"We are willing to fight for Her Highness and overthrow the tyrant!" Vick made a wise choice. Whether sincere or not, Rosen and the others could not yet tell, but it was enough for now.
"For the princess, for the duke's vengeance, for the new Andia Kingdom!" Since Vick had decided, he did so decisively, kneeling on one knee to declare loyalty once more.
In truth, there was no way back for them.
Even if he submitted to Xia now, so what? At least under her banner, Vick could still maintain command of the army in name.
If things fell apart later, he could always split off and become a warlord of Valos Fortress. As long as he had a name to stand on, holding troops could always be justified.
Often, ambition required nothing more than an excuse.
As Vick declared his loyalty, the bewildered soldiers followed suit, kneeling behind him.
"Very good, Commander Vick. Stay here for now. I need you to immediately issue an order: send word through the communications station to every fortress in the realm, expose the King's crimes, and declare war. Command all other fortresses loyal to Duke Valos to enter battle readiness and await further orders." Xia commanded at once.
"This—" Vick and Rea hesitated. Once that order was sent, even Vick's plan of biding time before perhaps rising as a warlord would vanish. To openly break with the King this soon?
A blade pierced Rea's chest. He collapsed, dead. Rosen's sand-forged sword had struck without hesitation.
Vick didn't even think of resisting. Instead, fear clawed deeper into his heart. Of the three commanders, only he remained.
The soldiers were utterly confused. Two commanders had been slain—why hadn't Vick resisted?
Now only Commander Vick had the authority to lead them.
And the princess's captain… he was terrifyingly cold-blooded. Everyone knew the killings were to establish dominance, but still—those had been two army commanders.
"A battlefield has no place for hesitation. Do you all intend to disobey? General Vick, the command is in your hands. Do not disappoint the princess. Or shall Lord Dingle take charge himself?" Rosen reminded coldly.
Vick suddenly realized the truth. Though nominally supreme commander, he had often been checked by Rea and Dast. Now both were dead, leaving the entire fortress army in his hands.
Was this Xia's gift to him? Whether or not it was, he had little choice. Refusal might well make him the next corpse.
Rosen's meaning was plain: if Vick would not obey, his fate would match the others. Dingle could always assume command—the dead held no influence.
"Did you not hear Her Highness? Bronk, return to the communications station at once and issue the nationwide declaration!" Vick resolved to gamble. At this point, refusal was suicide anyway.
"Y-Yes!" The captain named Bronk gathered a squad and rushed toward the station.
"Broadcast to all fortresses: enter combat readiness. Three days from now, all fortress citizens must gather at the highlands. Her Highness will proclaim the new law." Rosen added.
Vick nodded. He was no fool. Whether Xia was truly a princess or not, he had to treat her as one. As for how Duke Valos had died—it no longer mattered.
Perhaps there was some loyalty in him, but above all, the power he now held was unprecedented. Even the princess might not fully control him. For now, survival came first.
…
For the moment, nothing more could be done. The priority was to stabilize the situation until Lantis's warriors arrived.
Rosen couldn't yet guarantee Xia's commands would be fully carried out, but once reinforcements came, even a fraction would allow him to seize control of the army's movements.
And when the shocking declaration of war spread across all eighteen fortresses of Andia, it meant only one thing—war had begun.
High City, within a still-standing mansion of Valos Castle.
Rosen, Dingle, and others had gathered. Vick had returned to oversee defenses. Whether for himself or for Xia, precautions had to be taken.
"Currently, Valos Fortress fields about fifteen thousand troops, with a population of two hundred thousand. It is one of the great fortresses of Andia. Over one hundred seventy thousand live in the outer city; fewer than thirty thousand in the inner and high city combined. The duke's other forces are stationed in two additional fortresses." Dingle reported.
"What of the kingdom's army? I heard the King commands two hundred thousand. Does that include the duke's forces?" Rosen asked.
"No. The Andia Kingdom has about three million people, most of them migrants. Altogether—including the King's army and local troops—there are around four hundred thousand soldiers."
"Three million people, yet four hundred thousand soldiers? Why so many? I understood Andia had not fought major wars." Rosen frowned. That number was excessive. Valos Fortress held only fifteen thousand troops—adding the other fortresses brought them to no more than thirty thousand.
"They need troops to build more fortresses. Outside the walls lies only perilous forest. Without enough soldiers to hold back beast hordes, no new fortress could be raised. At present, three are under construction."
"What do you think of Vick?"
"Ambitious, but pragmatic. He bent to the situation to save himself. I wouldn't rely on him too much. Still, since he already issued the national declaration, it's likely he'll remain with Princess Xia. Secretly joining another noble seems unlikely." Dingle analyzed carefully. He knew well that Rosen was the true decision-maker here.
"And you?" Rosen asked with interest. This man did not seem the sort to cling to life, yet his surrender had been decisive.
"I hold a grudge against the nobility. In truth, most soldiers do—they just don't know the whole truth. My only goal is simple: to kill nobles. Helping you is only the means to that end." Dingle admitted openly.
"Then prove your value. About seven hundred people survived in the castle. I'll give you two thousand more. Can you stabilize Vick's forces?" Rosen weighed the choice. If so, Dingle might be worth keeping.
With his Haki, Rosen could sense Dingle was not lying.
"I can." Dingle nodded after a pause.
"Good. For now, you'll command the survivors. Begin by controlling the nobles of High City to prevent trouble. The rest we'll discuss in three days." Rosen concluded. In three days, the Lantis warriors would arrive, and expansion plans would begin.
All had been prepared long in advance.
At that moment, the entire Andia Kingdom was in uproar.
For news had just broken: Valos Fortress had declared war against the King. The Duke's entire line had been assassinated, and a new leader named—Princess Xia.
An unprecedented crisis had begun.
(End of Chapter)