He counted every column in the vast room, took his time to appreciate every single painting plastered on the walls, admired the mosaic masterfully laid on the floor. And he was still kept waiting!

Rushing to the capital all the way from the border took them two weeks. Changing the horses on every possible occasion, leaving most of the luggage behind to prevent it from slowing them down… They did everything in their power to show up as soon as possible… but it would be unheard of if they were invited straight away! Even if the news of them reaching the city was sure to arrive in advance, royal etiquette forced them to waste their precious time!

"... why we should push them now! We can"t be sure how quickly they will regain their wits and curb us out of the Buzan!"

Klimmer continued to argue with Leila in the background. While Victor preferred to wait in silence, this duo was known in the entire Perra for their constant bickering. At times, the officer wondered that if his companions" worldviews were just a slightly better aligned, would his friend end up with Leila instead of him?

"While this might be true, we won"t be able to force them out of the Heska Hills. Even if we captured the entirety of no man"s land, it would be all meaningless in the end."

If not for the sake of spelling her words, Leila face could be said to be as still as water in an undisturbed pond. While she might be able to trick others, both Victor and Klimmer knew her for long enough to understand what lied behind this false lack of emotion. For someone as energetic and impulsive as her, calmness could only be an act!

"What do you mean meaningless? If we want to ever push beyond this line and finally eradicate them, we will have to conquer those forts anyway! Taking over the plains and the old town would grant us enough operating s.p.a.ce to unleash our forces and just swarm them!"

Pacing around in circles, Klimmer looked at Victor with the hope seeping out of his eyes. Noticing the dispirited look that he received in response, the young officer turned back around to face the Leila.

There was no way Victor would enter this argument. How was he supposed to choose between supporting his dear friend and fiancee? No matter what he said, speaking up would cause either one of them to feel resentful towards him, and if he disagreed with both of them…

"Have you seen those Hills? I did! This wouldn"t be a siege, attacking those fortifications equals to making mincemeat out of our soldiers! The only thing that I find comparable to Heska Hills is the continental wall!"

Before his beloved could attempt to drag him into this, Victor moved quite a distance away. Looking at the paintings in the reverse order now, he pretended to not feel Leila"s eyes glued on his back. No matter what, he had to avoid being pulled into the conversation!

Just as if fate was looking over him, before the girl attempted to call him, the ma.s.sive doors in the inner side of the hall opened. At first, a party of eastern looking dignitaries left, accompanied by the Royal Chamberlain. Bowing lightly at the leaving party, the old man swept the imaginary dust from the folds of his robe and looked at Victor.

"The King invites you in."

With a slight nod, he moved aside and pointed at the throne room with his right hand. While this gesture looked quite excessive, his post was mostly about keeping the proper, traditional manners in the most important building in the country. Even the whole audience was just a fa.r.s.e kept up only to give royal attendants some work.

Most of the people working as crown high servants really cared about those posts. Despite the vast inhabited lands in the northern part of the country, Commonwealth was already divided into many various princedoms, glued together by the central power of the King. But the n.o.bles had to be rewarded for their deeds in some way or another!

Opposing to the idea of shrinking the crown lands, old emperor from seven generations ago pa.s.sed a degree where the only thing a n.o.ble could get from the crown was either the tax relief, someone else fief, conquered land or an honourable t.i.tle. With the savings in the treasury constantly shrinking down, internal peace and borders already boosted to the maximum of country administrative capabilities, the only way to please the high cla.s.s laid in those t.i.tles.

Keeping the look of ridicule from appearing on his face, Victor pa.s.sed the old man and entered the throne room. While the Grand Hall where they were waiting was rather simplistic, kept at the minimal level of grandeur required for the residence of the King, the main hall was filled to the brim with the treasures.

Walls laced with the thin layer of gold, columns decorated with various weapons from the many wars that Commonwealth waged in its prime times, even when stepping on the floor one had to be careful to not twist his ankle on the gems protruding from it!

Despite entering the throne room first, Victor had to wait for the Chamberlain to let the others in first. When his comrades stepped through the door, Royal guards pulled on the handles and closed the ma.s.sive gate. With the official stepping in front of the party, they began their slow march towards the throne.

While the soldiers wielded far greater authority, both in the military and the court rankings, this was the Chamberlain kingdom. Not hurrying at all, he made sure to make the most of the time when he could tower over the real powerhouses. While this was yet another stupid rule, the official had to march at the very front.

Victor tried his hardest to prevent any looks of discontent from surfacing on his face. Showing disdain would only inflate the chamberlain ego, taunting him to walk even slower. It took them a long few minutes of admiring the surroundings before the whole group stopped and kneeled on one knee.

