Chapter 345 Obey Orders
1851, early autumn, Silver Iris Empire, Osiris City.
The ancient gray city walls swelled into a monstrous, dark, hazy mass in the deep twilight, silently overlooking the charred, war-torn earth beyond. The air mingled with the acrid smell of rust, the smell of dead bodies, firearms, explosives, and sludge. This was the only way to reach the heart of the empire, the royal city of Amacadio. The Empire had to deploy heavy troops to prevent the slave armies of the West, as ravenous as wolves and as pervasive as locusts, from swarming directly into its heart—and they had tried several times, but to no avail.
Inside the city, the study in the Commander's residence was warm as spring, the air clean and filled with a light, elegant fragrance. A symphony recording, the third movement of Wörster's Second Symphony, played, recorded with a magical instrument. Marquis Edward Ravel turned his back to a large oak desk, a map spread out on it. He gazed out the window. The brass window sill, inlaid with intricate patterns, slid across it with his fingernails, creating a strange, creaking sound that echoed with the rhythm of the organ.
Outside the window, on the main road of Osiris City, a vast army of magic light cannon artillery, sorcerer phalanxes, infantry, and heavy cavalry clad in gleaming armor, even their horses blinded and covered in iron armor, continuously rolled over the stone slabs and entered the city gates. Even from such a distance, the heavy footsteps were still faintly audible, as if the very earth was shaking with them.
The door of the study was silently pushed open, and Major Luca, the adjutant of Marquis Ravel, a young man with a jawline as tight as a javelin, walked in quickly, his boot heels making a dull sound on the carpet.
"Your Excellency," if you listened carefully, you could hear his voice was also tense: "Latest battle report, urgent news from the sentry post, Eagle's Nest Town... has been lost."
“…”
Amidst the blaring sound of the organ, Marquis Ravel slowly turned. He took the battle report from his adjutant and unfolded it. On it was the frightened and scribbled words of the Eagle's Nest outpost commander: "...O Gods! They are like ghosts, emerging from the shadows without a trace... I implore you to send reinforcements quickly. Delay could lead to disaster and endanger the Royal City...!"
"It's too late. Commander Breton of Eagle's Nest was found by the slave army overnight," Major Luca said with a stern face. "Slave army" was the Empire's derogatory term for the people's army. "They gathered him together, 'tried' him in public, and then chopped off his head."
The Marquis Ravel's eyes were fixed on the word "ghost", and his fingers drummed on the paper.
"Luka," his voice was low and cold, without much emotion. "How can a human be like a ghost?"
"My subordinate is dull," Major Luca hesitated. "Are you saying that a high-level sorcerer is involved in this battle? But according to intelligence, Ole Asaqi appeared near the Blood River Ferry..."
—Or... is there a traitor in the Imperial Army?
But he didn't dare to say this, so he could only let his superior say it in person.
As expected, Marquis Ravel shook his head and sneered, "That bunch of peasants only has a few high-level sorcerers. According to spies, they've been unable to capture Osiris City for a long time, and now that old man Basso's forces are scattered and tied down, they've been forced to retreat and reinforce. They'll probably reach the Frost Valley Corridor in a day. And Ghost himself is already overwhelmed by those rioting workers in Borak County. How could he possibly spare any manpower to attack Eagle's Nest?"
Since the end of the Blooming Conference two years ago, under the Queen's wrath, the former Supreme Minister of Military Affairs Henderson Shrike and his family were investigated thoroughly. No one knows the specific results of the subsequent handling, but the guy must have had ulterior motives, because Henderson Shrike himself "died of an acute illness", and the Shrike family has completely disappeared since then. The army under its command has been dispersed, disrupted and reorganized, and even His Excellency Duke Kamu has received a royal warning.
Edward Ravel and other rising military figures capitalized on this opportunity to ascend to power. Unlike the traditional nobility, led by Duke Camus, these new nobility, having risen through military exploits, were more inclined toward the royal family. Her Majesty the Queen herself was known for her willingness to ignore excuses and prioritize results.
"Investigate," Marquis Ravel said grimly. "Investigate everything that happened in the surrounding towns in the days before and after the fall of Eagle's Nest. All suspicious individuals, regardless of rank or status, will be detained and awaiting trial. Anyone suspected of collaborating with the enemy will be executed on the spot!"
"Yes!" Major Luca immediately stood up solemnly.
Marquis Ravel walked over to the table, pondered over the map for a moment, and then gave a cold order, "Order the Third and Fifth Legions stationed at the entrance to the Frost Valley Corridor to enter the highest state of combat readiness. Block the passage. Without a special pass, not even a fly is allowed to fly through the Frost Valley Corridor. Anyone who disobeys this order will be punished by military law! We will strangle those slaves alive between the two mountains!"
"—Before the sun rises tomorrow, I want to see the latest defense plan and clearing plan!"
…
Nearly four hundred miles southwest of Osiris City, near the Frost Valley, the chill of early autumn has already arrived.
