"Let's make one now."
Deridiv awkwardly smiled.
That worried him a bit. He planned to eliminate the rebel forces first so he could focus on her well-being later. "Let's do it at home. It's not good for our kids if we make one in this forsaken land."
She nodded at that and chomped on every food she put in her mouth.
After they finished their meal, they went to the indoor pool to play around until Stedrin got tired. Then, Deridiv lifted her to bed where they cuddled and fell asleep. Stedrin fell asleep, but Deridiv did not.
This was his chance to move against the rebel forces. He would bring his fastest men and barreled the enemy with a strike they would never expect. After that, he could rest for a while before the enemy could rise again.
With careful movement, he took off his blanket and got out of bed while trying to be as quiet as possible. Stedrin slept with a smile on her face. The cool room and the warm blanket would keep her in the dreamland for a while.
See you later, love.
He walked on his heels towards the door, pulling it as slowly as he could to dampen the creak. Though he still felt like the sound was loud enough, Stedrin didn't seem to be disturbed.
Why did it feel like he was a naughty husband about to meet his mistress? He removed the thought as he left the room and closed the door.
Now that he had passed the hardest obstacle, the rest was easy. He walked through the hall. The eels sparkle and twinkle like a sea of crystal as their light pierced through the windows. They shone the hallway but got cut off when he made a turn. This part of the hall had eel balls, glowing on the ceiling to light up the way.
Let's make this one fast.
He ran towards a staircase that led to the first floor where a receptionist stood like a statue with a smile carved on his face. The man greeted him by putting his gloved hand on his chest.
"Sparkling eels, sir Deridiv."
Deridiv nodded. He wanted to tell the man to keep his leave a secret from his wife, but he didn't know the man personally.
If he spread the news that he had sneaked out from his wife, the effect would be much more disastrous than the attack from the rebel forces. He would gladly fight against ten thousand men alone rather than be accused of being disloyal to his wife.
"If someone looks for me, tell them I'm going to scout around the Deathland."
The receptionist bowed.
He narrowed his eyes towards the man before he left the mansion. This event made him understand why other noble families would groom all of their personnel from childhood.
It was all about trust. Without trust, a slight misunderstanding could be his downfall. His family was new to this aristocrat game, so he needed to learn a lot more if he wanted to keep up.
Walking on the dry, cracked ground, he went to the tents where his men reside. He sighed when he saw them sleeping inside with their armor.
As much as he wished to join them, the rules of aristocracy shackled him from doing so. It was different when his father was the one who steered the helm. At that time he could eat and sleep beside his comrades.
But now everything changed so much that he had to limit how much time he thanked his personnel.
It had been twenty years now since he inherited the legacy, yet he still missed that experience. Even when he had fought with them side by side for countless battles, and the way they looked at him did not change, he knew there was a gap between them. A chasm between commoner and aristocrat was wider than the World Rip.
He walked to the center of the camp where he found a black tent as big as a house. This was where his lieutenants resided. All five of them. Normally, any lieutenant would be restless if they didn't have their own tent, but their relationship with each other and Deridiv's prestige glued them together.
Under the sea of sparkling eels, Deridiv pushed the double door and caught a sword and a rapier with his bare hand.
"I see all five of you are wide awake."
The five lieutenants stood in front of him. Two had their weapons stuck in his palms, while the rest put their weapons away when they realized it was him.
Luntelo smiled as he pulled his sword from Deridiv's hand. "You are strong, Deridiv. And I'm still too weak."
Deridiv chuckled. "You are too modest, my friend." He then looked at the other man who still had his rapier stuck to his palm. "Then what about you, Jidan? Want me to snap your rapier again?"
A smile came under those green eyes of his. He pulled his rapier and stepped back. His silver hair swayed around his waist. "You are getting stronger, Deridiv. Last time, this rapier was enough to make you bleed."
"There's a limit to how sharp and strong a metal can achieve," Deridiv said. "But nothing is impossible with fate energy."
Jidan smiled. "I don't ask to be preached, Deridiv."
Liantinsind strode towards him with a war hammer on his shoulder. "Shut the chitchat. Say, General. Are we going to fight?"
Iadrev also stepped in with his black halberd. "Or are we going to collect some merits?"
"Both, gentlemen. We are going to fight and collect some merits. The rebel forces have made the mistake to come out of their holes. Now they have to protect three cities and dozens of villages."
Jidan raised an eyebrow. "I see what you mean, general. With the cities and villages forcing them to stand their ground, they will fight to the last man or risk losing the support of the sympathizer."
Fentasen laughed and raised his longbow. "You all be assured, any shield, and any gate would crumble under my arrow."
