"When are we arriving?" Major General Caelen shouted impatiently, cracking his knuckles. "It's already been a week since we entered this mine!"

  "Perhaps a little longer," Major General Remnell said kindly. But inside, his thoughts were entirely different. This is all because of your hot-blooded mess.

  Normally, Remnell never went as far as insulting someone. But he had to, because this treacherous mine was entirely Caelen's fault. Ever since Remnell had been appointed supreme commander of the army, he and Caelen had been at each other's throats.

  Caelen was convinced that Remnell was trying to steal his achievements. Remnell, however, wasn't interested in achievements. He just wanted to go home safely, back to his wife and children. Of course, Caelen never bothered to listen.

  If Remnell could go back in time, he would slap his past self for being so foolish, for trying to listen to Caelen, for trying to buy his favor just so they could get along. But no. It had come to this: crossing the largest mines in the Shiena Kingdom with 50,000 troops.

  "Sir!" A messenger burst through the dark mines, torch in hand, sweat dripping down his face. "The front of the tunnel just collapsed! Thirty men are buried!"

  "What are you doing?!" Caelen spat, shoving the messenger against the cave wall. "Unbury them!"

  "We can't!" The messenger's face went pale. "Any further digging might collapse the rest of the tunnel!"

  "You fools!"

  You are the fools. Remnell screamed inside and was ready to order them to take a different route. But before he could give the order, a blue-haired woman, Colonel Aylsia, Caelen’s aide, stepped forward and beat him to it.

  "We take a detour. Make sure to reward the families of the fallen."

  "Yes, ma'am!" The messenger shouted as he ran off.

  "Damn this tunnel!" Caelen shouted in anger. Aylsia quietly followed a step behind him, with Remnell and the others following.

  It had already been a week since they decided to take the mines through the Thanos Mountain Range. Normally, Remnell would have preferred the route through the snow region, risky and slow, yes, but at least stable. Caelen, however, had insisted on the mine route. It was faster, and it would throw off enemy scouts.

  However, things only got worse. The tunnels had been collapsing left and right, years of neglect since the war started had weakened the structures. Holes opened up without warning, and getting lost was the least of their problems.

  "How much time do we have?" Remnell turned to his aide, Brigadier General Varian, who held the torch in his hand.

  "We have at least a week's worth of supplies left," Varian said, then lowered his voice. "We can stretch it. Maybe two weeks, sir."

  Even getting supplies delivered to their location had been a disaster in itself. Caelen, who hadn't spared a single thought about supplies, had left everything to Remnell, who had somehow managed to get the carriage drawn by horses into the mines.

  Not Saky, the strengthened horse, but normal ones. Remnell had found it difficult enough just getting them inside. And even then, the normal horses weren't much help. They were spooked at everything in the darkness.

  "Please tell me we found the exit," Remnell murmured, hoping for the best.

  Varian crushed that hope. "Almost all the routes leading to the exit have collapsed or been lost, sir. And even if we find one, there's a risk of enemy attack. We should approach with extreme caution."

  "Hahh…" Remnell could only sigh.

  He could only curse his past himself as he marched onto the tunnels, listening to Caelen’s complaint.

  [(0)]

  In the Eastern Gate of Fort Kespare, thousands of troops stood in formation, waiting for the massive iron gate to open. Exactly 35,000 strong, all ready to march out and meet the reinforcements making their way from the Thanos Mountain Range.

  The remaining 5,000 would stay behind to defend the fort, led by Brigadier General William Graves, a man who had earned his reputation for holding fortresses like no other.

  I stood among the ranks, mounted on Saky. Beside me, Warrant Officer Elion, my temporary aide, freshly promoted just like me, rode another Saky, shifting restlessly in his saddle. From this height, I could spot Deryk and the rest of the Mage Division near the back of the formation, led by Colonel Cameron, all mounted on their own Sakys.

  A ripple of movement ran through the troops. The crowd parted as General Cedric rode forward on his own Saky, stopping at the front where every soldier could see him. The old man straightened in his saddle, his gaze sweeping across the sea of faces. The murmuring died down.

  "Soldiers of the 9th Corps," Cedric's voice boomed. "I won't insult you with grand words. You already know what's at stake."

  He paused, letting the silence settle.

