1
Three days had passed since Magno took office as the new Feudal Lord of the Seven Lakes Fiefdom, and in the city of Wiki, a crowd of young people gathered around the gates of Wiki Palace.
— Order! Calm down, everyone, we are making the final preparations to welcome you — Shouted one of the guards inside, holding the gate.
This crowd of young men was not there to protest or anything like that, but eager to enlist in the city's forces.
— We want it now! — Shouted one. — Yes! We want to fight for our fiefdom! Let's crush those traitors!— Shouted another.
From the window inside the Wiki Palace, in his office, the Prime Minister watched from afar as the crowd gathered in front of the gates.
"It seems that the young people of the city have joined the movement to serve Lord Magno. That's good, the ranks of the military forces will be larger, but... The factories are emptier... I have to think of a solution for that..." thinks the Prime Minister as he watches.
And in the midst of it all was a young man who had just arrived in the crowd, his green eyes contrasting sharply with the sea of brown eyes in the crowd.
— Hmmm... Excuse me, when will the gates open? — He asks someone in the crowd.
"They said it's about to." One of them says, looking at his blond hair.
— Come here, aren't you one of the Gildrons?
The crowd's eyes immediately turn to him, as the Gildron family is a family of influential industrialists in the city of Wiki.
This question makes him hesitate, but he soon replies, somewhat fearfully.
— Y-Yes, my name is Richard... Richard Gildron.
The crowd looks at him suspiciously, but one of them quickly greets him.
— Nice to meet you, my name is Clidon. — He says friendly as he greets him.
A little nervous, Richard looks at the man, who seems to be the only one who greeted him, and smiles shyly.
— Thank you... Nice to meet you too... Could you tell me when the palace gates will open?"
Clidon, maintaining his friendly demeanor, looks at the gates with many people who share his enthusiasm for fighting on behalf of the city of Wiki, both humans and demi-humans, himself being a demi-human.
— Are those wolf ears real? — Richard asks when his green eyes
Clidon smiles awkwardly when he hears this. — Yes, they are. My family was freed by Lord Magno, and that's why I'm here. And you? You're from a wealthy family, so why are you here?
He hesitates briefly when he sees some eyes suddenly turn to him when Clindon asks him that question.
— It's just that... My family has a military spirit because of my great-grandparents, so... I kind of have an obligation to enlist too...
The glances are quickly averted and murmurs about him begin, however, the Prime Minister watches from afar in his office, and with a critical eye, observes the mass of young people eagerly awaiting the opportunity to enlist.
"So the Gildrons want to send their youngest son to war? How interesting, but..."
His eyes soon turn to Clindon.
"Now the priority is to ensure that my son is well trained for this war. Ideally, he shouldn't have come to enlist, but since he did..."
He watches Clindon talking to Richard more patiently.
"I'll have to use whatever I can to make sure he comes back alive from this war."
2
But meanwhile, Magno walks through the corridors of the palace where he is living, and upon entering a meeting room, he finds Cobalsk talking to Ricardo about what the duties of a Supreme General are, which makes him particularly happy.
— So, when do you intend to hold the ceremony to hand over the positions? — He asks, leaning against the corner of the door, his blue eyes watching their reactions.
— My lord, that is part of what we are discussing. If you would like to help me clarify some issues, I would be grateful — Comments Cobalsk, his eyes heavy from so many struggles in life, focusing on Magno, his face marked by battles and life, smiling cheerfully.
But Cobalsk's gaze does not hide his intentions. The real reason he is happy is that this old warrior, who fought so hard for the fiefdom and the Kirsim Empire, could finally put away his sword for good and finally pass on his position to someone he truly believes is capable of taking his place.
"This boy has a lot to achieve..." — Cobalsk thinks as his eyes turn to Ricardo, but soon return to Magno.
"But with Mr. Magno, I believe you can go even further. You are young and good at what you do, united by the same cause... what you can do will be extraordinary. For an old man like me, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing these young people create their futures."
Magno smiles slightly at Cobalsk's joy, then leaves and goes to sit in a chair next to Ricardo.
— Well, Ricardo, you'll have to deal with a lot of paperwork...— They chat happily about this, but after a few hours a woman enters the room.
— Sir! — Echoes the woman's feminine voice.
The three immediately turn around, with three pairs of eyes turning to her.
This makes her nervous, and it is clear to the three of them that she is very nervous, but even so, she finds the courage to speak to them.
— S... Sir, I... would like to talk to Mr. Magno... — She says, her green eyes barely able to look at him.
— What do you want? — Magno asks, getting up from his chair and politely walking over to her.
She discreetly fixes her brown hair as she sees him approaching. — M... My name is Renata... And I'm the new secretary you recently hired...
His blue eyes scrutinize her carefully to make sure she is telling the truth, but all he sees on her nervous face is a woman nervous about his possible response.
— Would you like me to show you your office? —He asks, looking at her a little more relaxed, his gaze becoming friendlier.
Renata nods her head in agreement, as her nervousness has overcome her courage to speak at that moment, something that does not bother Magno, so he turns to Cobalsk and Ricardo.
— You can continue without me, I still have to finish structuring the government — He says as he leaves the room accompanied by Renata and closes the door behind him, leaving Cobalsk and Ricardo alone to talk about the succession of office.
But in the corridors, he walks calmly beside her. — You seem very nervous. May I ask why?
— It's just that this is the first time I've seen a member of the feudal family in person... I still can't believe you hired me to work for you...
