The envoy returned to Lenine, bearing a message from Edmund, the head of the Iris family, to Victor. Philip received the letter and read it to Victor.
The contents were an agreement to pay the reparations to avoid war, consisting of gold, weapons, and horses. In addition to a request for a week to arrange the payment.
"Very well, we will give them a week... I want no excuses after that," Victor said to Philip, then wondered aloud, "Edmund that arrogant bastard must be biting his fingers in frustration right now, hahaha" Victor laughed loudly.
Philip spoke, "Leader, regarding the reparations... why not use them to strengthen our army?" Victor looked at him sharply, "Are you implying my army is weak? Careful there... watch what you say." Philip apologized and continued, "I apologize, sir, I meant increasing its numbers and quality... and arming it with new equipment"
"That way it will become the strongest without rival", Victor thought for a moment and then replied, "Fine, we will use part of it to reinforce the army, but the rest shall be saved for what is to come... I am almost certain that a storm or a fierce war will cast its shadow upon us again, as it did three centuries ago. At times like those...only those with gold will survive." Philip was surprised by Victor's response and thought to himself that Victor was starting to hallucinate.
He replied, "As you command, sir," and left with an expression of regret on his face.
Philip began his life selling and making weapons of war, such as swords and shields. This business made him very rich quickly, to the point that he gained significant influence in the Killian family.
Later, his ambition grew, and he decided to become an advisor to Victor to control what happens in Kylian from the shadows. As the saying goes, everyone loses in war except the arms dealer.
As for Victor, he was preoccupied with an approaching event, a very important one for the Kylian family and its people. The date of celebrating the family's glory and founding anniversary was approaching, and the consecration of Victor's authority.
This year came amid serious events that may disrupt the celebration of this great event.
In Ariam, preparations began for the shipments of gold, weapons, and horses to be sent to Kyllian. The cost was enormous for the family treasury, and its impact would be estimated to last for years.
Saron finally arrived at Aryam and headed to meet his commander, Nero, who had been waiting for him. Nero was at a military center, sitting in the courtyard of the main building with a smoking pipe in hand.
He noticed Saron approaching and waved to him, "Here... Saron, come." Saron saw Nero's wave and approached him. "I've been expecting you..." Nero added.
Saron greeted his commander, "I apologize... the road was not easy at all." Nero replied, "Alright, sit down now, let's talk." Saron sat down, bracing himself for the scolding he anticipated from his commander, prepared for the harshest reprimand.
Nero spoke, "I'm glad you made it... you're lucky you know" Saron was taken aback by his commander's words, but guilt overwhelmed him. "Thank you, sir... I don't deserve to be here, I failed miserably... I'm ready to face punishment" Nero interrupted him, "No need, I didn't call you here to reprimand you or anything of the sort... I want to know exactly what happened."
"Of course..." Saron replied.
Saron began recounting what happened to the third unit from the moment they set out until his return to the base with the survivors. He particularly emphasized what he saw in the forest—the dry corpses.
Nero's interest was particularly piqued by two points: the horrific scene Saron encountered in the forest and the disappearance of Nosil and Aya.
Nero was puzzled by the duo's disappearance and tried to connect the pieces rationally.
His only conclusion, the same as Keni's, was that Nosil and Aya were the ones who had taken down the predator Makal, but that was merely a hypothesis without confirmation, so he did not share it with Saron.
After Saron finished recounting his story, Nero instructed him to head to the main headquarters, where a trial awaited him for causing Eris trouble with Killian.
Nero sat, contemplating calmly, trying to piece everything together, but he couldn't form a clear picture.
He decided to enjoy his smoke. "Damn it... why have things become so complicated all of a sudden?" Nero said. "I thought I'd retire early... marry a beautiful woman and live by the river... that seems like just a dream now."
Nero stood up, headed inside the building, put out his smoking pipe, and approached one of the workers there. "You belong to the intelligence forces, right?" The soldier replied, "Yes, how can I assist you?" Nero said, "I'm Nero, I need a favor from your department" The soldier responded, "I know who you are, sir, but what kind of favor are you talking about?" Nero said, "I have two missing individuals from my legion after the recent events at the border. I want you to find out everything about their past in detail—where they were born, who their parents are, where they lived, and where they were before joining my legion... I want everything." He added, "And submit a request to Kyllian to inquire if they are prisoners there or if they have any information about them, or their corpses... their names are Nosil and Aya. Got it?" The soldier paused, surprised by Nero's request, then replied, "I will forward your first request to the research team, but we don't have the authority to make the second request. It must be approved by Commander Edmund or Advisor Rayl first." Nero, as he was leaving, said, "Alright, inform Rayl about it, and he will approve it... send me your report as soon as it is finished, understood?" The soldier replied respectfully, "Of course, sir."
Nero finally departed, deciding to return to where his legion was located. Nero became the second person to notice the issue with Nosil and Aya after Keni, and both wanted to uncover the truth behind their mysterious aura.
As for Saron, he appeared before a military tribunal, and after hearing his testimony, the verdict on his case was postponed. However, his rank was frozen, and he was temporarily suspended from his position as a unit captain.
Meanwhile, the formidable Kenzar arrived at the western borders of Kyllian and immediately requested that the soldiers there take him to the site of Makal's fall. He had heard reports that piqued his interest, particularly concerning Makal's body status.
Upon reaching the site, Kinzar stood contemplating the area that had been the scene of a massacre of his family's warriors. The shiver that ran down his spine was unmistakable as he looked at the dry corpses. He was certain that whoever did this was not human but a terrifying creature.
"In all my years of combat... I have never seen anything like this, even charred and dismembered bodies didn't give me chills like this one did," Kenzar said, describing his feelings.
He then approached Makal's torn and perforated corpse, examined it for a moment, and then covered it again. "Is this the only different case?" he asked. One of those present replied, "Not exactly, there are some crushed bodies we found scattered around the battlefield, severely smashed…"
Kenzar found nothing to say, only signs of bewilderment and astonishment appeared on his face. He looked around, paced, and returned; he couldn't bear what had happened there.
"There were at least two of them, maybe three or more... the methods of killing are different... Likely, they attacked simultaneously, slaughtering the front-line warriors brutally while quickly crushing the ones on the flanks. Meanwhile, the fight with Makal lasted sometime before he fell..." Kinzar analyzed.
One of those present asked, "A coordinated effort... but the enemies were just recruits as we heard, even their leader was only at the level of a hunter... looking at what happened here... it's hard to comprehend."
Kinzar remained silent, thinking to himself that something was suspicious, as even the Eris soldiers didn't kill in such a brutal manner, or even close to it.
Finally, Kinzar left to return to supervising the western border, the scenes he had witnessed still lingering in his mind, resembling a shock.
As the founding celebration was approaching, Victor sent the formidable Kinzar to ensure that nothing happened that could surprise him, while he asked the new dominator maxim to maintain in Lenine city, to guarantee the safety of the capital from any surprising attacks.
In a distant place, Aya and Nosil finally moved. Because of what had happened to them, returning to the Eris army was impossible. They decided to remain hidden and be counted among the missing works for them, but their next step would send shockwaves throughout Syrene.
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