of course, those secrets involved spying.

  "Anyway," I continued cautiously, watching her expression, "you should know... you're not exactly welcome here right now. With the war going on, people are suspicious of outsiders."

  I looked at her, hoping for some reaction. She continued staring blankly at me. At least she could have given me a small nod. I sighed inwardly, thinking about Nine. She had been so patient with me when I was fumbling through social interactions.

  "So, since we can't get you home, and we can't exactly set you free because there's concern you might be a spy," I paused, watching for any flicker of surprise, but her expression remained unchanged, "it's been decided that you'll serve as my aide. However, to officially hold that position, you need to be at least a Second Lieutenant. That means people will be... dissatisfied with such a rapid promotion for someone they don't know or trust."

  Lura tilted her head slightly, confusion finally breaking through her blank expression.

  "So," I continued, "you'll need to prove yourself in battle, show everyone you're worthy of the rank. And I might have the perfect opportunity."

  I pointed to a map on the table. "I'm on a mission to reinforce the 4th Corps, who are on the verge of annihilation. It's extremely dangerous, but if you join me and prove yourself in combat, it could silence any doubters. That being said, you don't have to go. If you'd prefer, we could find another way—"

  "I'll go."

  I blinked, caught completely off guard by her immediate response. I took a moment to process before speaking again.

  "You'll... go with me? To the front lines?" I asked, still surprised. "Really? We're talking about active combat, where there's a very high chance of getting killed."

  Lura nodded, her expression calm and cold, almost detached.

  I could only stare at her in disbelief. Normally, people would cry, get angry, or even break down at the prospect of being thrown into a deadly battle. I certainly would have. But she was accepting everything far too quickly, far too easily.

  It was unsettling.

  "Yes. I will prove myself."

  We stared at each other for a moment, the silence heavy between us, before I sighed in resignation. Unlike most people, whose emotions I could read easily, I couldn't get a read on her at all. Her face remained blank, her crimson eyes unnerving. Not to insult her or anything, but they were more than a little creepy.

  "Okay," I said finally. "An officer will bring you your uniform. Just make sure you report directly to me and don't get... distracted by any strange soldiers."

  With that, I turned and walked out of the room, a sense of unease settling over me.

  Something told me I'd just gotten myself into far bigger problems than I'd anticipated.

  [(0)]

  Well, it turned out I was right. I had gotten myself into bigger problems.

  Word spread through the Citadel quickly that an elf, Lura, was here, and it didn't take long for officers and soldiers, mostly male, to start trying to catch a glimpse of her.

  Even though plenty of people here were attractive thanks to mana, the elf was on an entirely different level. Her beauty was almost supernatural, literally radiant in a way I could feel.

  It became a nightly issue too. One night alone, not one, not two, but three officers tried to sneak into our room to "spend time" with her. It was a complete disaster.

  Unfortunately for me, I was sharing quarters with her to keep a close eye on her, which meant I had the misfortune of witnessing the whole mess. I hadn't realized until then just how disgustingly men could behave when blinded by lust.

  The three officers, two of whom I had accidentally punched so hard their heads got stuck in the wall, and one whose arms I had broken after beating him to pulp, were quickly demoted and given harsh punishments. But that didn't stop others from trying.

  The situation only worsened. Soldiers and officers alike seemed to think they had a chance, and it got so bad that I had to change my plans.

  Originally, I had intended to depart at 9 a.m. after a proper night's rest, but with things spiraling out of control, I packed up early and gave the order to leave at 6 a.m. instead. We couldn't stay any longer.

  That was why I found myself riding alongside 3,000 zombies who could barely keep their eyes open. From what I had heard, they had spent the night celebrating their victory over the bandits, and my sudden schedule change had robbed them of proper sleep. I could only pray we wouldn't be ambushed as we moved closer to the front lines.

  Lura, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected. Her face remained as cold and expressionless as ever. Despite nearly being assaulted by three men, she stayed calm. Too calm. It made me wonder if she'd experienced far worse.