  "Two weeks ago, we struck the Imperials in the dark and showed them what this corps is made of. Now, they're coming to us, and this time, we won't be hiding."

  A low rumble of agreement stirred through the ranks.

  "Fight well. Fight smart. And bring yourselves home." Cedric nodded once, then turned his Saky aside. "Move out."

  The iron gate groaned open.

  As the horns blew for the start, I drove my heels into Saky's flanks and surged forward, the wind tearing at my hair as we shot through the gate. Behind me, my 1,000 cavalry exploded into motion, the thunder of hooves echoing behind as the ground shook beneath us.

  All around, the other regiments peeled off in perfect formation. 10,000 cavalry, splitting into ten directions at once, spreading across the land. Each regiment vanished toward its target, Imperial outposts scattered across the region.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  The plan was simple. The ten Independent Cavalry Regiments would hit the Imperial outposts hard and fast; burn them, take them, make them useless. Clear the path so the main army of 25,000 could march unhindered. And if we ran into Imperials along the way, that was our call to make.

  One by one, the other regiments disappeared from view, swallowed by distance and dust. Saky moved like the wind. After all, there were no carts or heavy wagons to slow us down.

  "And where are we going?" I asked Elion, who rode beside me, keeping pace with ease.

  "A minor fort called Fort Ohm, ma’am." he answered, pushing his glasses? Since when did he have glasses? He caught my look and adjusted them with a slight smile. "It's barely a fort, to tell the truth ma’am. Just a watchtower."

  "When did you get glasses?" I asked, genuinely thrown off.

  "Yesterday, actually, ma'am." Elion said, the corner of his mouth twitching. "My girlfriend said they suit me."

  I stared at him for a long moment, the roar of hooves and wind filling the silence.

  "Why is everybody dating…?" I muttered, slumping slightly in the saddle. First, it was the Deryk’s two lady friends, now Elion. "We're in the middle of a war."

  Elion said nothing, but I could swear he was trying not to laugh.

  [(0)]

  A lone Imperial guard stood watch as he scanned the plains ahead. It had been three full weeks since the disaster with Major General Ayas, and every guard stationed here had been on high alert ever since.

  "You sure do keep a close eye, Tom." Another Imperial guard, a woman named Iva, smiled at him as she walked over. Tom said nothing, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "You don't need to worry. Our captain took Sam down to the river for a check. We're alone."

  "It's not that, Iva," Tom said quietly. "The Royal soldiers could be here any day now."

  "Relax." Iva laughed and draped her arm around his shoulder, completely missing the way Tom's face flushed red. "We're in the backline. If Royal soldiers were coming, the outer forts would have warned us by now."

  "Yeah…" Tom murmured, still red in the face.

  A rustling came from behind a nearby crate. Tom glanced over to see his three friends crammed into a corner, whispering and shoving each other.

  "Do you think he'll confess?"

  "Probably not. He's too chicken."

  "He isn't asking her to marry him. What's so hard about asking to be his girlfriend?"

  "Well, I'd like to see you try if you even have a girlfrien—"

  Thwack.

  Tom turned back, jaw tightening. Feeling both embarrassed and annoyed, he looked at Iva, his heart hammering so hard his chest might burst out any second. His palms were sweating. But something shifted in his chest, a quiet determination.

  "Iva," Tom said, sweat trickling down his face as he met her eyes. "Would you… be my girlfriend?"

  There was silence.

  Iva stared at him. His three friends froze mid-bicker, mouths hanging open. None of them could believe that someone as timid as Tom had actually said it out loud. The air itself seemed to hold still as Tom and Iva stared at each other in the eye for a long time.

  Then Iva burst out laughing.

  "HAHAHA. You seriously thought I wouldn't notice?" she wheezed, wiping tears from her eyes. Tom blinked, his brain short-circuiting as the realization slowly crept in. "HAHAHAHA—that was so funny!"

  "W… w… s… s…" Tom's mouth moved, but nothing came out. His mind had completely melted.

  Iva's laughter faded. Her cheeks turned red, bright, unmistakable red, and she looked away.

  "Of course," she said, her voice suddenly small. "Of course, you dummy."

  Tom felt the world lift beneath him. A warmth spread through his chest, the happiest he had ever felt in his entire life. He opened his mouth, wanting to tell her everything, wanting to say how much he—

  Thuck.