Deridiv shook his head. "Don't let your confidence turn into arrogance, Fentasen."
The burly man chuckled. "Alright, General."
"Now, who wants to go to war?"
The botsahopper leaped from the lifeless soil. And on top of this creature, Deridiv held the handle on the creature's neck with both hands as the ground became farther and farther. The sensation of jumping high above the clouds was funny and exciting. If not for his men following from behind with their own botsahopper, he would already laugh and shout from excitement.
The ground thumped and cracked when the giant toad landed. It leaped again without rest, further damaging the ground. This creature was not environmentally-friendly in the slightest. If he used a lot of these things throughout the kingdom, the pacifist would rage all over and use this as an excuse to end the war. Oh, he would gladly end the war against the rebel forces, but the emperor had spoken. Even if the Eye of Fate guided the rebel forces to victory, he will fight as long as he holds his position.
And dismissing himself from duty in the middle of an ongoing conflict would tear down all of his family privileges and he would become a commoner. His family had joined the aristocracy for two generations, he couldn't let it end here. Moreover, with the loss of his status as a noble, his wife would not be allowed to be him anymore and must marry other noblemen. So many were at stake. Too many.
"Nallil," Deridiv said, as the toad leaped off the ground. "How far is the city?"
The young man flicked the visor of his helmet. "With our current speed, I estimate we will arrive in two hours, sir."
Good. Not much could be done within that short timeframe. And his wife wouldn't wake up yet. Domesticating the giant frog-like creature was worth the effort. But it was still a surprise that the enemy could take three cities while he was in the Deathland. Was it a plot? Did they lure him into this place so they could take the cities? If that was the case, then they wouldn't expect him to arrive within two hours. He might not bring a lot of men with him, only a few dozens, but they are the best men he had.
"Ahead of us is the World Rip, Sir" Nallil said. "Why don't we slow down these creatures to prevent them from falling to the rip?"
The World Rip. It had been a while. The first time he went there was when he was still a child. His father had brought him to stand at the very edge of the endless abyss. He had told him to confront the shadow, the darkness, the abyss. He didn't realize at that time what his father had taught him was how to fight his fear. And the second time was with his good older brother-in-law. That was when he and Stedrin hadn't yet arranged to marry.
"No need to slow down," Deridiv said. "These creatures trust us to sit on their backs. Why don't we trust them to jump over a hole?"
At this time the world in front of them was split apart by a giant ravine that extended across the horizon. Even when the botsahopper jumped at their highest, the ravine seemed to have no end. Unlike ordinary ravine, this one was a few kilometers wide. The other side of the ravine was like a different world, one was hell with dry soil and broken ground, while the other was paradise with vast expanses of lush tall grasses.
"Sir, can our creature reach the other side?" Nallil asked.
The man seemed to have less confidence in the creature. Well, he had a surprise for him.
Fentasen inched closer to the immature boy as they leaped forward. He smacked the boy's back. "Relax. If we happen to fall into the ravine where the bottom was unreachable, the worst that can happen is we die from starvation."
Nallil nodded and calmed down after that. "Thank you for the assurance, Lieutenant."
The burly bowman smacked his back again. "Get yourself together, young soldier."
The last word put a smile on his face. Deridiv knew how that felt. Not just anyone could be called a soldier, especially from a lieutenant. Even if the young man's rank was a sergeant, the others might not accept him as a true fighter. Only skills would make others do so.
At this time, the squadron of giant jumping frogs got closer to the World Rip. Though it seemed like the phenomenal landscape seemed to go further and further while they went forward. Of course, it was a visual illusion. Something large objects tend to give to let the mortal feel small.
Small indeed.
The botsahopper landed at the very edge of the World Rip. The landing caused a few rocks to fall to the endless abyss, never to see the light of eel ever again. Many had tried to explore this dark pit, none came back. He planned to explore this ancient mystery as well but now was not the time.
"Had enough daydreaming, general?" Liantinsind urged his giant frog to move beside him.
Deridiv smiled. "I'm not daydreaming, lieutenant. Just wondering if your fat belly would burden the botsahopper."
The man took his hammer and smacked his own belly. "Despite its appearance. This thing you called a fat belly is filled with muscle. Hahaha!"
"If that is so, then I will give your wife a terrible news that her husband is still alive."
"Hahaha!" Both of them laughed.
Deridiv set his gaze forward. "Enough now. Let us make haste. If we can accomplish our mission before the eels rise, I will give each of you ten barrels of wine."
"The last one that crosses the World Rip will have to hand all of their wine!" Fentasen struck his mount to leap above the ravine.