  Even the Saky Lura was riding seemed to reflect her mood, glaring at me with what I could only describe as accusatory irritation. The beast's eyes practically screamed "Why did you make her this unhappy?!" I supposed elves had a natural connection with animals, but this one definitely wasn't pleased with me.

  "You certainly had an eventful night," Brigadier General Ovras said from below as he watched the gate creak open.

  "You seem strangely amused by that," I glared down at him.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  "Oh, don't worry about it." Ovras grinned mysteriously. "Let's just say... it was fascinating to watch a homunculus actually display emotion."

  I tensed, glancing around quickly. Thankfully, no one seemed to have heard. Or more likely, Ovras had done something. Suddenly, I noticed a subtle shadowy barrier surrounding us, muffling our conversation.

  "Don't worry. From the outside, we appear to be having a casual chat," Ovras said, his eyes opening fully to reveal glowing violet irises. "Tell me, how are you different from the others?"

  By "the others," he clearly meant the other homunculi assigned to each Corps. There were nine of us in total, including me. From what I had seen, the rest had emotionless faces, more like robots than people.

  "I don't know, sir," I answered carefully, doing my best to sound convincing. "I'm simply adapting faster than the others."

  Ovras stared at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable, before smiling. The shadowy barrier lifted, revealing that the gate had fully opened. The soldiers behind me sat ready on their mounts, waiting for the signal.

  "Then I suppose I'll simply have to adapt quickly as well," Ovras said mysteriously.

  He saluted, and I returned the gesture before nodding to my troops. Then we galloped at full speed toward Fort Cainhorn.

  The journey took several days, and thankfully, no one bothered Lura, mainly because everyone had witnessed just how terrifying I could be when provoked.

  Unlike our previous travels, we encountered no monsters, bandits, or attacks as we approached the front lines. The closer we got to active combat zones, the more the land seemed scoured clean of anything but military forces.

  Finally, we reached Fort Cainhorn, a fortified position serving as headquarters for the 4th Corps. Upon entering, we were greeted by absolute chaos.

  Hundreds of soldiers rushed in every direction, clearly in the middle of preparing for something urgent. No one spared us a glance as they hurried to their stations.

  It took some time, but I was escorted to the commander of the 4th Corps, General Declan, a man with rippling muscles. He was so heavily built that his uniform looked ready to burst at the seams. His gaze immediately shifted to Lura, who I had ordered to follow me, but after a moment's pause, he said nothing and turned his attention back to me.

  "I assume you're Major Aria, the one who received the Crown of Emerald?" Declan asked, sighing deeply. "Please tell me Cedric didn't only send 6,000 soldiers."

  "No, sir," I replied, snapping a salute. "The second wave of reinforcements, 5,000 soldiers, will arrive in two weeks. The main force of 29,000 should arrive within four weeks at best."

  "Not enough time!" Declan suddenly kicked his desk in frustration, shattering it to pieces. But just as quickly, he composed himself, looking ashamed of the outburst.

  "I apologize," he said, his voice quieter. "The battle has me... on edge. Please understand."

  "There's no need to apologize, sir," I said, offering him a sympathetic look.

  It was clear the 4th Corps had been through hell fighting the Imperials. If I were in his shoes, I had probably reacted the same way. But still, I didn't understand why he seemed so desperate when I had just brought 3,000 additional troops. Then, there was the 3,000 troops including mages and—

  Wait.

  "Sir, may I ask why the situation sounds so dire? And where is General Sionia of the 3rd Corps?"

  Declan's expression shifted rapidly. Surprise, then anger, then something like grief. He stared at me for a long moment before sighing heavily.

  "You have no idea what's happened," Declan murmured, then turned and opened the door, breaking it off its hinges in the process. "Follow me. And someone fix this!"

  Declan, Lura, and I walked down hallways crowded with harried officers. We soon reached the medical ward. Declan stormed in without bothering to knock.