  A cold splash hit his face. Tom blinked. His hand rose slowly, fingers trembling as they touched his cheek. He pulled them back and stared. Red. Blood.

  He turned.

  Iva stood perfectly still, her smile still faintly lingering on her lips. An arrow was lodged clean in the center of her forehead. Her eyes, still open, stared at Tom.

  "H-hey," Tom whispered.

  It was the only word he managed before Iva's body crumpled silently to the ground.

  "W-we're under attack!" One of Tom's friends shouted as they scrambled forward. "Wake up! We need to do something!"

  But Tom didn't move, no he couldn’t. He knelt there, Iva cradled in his arms, his hands trembling as he stared at her face. She was still smiling. That same smile, the one from just seconds ago, the one that had made him the happiest he had ever been. It was his fault. He had made her look away. If he hadn't—

  "Tom!" His friend grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him hard. Tom's eyes tore away from Iva, and he gasped.

  A massive dust cloud was rising in the distance. The ground trembled under the weight of thousands of charging hooves. Royal soldiers on Saky were bearing down on them at full speed, and at the very front, leading the charge, was a girl with silver hair and a bow in her hands.

  "There's no way we can defend here!" one of his friends shouted, voice cracking with fear. And he was right, there were only 20 men here. This wasn't even a fort, but a watchtower.

  His friend hauled Tom to his feet and half-carried him toward their Saky. Tom let himself be moved, his legs numb, his mind somewhere far away. His friends mounted and pulled him up behind one of them, and then they were running, Saky's hooves pounding against the earth as the three of them fled for their lives.

  Tom said nothing. He stared blankly ahead, seeing nothing, feeling nothing but the empty space where Iva's smile used to be.

  [(0)]

  "That was the last one for our objective, right?" I asked Warrant Officer Elion, who was sending a messenger to the main army of the 9th Corps using the Wind Bird.

  "Yes, ma'am." Elion nodded. "That was the last watchtower. We’re free to do as we please until further orders come down."

  There weren't many Imperial soldiers left at the fort, only the ones who had surrendered. 14 in total. There had been 20, but four had fled on the only three Saky they had, one had been killed by my arrow, and one was still down at the river with their Captain.

  I had already dispatched 20 of my soldiers to hunt them down. The prisoners would be sent to Fort Kespare to be dealt with accordingly, put to work as miners or farmers, most likely.

  I was in the middle of sorting out the remaining orders when a scout I had sent out only minutes ago came sprinting back, his face pale.

  "Ma'am! We've found an entrance to the mines!"

  "You're serious?" I asked, eyes widening.

  This watchtower sat close to the Thanos Mountain Range, but I never would have expected us to actually stumble upon a mine entrance leading into it. I turned to Elion, who nodded.

  "I believe it's one of the entrances that leads to the main mines of the Thanos Mountain Range," he confirmed.

  There were two choices, really. First, we could explore it, and only scout it out. We only had 1,000 men with me, so caution was necessary. Or second, we leave it alone. Collapse the tunnel, maybe, and make it harder for the Imperials to dig it back out and use it.

  But I knew that if we were to win decisively against 50,000, we needed to do as much damage as possible beforehand. And the best way to do that was to catch them at their most vulnerable, when they were crammed together, moving slowly, unable to fight back.

  Inside a mine, they would be exactly that.

  "I'll take a hundred men with me." I drew my daggers, a sword or spear would be nearly impossible to use in tight tunnel spaces. "I'll be back by tomorrow. Send Wind Birds to notify General Cedric."

  "Understood, ma'am." Elion nodded and jogged off to prepare another Wind Bird. He had seen how I fought before and knew better than to argue.

  It didn't take long for a hundred troops to gather, half of them veterans from my first raid on the Imperial camp. They knew what was coming and a few of them were even grinning. I guess they were hotblooded soldiers who were always eager to fight.

  Officers usually gave long speeches to boost morale before something like this. I wasn't going to do that since I was terrible at talking in front of crowds. Instead, I did the simplest thing I could think of.

  "Let's go!" I called out, and the hundred roared in unison as we began marching into the cave.

  I made it exactly three steps inside before I stopped.

  "Oh. Torches." I turned back, scratching the back of my head. "And somebody grab a map."

  After all, I had no intention of getting lost here.