He looks at her and immediately remembers when he hired Ricardo to be Magno's personal bodyguard after seeing him wield a sword impressively.
He smiles slightly and his gaze becomes satisfied. — Yes, and that was through your own efforts. I hope you'll do your best as my secretary. — He says encouragingly, which ends up working.
She looks him in the eyes and sees his sincere confidence and immediately smiles, trying to calm her anxiety and nervousness. — Y... Yes, sir, I will dedicate myself fully to my work.
3
However, after another five days, news of the internal war in the Seven Lakes Fiefdom reaches the Imperial Castle, a veritable luxury fortress that is extremely well protected, with architecture similar to that of medieval French castles.
And in the luxurious hall where the thrones of the Emperor and Empress are located, a mere messenger arrives, who, the moment he steps inside, begins to be heavily guarded by the Imperial guards, with their armor mainly made of steel with gold plating, from head to toe covered in powerful armor, and carrying spears of the same composition as the armor, which greatly intimidates the humble messenger.
— And... I bring urgent news from the Seven Lakes Fiefdom...
But when he looks ahead, he sees that the Emperor and Empress are not there, only a young woman with red hair, wearing some pieces of armor over what appears to be a dress, and her amber eyes immediately turn to the humble messenger, after stopping to listen to him.
— My parents are not here at the moment, but leave it to me — Says the girl, with a confident and determined smile, as she walks up to the messenger.
— What has happened this time in that fiefdom? — She asks with a hint of curiosity in her amber eyes, which glisten in the sunlight.
The messenger nervously hands her the letter. — The... The Seven Lakes Fiefdom is in great turmoil...
As she opens the envelope and reads the contents of the letter, her eyes widen.
— Charles is dead?! — She asks herself aloud. — So Magno will be the new feudal lord of the Seven Lakes... And... All right... I... will deliver this message to my parents, you can leave now.
With the messenger leaving the hall, she sighs and walks over to her group of knights while reflecting.
"I hope this doesn't escalate, because my father won't think twice about ordering a total occupation of the Seven Lakes Fiefdom, and also... I don't even want to think about Odo's reaction to Charles' death, they were longtime friends... But for now, these are feudal matters, and I hope it stays that way."
However, when night fell, she finally went to deliver the letter to the Emperor, who was in a highly luxurious and chic living room, chatting quietly with the Empress and her brother.
— My daughter, what brings you here? — Asks the Emperor, a tall man with amber eyes and brown hair, whose fair skin bore many scars from countless battles, but who at that moment was completely relaxed with his family.
— I... I have important news from the south of the Empire. — She replies, her voice betraying her hesitation to talk about it with him.
Odo, in turn, is filled with curiosity and asks her before the Emperor can say anything.
— What does Charles need? I can help him — He says as his blue eyes turn to her face.
Faced with this situation, and with her parents and brother looking at her, she swallows hard and speaks. — Charles is dead...
The peaceful atmosphere in the room changes, everyone falls silent, which is interrupted when the Emperor orders in a serious tone.
— Hand over the letter now.
Fearfully, she hands him the letter. As he reads it, she notices her brother's state of shock. However, when he finishes reading, the emperor sighs and comments as he leaves the letter on the table.
— I will not intervene in the Seven Lakes Fiefdom.
Odo immediately retorts, looking at the emperor.
— What do you mean?! ...
— Silence! That will be my decision, and that's final! — He shouts, interrupting Odo, his gaze turning to his own son.
— His fiefdom is in civil war. We will just keep the imperial troops on standby. We cannot let this conflict cross the fiefdom's borders, so... Roselina. — His gaze turns back to her. — I want you to investigate whether there are other fiefdoms involved. — He orders, his voice becoming authoritative.
Odo is so furious that he punches the floor hard.
— I'll kill whoever did this to him. — He says in a low voice, but exuding tremendous fury.
— And Odo... I want you to put the imperial troops on standby, but I don't want you to interfere in this conflict, even though he was a childhood friend. Your presence there will do more harm than good to the fiefdom he administered... — He looks serious and decisive, his fury barely contained.
— But you can manage the shipment of supplies to the now Feudal Lord of the Seven Lakes Fiefdom, Magno, understood, my son?
— Y... Yes, sir. — He replied, his blue eyes now filled with determination and anger threatening to take over his thoughts.
"I'll take care of it, even if I have to disobey my father's orders."
4
However, on that same day, the ranks of the Magic Division arrived at the top of a small hill, which was covered only by fields, and in those strategic positions, Claudius used binoculars similar to those used in World War I.
Seeing a village of demi-humans, who were using other flags instead of the feudal flag, he smiled with enthusiasm.
— Gentlemen! We will march with glory today!
The musical instruments began to play, signaling the start of the advance, and from afar, the villagers turned their gaze to that small hill.
— Advance! — Claudius shouts, drawing his sword and pointing it at the village.
4
However, on that same day, the ranks of the Magic Division arrived at the top of a small hill, which was covered only by fields, and in those strategic positions, Claudius used binoculars similar to those used in World War I.
Seeing a village of demi-humans, who were using other flags instead of the feudal flag, he smiled with enthusiasm.
— Gentlemen! We will march with glory today!
The musical instruments began to play, signaling the start of the advance, and from afar, the villagers turned their gaze to that small hill.
— Advance! — Claudius shouts, drawing his sword and pointing it at the village.