  The room was filled with wounded soldiers on beds. I recognized many familiar faces from Fort Kespare, including Colonel Cameron, the bear mage, lying with bandages wrapped around his head.

  And…

  "Deryk?"

  Deryk was lying unconscious on a bed, breathing peacefully but showing no signs of waking. I started toward him instinctively, but Declan stopped me with a firm hand, redirecting me toward a woman with violet hair sitting on a bed, her left arm heavily bandaged.

  "Hey," the woman said with a pained smile. "I see you brought our hero."

  I could tell she was somehow powerful. Her presence was even stronger than Declan's and on par with General Cedric. That left only one possible candidate.

  "It's an honor to meet you, ma'am," I said, saluting General Sionia.

  "The pleasure is mine," Sionia smiled, gently pushing my hand down. She glanced at her bandaged body and sighed. "Though it's a shame I can only meet you like... this."

  "What happened?" I asked the question I had been wanting to ask since entering.

  "We managed to fend off reinforcements the Imperial had sent to us.” Declan started, his face grim. “They were beaten badly by General Sionia, so they retreated far back.”

  “And we were sitting around for our own reinforcements until a new report came in.” Sionia added with a grimace.

  “A new enemy appeared," Declan’s muscles flexed as his face twisted into displeasure. "An enemy we never expected to show up. The 5th Knight Brigade of the Emavia Empire, the Storm Crusaders."

  "I beg your pardon, sir?" I asked, unfamiliar with the term.

  "The Knight Brigades," Declan explained, his tone grim. "They're an elite force within the Empire. The best of the best. Normally, they stay in Imperial territory suppressing rebellions, but for some reason, one of them, the Storm Crusaders, is here, in Shiena."

  The Emavia Empire's grand ambition was to dominate the entire continent, and they had already swallowed countless nations. Naturally, rebellions erupted everywhere as conquered peoples fought to reclaim their lost homelands from Imperial rule.

  The problem was scale. There were simply too many rebellions happening simultaneously. I had heard that at least 500,000 people across 49 different conquered nations were actively rebelling at any given time. The Empire needed elite forces strong enough to suppress these uprisings without diverting their main army, and the Knight Brigades were perfect for that role.

  "We tried to stop them," Sionia winced slightly as she adjusted her bandaged arm. "But once we realized we couldn't win a direct confrontation, we shifted to stalling tactics, buying time for reinforcements to arrive. And now... here we are."

  I had no idea how powerful Sionia or the Knight Brigade truly were, but if a Wild Magic wielder could be injured this badly, similar to what Major General Caelen had with his Wild Magic, then they must be formidable indeed.

  Declan sighed heavily, reaching for a cigarette and an artifact lighter. Sionia immediately snatched the cigarette from his hand with a disapproving frown, mouthing This is a medical ward.

  He scowled but continued. "The situation isn't good. The Storm Crusaders number 40,000 strong, and we haven't even made a dent in their forces."

  I swallowed hard, the gravity of the situation hitting me. "And our numbers?"

  "About 30,000 still combat-ready," Declan answered grimly. "Another 5,000 too wounded to fight."

  …Um, I didn’t know what to expect since we weren’t really that bad. I mean, we did have a large number differences of 10,000, but I don’t see why we were in such a hurry considering we were playing defense and had the advantage.

  Seeing my confused expression, Declan's jaw clenched, his muscles straining with barely contained frustration.

  "Since you seem uncertain about the situation," Sionia interjected diplomatically, glancing at Declan, "I'd advise you to scout them yourself. See what we're up against firsthand."

  Declan pointed toward the wall in the direction of the enemy, maybe?. "Go quickly and assess the situation. Since you're not officially part of my command structure, I can't order you directly, but we don't have time to waste. Do what you need to do."

  "Sir, just observing them?" I asked, confused. "How can we assess their capabilities without seeing them in actual combat?" Normally, watching a disciplined march could reveal organizational skills, but it wouldn't show their true combat effectiveness. For that, we needed to see them fight.