This wasn't the treacherous military thoroughfare called the "Frost Valley Corridor" marked on the imperial map, but a hidden valley on the southeast side of the corridor, further away from the heart of the empire. The smoke of gunpowder outside the city of Osiris seemed to be blocked by towering mountains and layers of tall black pine trees, leaving only the chilling atmosphere created by clusters of pine needles, rushing, icy streams, and wet, smooth rocks.
It was late at night, and the deepest darkness before dawn enveloped the valley.
There were no campfires, no noise, not even the rumbling, rapid breathing of groups of humans, only shadows completely blending into the darkness. They huddled in the lee of boulders or clung to the cold cliffs, wrapped in heavy, dark cloaks stained with mud, as if they were the stubborn rocks growing from the valley itself, becoming part of this rugged landscape.
A dark shadow silently passed over the gravel beach at the bottom of the valley. The animal skin wrapped around the soles of the boots absorbed all the sounds. In the darkness, only the human eyes reflected a vague and shining outline.
"General Greven," the shadow whispered, "latest battle report: Eagle's Nest was captured. It was a beautiful fight. Ravel will probably focus a lot of his attention on the towns near Eagle's Nest in the next few days."
The tall man whom he called the general moved. The pale moonlight passed through the clouds sparingly, dimly illuminating half of his face: it was a resolute and tough face, handsome, but on the battlefield he had the violent nickname of "Immortal Chariot".
——Wherever the rust-colored chariot passed, only broken bones and flesh were left on the ground.
"I understand," Greven said solemnly. He spread the map on the ground in the moonlight and motioned for the others to come forward and examine it. "Everyone, hold on for a few more days. The enemy won't realize our goal isn't to cross the Rime Valley Corridor to support us, but to cross the Rime Valley and head for the Crescent Fort granary east of Osiris City. We'll catch them off guard."
"After capturing the Crescent Fort granary, we'll continue to wait for General Orre's signal," a young voice excitedly chimed in. "If the Blood River Ferry falls, Edward Ravel will definitely be on the alert if he doesn't want to be trapped to death! As soon as the main force of Osiris City leaves the city to provide support, we'll immediately counterattack and capture this tough opponent!"
"That's true, but stay calm." Greven glanced at him and warned him coldly, "The situation on the battlefield is ever-changing. Don't let your passion get the better of you."
After the voices faded and Greven was sure no one was around, he finally approached the Shadow Chaser who had delivered the battle report. His voice was extremely low, and a rare look of worry crossed his resolute face. "Is Mr. Ghost okay? He came to the front lines alone and didn't allow that gentleman to accompany him. That's too risky."
He swallowed the word nonsense with difficulty.
That gentleman had always been unprepared for his strategy, but he also had a strange and stubborn temper, an extremely bold fighting style, and did not take his own safety seriously. Even a loyal subordinate like Greven, who almost worshipped him as a god, had quarreled with him, although it was only one-sided, with a gloomy face and no words.
Seeing that no amount of persuasion would convince him, Ghost lost his temper and paced around the study in a rage, looking as if he wanted to throw something at him. Greven stood there with a stern face and stiff neck, thinking that even if someone pierced his body with bullets, he would never let this person risk his life.
Finally, Ghost couldn't stand it anymore and chose to use military orders to pressure him. Greven gritted his teeth and accepted the order, but still stood in the study without moving, indicating that he had not yet accepted the punishment for disobeying orders before - the person who mediated was still Lord Azuka.
The other party first calmed the gloomy black-haired young man with a few words, then dragged Greven away. Seeing that he was sullen and silent, the dragon knight simply told him, "You only dared to do this in front of him because you relied on him to think highly of you."
Greven was stunned. Unprecedented embarrassment and anger made him subconsciously want to retort, but someone ruthlessly strangled his throat with wind - not to the point of suffocation, but he couldn't utter a word.
"Military orders are as firm as a mountain. Even though we're just arguing behind closed doors right now, if everyone follows your example, what's the point of the Chief's existence? Do we still need to obey his orders?" Those blue eyes stared at him coldly, as if seeing through the darkness deep within his soul. Only when he saw his face gradually turn pale did they release the shackles.
Greven was silent for a moment. After realizing that what he said was indeed reasonable, he first sincerely admitted his mistake and said that he would voluntarily accept the punishment later. Then, for the first time, he asked this "god" in a cold and blunt voice, could he really watch that gentleman let himself walk into danger?
The other party looked at him unpredictably for a moment, then suddenly smiled slightly: "Of course I can't."
"But you are only his subordinate, and I have more privileges than you." The blond youth still maintained a hateful faint smile on his face. "So you don't need to worry about this matter. I will protect him well."
Greven: “…”
——What he said seemed to be correct, but why was it so infuriating?!
In the Rime Valley, Greven suddenly came to his senses and heard Shadow Chaser whisper to him, "Sir Dragon Knight has returned."
So fast? Greven couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, but at the same time, a strange sense of gloating rose in this usually mild-mannered old man's heart: He spoke with such confidence, but in reality, no matter what Mr. Ghost ordered people to do, even gods would have to obey his orders.
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