Ashes and Kingdoms

"Salute the Commander!

The guards raise their voices and the aligned soldiers stretch their spines with their heels together. The tips of the sloppy spears glistened into the sun, and the hardware of the armor made a noise.

Glaus looks at it satisfactorily and nods small occasionally to show trust and affection as he runs his eyes in each and every face. That's all the tricks, the soldier, who happened to have eyes on him, made his face shine. Most of all, even if it wasn't, there was a grain of sweat glowing all over my face.

"Brilliant, gentlemen."

After completing the censorship, Glaus did it with a word of nerve and praise.

"This legion stationed in Costom has been constantly forcing tension since history. East, west, north and south forces hit the tide. Now, again, with a disturbing sag, a twist is about to push from the north, and from the west. In some cases, we'll have to face both completely on our own."

The chances of that happening are not low. But Glaus strained his chest rather confidently without making him feel anxious or anything.

"But my fellow warriors, I know that you will make a shameless battle with your ancestors and emperors! I know I will never abandon my people, never betray them, fight for my friends, fight for my empire!

Oh, and the cheer responds to that. Glaus further stifled the self-esteem of the soldiers, making them proud and closing the speech by reminding them that the Emperor looked closely at them.

Glaus returned to the commanding office of the barracks, sent to a cheering voice, and when he removed his courtesy armor and deposited it with his squire, he rested in relief and sat down in his chair.

"I can persuade you to do this."

Crush to no one, pour water into a glass and sip dry. Soldiers are good things. Fellowship and federalism create the ability to endure difficult situations and also silently clean up dirty work that is likely to cause revulsion. My men, bonded throughout the actual battle, step together on Tsu's path, even without sprinkling rewards, empty promises or sweet words.

Of course, it wasn't a corps specific issue, but at least for Glaus, the army was a place where we could fully demonstrate our comfortable society, our abilities.

The opposite is true of Varys, who is my friend and master.

Looking out the window, a bird flew away towards the capital through the floating sky of a silk cloud.

(By now, I wonder if Varis has endured a protracted battle on the floor)

Are you tired of distorting that righteous face and patiently continuing to persuade and negotiate? Or is the foolish senator mocking you and popping your head out of the floor chilling? Imagining the emperor kicking pebbles in the square, Glaus accidentally lost his laugh.

Shortly after, he caught a shadow in the corner of his sight and coughed up to deceive the embarrassment of being seen laughing alone. And.

――

I look back at each body a little bit. There shouldn't have been anyone there. The squire is taking care of the armor in a separate room, and no one has waited in the room since the beginning. And, of course, those who came in from after him.

"Who?"

Quickly reach for the sword, asking low and sharp. Behind the room, in the darkness of an unreachable corner, stood someone dressed in a dark coat. My physique, my face, I don't see it clearly.

My skin and wrinkles poppy. The feeling of wet chills twitching into the spine. Despair and anxiety seem to spread their wings and cast a shadow on their souls. Instinctively he perceived it as something that was not good. At the same time, it means you're not the one you can get rid of with intimidation.

The shadow spoke while Glaus was lost, calling soldiers or slashing them away without question.

Don't you want to know where Senato is?

"... what?

Glaus frowned and asked back. Not only was the content unexpected. Their voices sounded strange and hard to hear. I don't even know if it's a man or a woman, a young man or an old man. No, an inexplicable, deafening voice that all those voices sound a little off and overlapping.

The shadow shook small, as it mocked Glaus' vigilance. He laughed.

"Senato-Aedius-Neneis. You want it, the trump card."

"What do you want?"

Glaus roared. I can't imagine such a suspicious figure offering me what I want in return. And his instinct tells him that no matter what his opponent wants, he should never trade 'this'.

"Want," he said?

Vain voices repeat. Even though there was no change in tone or attitude, Glaus suddenly shivered when he was struck by freezing cold air. The shadow remained immobile and continued with a flat voice.

"What matters is what you want. If we get Senato, what do we do? What I want is a living senato or a dead senato"

(Don't answer that)

Glaus drew and tied his lips reflexively. If you say anything far-fetched, they'll kill you. The intuition blocked my mouth and pushed the words back to the back of my throat.

A long silence persisted, not even wandering about each other. And

"... right"

A black figure uttered words first.