"One-star Hesmen, Victor and his subordinates have arrived, your Majesty!"

While the old man could flaunt his position at the soldiers, he did not dare to overstep his bounds in front of the King himself. Lowering his head to the level of his abdomen, chamberlain introduced Victor"s party.

"You may raise your heads."

The middle-aged man sitting on the golden throne raised his hand while giving the order. If not for his beautiful dress and a modest crown, one would never guess that he was one of the most powerful people of this age! With the vast and rich Commonwealth"s lands guided by his hand alone, he wielded the strength to wipe the entire countries from the face of the planet! Compared to the punny rulers of the Western continent, he was like a deity placed against an ant!

"My king!"

Raising from his knees, Victor sent a look to his highest superior. With the bag under his once lively eyes, he could see how managing the former empire took a great toll on his mind and body. With the memories of great adventures they went through together back before his enthronement, all he could do right now was to bury his worries in the deepest part of his heart. That was the best way to honour his friend"s decision from the times when he was just a prince.

"As per our orders, we managed to drive the invading barbarians back to the great plains. While the losses were heavy, the enemies lost more than half of their original number. With the common use of the traps supplied by the Juttaran princedom, our real objective remains hidden. What worries me though, are the movements we observed beyond the continental wall."

With the summons strictly describing the cause of this audience, Victor didn"t dare to elaborate on the points he considered important. While he might have a great bit of influence over the court, compared to the old geezers crammed behind the throne, he meant nothing. Even with the King"s support, those people could make things hard for him if he overstepped his bounds. Even this slight remark caused some whispers in the Senatorian body.

"You did well, once again you saved our country from the barbarian onslaught. Was there anything special about the invasion this time?"

With his head resting on the palm of his hand, the King ignored Victor"s probing and stuck to the main topic. From his eyes squinting in annoyance, it became obvious that he definitely wasn"t oblivious to the small commotion behind him.

"Your Majesty wisdom is as vast as the ocean reaches. Indeed, we observed that Barbarians implemented some sort of tactics requiring at least a primitive commanding group. Their reactions were on point, even if it meant losing the people. I believe those officers were the cause behind our abnormally high losses."

Lowering his head, the officer replied with grief. Most of the deaths occurred while he was away on his escapade to the west, but admitting this point would result in a great stir in the higher echelons, possibly ending up with the reform of the military. With the Perran autonomy still intact despite several schemes created by other factions, he couldn"t give them any weapons to undermine his position!

"This is quite worrying. I don"t recall them ever overcoming our influence and establishing such an elaborate structure. If what you said is right, the implications could be disastrous! While I put my deepest trust in Perran capabilities, we can"t allow this situation to develop. Rance, Gryve, come out!"

Waving his hand at the crowd behind him, the King summoned two people. With life returning to his eyes, he leaned forward and scanned the duo that came out.

"You have one month to mobilise your silent forces. At the end of the next month, I want them to join the shadow force and dig up the reasons behind this change. In a quarter of the year, I want to hear about the results. Prove to me that you are worthy of the uniforms you are wearing!"
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As the King dismissed the Hesmens, Victor followed their departing silhouettes. Standing on the pinnacle of both the military and the court ranking, they could freely enter and leave the throne room without the Chamberlain guidance. As his eyes wandered to the side, he noticed a small Leila nod.

"My King! If I may have a word…"

Not asked directly, Victor wasn"t allowed to speak as he wished. That was one of the only palace rules he understood and respected. Without it, the King would be hindered during the process of making decisions!

"If it"s about the west, then you may not. I understand your fixation of the legendary aspect of our history, but the current times are too dire to waste our spa.r.s.e resources on that front. But taking our long friendship into the account, I have a perfect task for you!"

Without a warning, the King stood up from his throne and walked down the stairs that separated the quests from those who received them. Walking up to Victor, he placed his hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes.

"Recently, I received a report that we have some spies meddling with the shadow kingdom affairs. If our intelligence turned around the new leaf and actually found an existing problem, if we don"t do anything about, this spy could cause mayhem in on the other side of the continental wall. While the profits from that investment aren"t as great as I wish they were, they still amount to quite a nice pile of gold."

The King stepped away from his old friend and paced back to his seat. Contrary to everyone"s expectation, instead of sitting back on it, he just gently patted the armrest.

"This chair forces people to set their sight on reality and ignore the sanctum. I can"t let you wander around on those undeveloped lands, looking for a mirage. If you really want to see the world outside, take care of that spy for me. Don"t come back without results!"

Ending his sentence with a powerful voice, the King sat heavily on the throne and looked at Victor.

"You are dismissed!"