  Declan scoffed, clearly unimpressed by my hesitation. "You'll understand what I mean when you see them. Take no more than ten soldiers with you and be back within five hours. After that, you'll attend the war council."

  "Sir, but—"

  "Go now!" Declan snapped, hurling his chair across the room in frustration.

  Left with no other choice, Lura and I quickly exited the medical ward, unable to visit Deryk. Though it was quite a shame considering he was always by my side when I was in medic, I needed to complete his order. I quickly gave orders for a small scouting party to assemble.

  Honestly, I desperately needed rest. At this rate, the military was starting to feel like one of those nightmarish black companies from Earth, endless work with no regard for employee welfare.

  [(0)]

  I departed quickly with Lura and eight other officers, riding the fastest Sakys Fort Cainhorn had to offer since ours were exhausted from the journey.

  General Declan had ordered me to take no more than ten, so I chose officers who could handle themselves in a fight. I wasn't sure about Lura's combat abilities, but if things went sideways, she could at least use magic.

  Not that the fort would be any safer for her, considering how some soldiers had been behaving.

  After two hours of hard riding, we reached a small cliff overlooking the plains ahead. Or what used to be plains. The once-beautiful expanse of meadows, wildflowers, and wildlife had been consumed by something far more ominous.

  An army clad in ashen-gray armor marched below, and they brought with them a literal storm. Not metaphorical. An actual swirling tempest.

  Dark clouds roiled around the entire formation, powerful winds howling as they tore across the landscape. Tree branches whipped violently, and grass and

  flowers were ripped from the earth, leaving barren ground in their wake.

  Using an artifact similar to binoculars, I examined the army's strange formation. Groups of four knights surrounded single figures dressed in ashen robes, each holding a staff. The robed figures were likely mages, with the knights serving as their personal guard.

  This pattern repeated throughout the entire army. The knights formed protective perimeters around clusters of mages, who appeared to be commanding the storm itself, guiding the winds and chaos as the army advanced.

  It became clear why they were called the Storm Crusaders. They didn't just march through storms. They were the storm.

  "I can see why the 4th Corps had so much trouble holding them back..." I murmured, lowering the artifact and standing. There was no reason to stay here any longer.

  "Ma'am..." one of the officers said, his voice trembling as he rose to his feet, still watching the scene below. "Are we... are we supposed to fight that?"

  "Looks like it," I nodded grimly. "And from what I can see, we'll need to take out the mages if we want any real chance of winning."

  "That's going to be difficult."

  I turned, surprised. Lura had spoken. Her gaze fixed on the army below, seemingly unaffected by the howling winds. Her sudden contribution shocked all of us, especially me, since she'd barely said more than a few words since we'd met. Ignoring our surprised looks, she continued.

  "The knights' armor is also enchanted," Lura said, her voice clear and measured as she studied the formation. "It generates wind—not as strong as the mages produce, but enough to augment their movements. It also enhances their physical strength."

  "Having a magic expert comes in handy," I remarked with a half-smile, relieved that Lura wasn't completely emotionless after all.

  Lura's expression remained neutral, but I caught a faint blush coloring her pale cheeks. So she did have emotions. I smiled despite the grim situation weighing on us.

  "Ma'am, with all due respect, this isn't the time to celebrate," one of the officers interjected sharply. "If Second Lieutenant Lura is correct, this is going to be even harder than we anticipated, even with our MPA units and mages."

  "Fair point," I sighed, turning toward where we had tied our Sakys. There was no time to dwell on our lack of information. We needed a plan, and there were likely more secrets about the Storm Crusaders we hadn't uncovered yet.

  We had to regroup. "The 4th Corps and the 3rd Corps mages have more experience fighting them," I said. "Hopefully, they've worked out some kind of strategy."

  Without wasting another moment, I gave the order to ride back to Fort Cainhorn.