"If you don't have to, you've never had to."

No sign of discouragement at all, no sense of intent to make it look and invite you when you pull back, the shadows shake and retreat into darkness.

"Wait!"

Glaus pulled out his sword aggressively, but could not be slashed or thrown. By that time, the darkness in the corner of the room had disappeared and only blurred and dim shadows remained.

I realized I shouted out after a squire in the next room rushed.

"What is it, Master Glaus?

Surprisingly, he rounds his eyes and wonders if he's a crook or a freak. Seeing Glaus pull out his sword, his squire quickly looked indoors to look for the enemy as he hurried to do his hand on his dagger.

Glaus exhaled deeply, concealing his sword and shaking his head.

"Sorry, you surprised me. It's okay, the danger's gone... for the moment"

"What happened? Was there a frivolous lurker?"

I don't know.

To a commander who roared with a difficult face, his squire leaned anxiously. If I could, I wouldn't want to conclude that the commander pulled out his sword against the phantom and yelled at him, etc. - but I suppose he thinks so. Glaus smiled bitterly and, again, looked at the corner of the room.

"Someone with no taste was standing there. I made a disturbing invitation. That was... maybe a magician."

"No way, no way"

"I don't know. Dragon Marquis appeared, so it's not surprising that magicians, spirits and even gods appeared. They're also going to hear about the Dark Beast razing people. Don't be alarmed. It's what's become of the world. That said, how did the suspicious one beware in the opponent? Oh, boy."

After the blur, Glaus ordered his squire to arrange an early horse to the capital to lower him. I must write to the Emperor. Senato Jr. is surely alive, and his whereabouts should be known by using a magician -.

(Living Senato or dead Senato, he asked. If you were willing to make a deal, you should still be alive, at least now. You can't bring back dead things. However, if you said you needed a live senato, you were going to kill me, except for the story)

Oh, man, it's been a real pain in the ass.

Glaus opened the ink kettle with his face up and spread the parchment.

To be honest, he didn't mind if Little Senato died trying to live. I don't have a grudge against him otherwise, so I wouldn't dare kill him if I could find him alive. But either way, it will be difficult to make the Fourth Legion Commander and Dragon Hou Senato adults.

If we had lived, if we would have welcomed him to Varys' adopted son and promised him the throne of the next emperor, the war might have been avoided for the moment. But there is a good chance that they will use the Crown Prince's position as a blood relative to increase their power and try to separate Glaus from the Emperor. On the contrary, I might even rock the throne of the current emperor just to replace him.

If you were dead, would you give up adultery...

"That's impossible."

His mouth was distorted by a bitter smile, and Glaus snapped small. He also knows the high temperament and intense ease of the Dragon Hou Senato. In the first place, if you're an old man who gives up, you might as well be collecting troops by now.

Thinking that far, he thought of an unpleasant possibility.

(No way)

If the previous suspicious person made a deal with the irreplaceable Dragon Hou Senato.

If Jr. Senato returns to Nakte, they will have a full set of big names. To defeat the will of the previous emperors, to drive away the usurper from the throne.

Now we have not moved on either because of the fear that maybe little Senato might fall into the hands of the Emperor. But...

"Damn it!

tongue, and he slapped his fist against his desk. I should have told you where Senato is. No matter how ominous your opponent is.

Running his pen clutterfully and using all his hands to advance to find Senato's place, he busily sealed and handed it to his returning squire.

"Once you have this in your message, you will gather 100 captains here."

The squire nods, perceiving the Lord's impatience, and runs out without saying anything extra. Dropping it off, Glaus stood still wrinkled between his eyebrows.

I could imagine myself collecting majesty and giving orders, and the distracted faces of the captains who heard it, varying.

(Go around neighboring towns and villages and pull the person you think is a magician from one end!

The captains may bewitch each other. Someone might ask a stomping question. Even if you accept, you will leave the room worried about the commander's head.

But still, that's the only hand I can hit.

At this time, for the first time, Glaus had personal feelings for Senato Jr.

(Son of a bitch, you're not playing hide-and-seek!

You don't just come out, so you're in trouble, and when I find you, I'll slap you in the ass and preach.

He was in a rush and anxiety with ridiculous delusions, going back through the room in agony, waiting for the captains to gather.