"You should know that after the First Great Sou war, there was another war that came right before the Second Great Sou war, right?"
"Yes. The Battle of Pierrot." Montero nodded with a serious expression.
The Second Great Sou war had taken place thirty-four years ago and lasted for seven years, but the Battle of Pierrot had begun seventy years ago, thirty-six years before the Second Great Sou war, and lasted for four years. It was in this war that Leuven had made his mark and became known as the God of War, while also ascending to the rank of duke and appointed the province of Red Maple as his duchy.
After the First Great Sou war, the Great Dawn kingdom and its allies, as well as the newly formed Kingdom of Terra were worn-out from war. As they began an era of rehabilitation, an enemy suddenly creeped in. This enemy was a third-party who had laid in wait for the First Great Sou war to be over, in order to swallow the worn-out parties of the war. The target of this 'fisherman' happened to be one of the newly separated lands from the Great Empire of Terra, the Great Dawn kingdom. The Battle of Pierrot was the battle that took place between the newly formed Great Dawn kingdom and this new foe.
As the Great Dawn kingdom was exhausted after breaking away from the Great Empire of Terra, it had a very difficult time standing up to this tough new foe. Many lives were lost and the battle looked to be destined for a loss. That was when Leuven stepped in.
"A refugee who had travelled from a faraway land to the Great Dawn kingdom, Leuven took to arms and joined the military. He performed so well within a few months that he got promoted and led a squad of his own, then a platoon, and eventually a battalion. About three years into the war, Leuven was finally given charge of a division of four thousand men.
"By the time Leuven had risen to the rank of general, he was a peak sixth-stage Guardian mage, the first and only character in history to reach the rank of general while still being a mere sixth-stage Guardian mage." Tiansu narrated.
"However, despite his seemingly deficit strength, Leuven was as strong as a an average seventh-stage Guardian mage, if not stronger. His military tactics were also fierce, creative and flexible, making his unit the most feared in the war, even ahead of those under the then duke Saunters and duke Wesley. In the Hitlist of the enemy, Leuven was placed at the second position, just beneath the then king Fredrick Castellan, who was an eleventh-stage Guardian mage. You can imagine how much of a threat he was, even in an era where seventh and eighth stage Guardian mages were more common than they are now." Tiansu sighed.
"It might sound absurd, but in fact, the enemy commander had once organized a trap for Leuven consisting of three seventh-stage Guardian mages; two of whom were at the mid rank and the other at the peak. Despite such a lineup, the peak sixth-stage Guardian mage, Leuven, killed the two mid rank seventh-stage Guardian mages and the peak rank mage barely escaped death with his tails tucked between his legs. That was when the tale of the War god became a thing.
"At the peak of the sixth-stage of the Guardian realm, Leuven already possessed the strength of an eighth-stage Guardian mage."
"How, how is that possible?" Montero widened his eyes in shock as he doubted this information.
"The records say that the War god was a peak ninth-stage Guardian mage with talent rivalling a tenth-stage Guardian mage, which was why he was feared and revered by all." Montero stated.
To this, Tiansu simply smiled.
"I can in fact confirm this was true. Furthermore, even until his death, Leuven never exceeded the seventh-stage of the Guardian realm. At the peak of the seventh-stage, he possessed strength that would inspire fear in eighth-stage Guardian mages and power rivalling ninth-stage Guardian mages. He could even trade blows with tenth-stage Guardian mages, albeit at a cost. Leuven was an existence that defies the heavens."
"But then, not to doubt you minister, but why isn't this in the records?" Montero asked.
"Isn't it obvious? Despite the fact that I gave you the vice-ministerial role, you seem to be slow. Maybe I should send you over to the deputy general position instead." Tiansu sighed.
"Haha. You jest, Lord minister." Montero awkwardly laughed, scared that his superior was being truthful.
Unlike the vice-ministerial role which was more about performing administration tasks, the deputy general role was more on-field and troublesome. Montero was happy where he was and had no intention of leaving.
"You might be right." Tiansu chuckled.
"As for why you can't find this information on books, it's because it's obvious. If one realises that the Arnhaunt family had such a warrior back in their bloodline, apart from fear, there would also be respect and loyalty towards them. After all, Leuven was one of the major reasons the Great Dawn kingdom weathered the incident known as the Battle of Pierrot. By merely being related to him alone, one would have a large sway on public opinion and the military, so, the records had to be manipulated, or better yet, 'adjusted', to prevent such from happening.
"However, they couldn't completely erase Leuven's achievement from history and could at best, alter it a bit. For example, they stated he was a ninth-stage Guardian mage at the later half of the war instead of o seventh-stage Guardian mage."
"As for how I know this," The minister of war, Tiansu Wodanaz, said.
"It's because of a document I barely managed to get my hands on thanks to my joint titles of 'godly general' and minister of War. You should understand why I am saying this, Montero."
"Saying what?" Montero asked confusedly.
"Good." Tiansu smiled.
It was obvious Montero got the hint and behaved as if he knew nothing.
"Back to my point. The son of a god can not be a wastrel. The son of War god, Leuven Arnhaunt, as long as his grandfather's blood flows through his veins, trust me when I say that he'll surprise everyone. Null constitution? Who knows, maybe this time around, he'll redefine that just as his grandfather redefined the concept of stages."