Free Web NovelChapter 28: Something wrong¹
Usually, and particularly during wartime, armies use the main teleportation gates installed at military barracks; however, for smaller armies, such as the one I command, mechanised transport gates designed for military use within the capital, or within each major city or fortress in the duchy, can be utilised without the need for a long march to reach a military barracks
However, as this army’s mission is to resume the north-western expeditionary campaign that was halted following a crushing defeat three decades ago,
the army set out in a ceremonial march from the southern gate of the inner citadel, turning eastwards within the city and then northwards. By midday, we had departed through the western outer gate of Aschenhain Citadel to the cheers of the general public.
As for our final destination, it is the military barracks belonging to the Duchy’s Tenth Army, so that we may use the transport gateway to travel to Nordfels Castle, which lies at the junction of the north and west and is one of the most important castles in Askelund, under the command of Count Talheim. usually, we should reach the military barracks within two day and half
To give you an idea of why there is a military barracks near the capital,...
bear in mind that the true meaning of the word ’army’ in the Empire of Highreich implies the presence of a General of the Death Knights commanding up to one million.
As for the reason for their presence here, it is because the Tenth Army is one of the support armies which maintains reserve forces and backs up any army suffering from a shortage of troops; they are also used for courier duties and other light tasks, and are usually stationed near every major city or large fortress within the Duchy’s territories.
On the one hand, this enables them to deploy rapidly to provide assistance in any part of the Duchy; on the other hand, they act as observers to immediately quell any uprisings or disruptive elements threatening the Duchy’s security, such as underworld gangs or rebels.
Therefore, in general, they resemble the concept of the ’Special Forces’ maintained by the Imperial family and deployed throughout the Empire.
As we are a slow-moving army and will need some rest from time to time, our progress will be delayed; according to the plan, we will arrive at the barracks on the dawn of the fourth day.
According to my information on this barracks, it is a fortress under the command of Uncle Aris’s eldest son, and is garrisoned by a thousand soldiers and a hundred knights. According to my latest knowledge from the confidential files I received directly from the Duke three days ago, there are four Requiemknights at the barracks, in addition to the Commander of the First Corps of the Tenth Army, Carl Everett, who came to greet me; he is son of the Duke’s seventh uncle.
But why are we going to all this trouble to prolong a journey that could take anywhere Half a day using the teleportation gates to four days?
Don’t ask me, I don’t know. Ask the Duke; he’s the one who ordered this, even though we could simply have used the teleportation gates to travel straight to the barracks.
Huh...
"Why are you looking so glum?" asked my dear brother as he mounted his horse beside me, whilst playing with his cat, who was clearly annoyed with him and had seized the opportunity, the moment he turned away, to jump onto my shoulder and hide from him
"Why did the Duke order this march?"
"To attract attention."
I shooed the silly cat away—she’d bitten my hair—but she spun round in mid-air and, without a hint of shame, leapt back into my lap and clung to me
"Don’t the others realise that too?"
He reached out to take his cat, but was met with a scratch and a hiss. He looked with eyes full of betrayal at the cat, who was lounging freely on my horse in my lap, as he said
"Hmm, that’s exactly it."
So my army and I are being used as bait to draw attention to us, only to have that attention diverted away from us?!
What sort of twisted logic is this??
Right, never mind... freewebnovёl.ƈom
I didn’t bother thinking about it; only a man suffering from a split personality like the Duke would think about things like that.
But out of curiosity, I asked,
"Why?"
"I don’t know," he said with such utter seriousness that I even felt he’d revealed something important, even though I’d heard what he’d said. So I looked at him with a blank expression and changed the subject.
"Has your flying lizard died?"
What on earth is he doing with me anyway, when he could simply fly west on his own with his stupid dragon and get there in less than half a day?
He looked at me irritably for a moment, then take his cat her neck and hugged her tightly to stop her from running away again, forcing the poor thing to play with him as he simply said
"It’s the Duke’s orders."
"?????"
