Chapter 95 - The General is Sent on a Mission (Part 2)
We left the mansion grounds and headed toward the castle, where a few guards were patrolling the corridors. They greeted us as we made our way to the throne room. As soon as we opened the door, I saw my aunt sitting there, with some of the Legacies seeming to try to grasp what had happened.
"You! Stay in your places," my aunt ordered.
It was my first time here, and I didn't know what to do, but Sifu pulled me by the shoulder, guiding me toward the steps.
"Are you sure I'm supposed to go up there?" I asked him.
"Of course!" my aunt replied, having overheard.
No one was allowed to ascend the throne steps without reason, not even Chloe and I were allowed to play around there. Those steps were practically sacred, the very place where our ancestors and the former Legacies had stood for millennia.
I climbed up and stood on the step beside Sifu, looking around at the others, trying to gauge what was going on from their expressions, but I couldn't read anything. The door opened again, and my mother walked in.
"What's happened? I was called urgently," she asked.
"You'll find out soon," my aunt replied.
My mother walked over and then ascended the steps, standing beside my aunt at the throne. Everyone was a bit tense, trying to understand the situation, but no one dared to question my aunt. When Aunt Margie was in her queenly mode, she wasn't very approachable and had little patience for answering questions.
We stood there until the door opened again, and a guard entered.
"How is the farmer?" my aunt asked.
The guard approached and knelt.
"He's already received treatment from Martha and is on his way here."
"Good, bring him quickly," she said, gesturing for him to leave.
I watched everything, trying to piece it together.
"Sifu… why do you think I was called here?" I whispered to him.
"The time for being a boy is over," he whispered back.
We waited for a while until some soldiers opened the door, and a group of people appeared.
Three men entered, looking tense and fearful. One of them was heavily bandaged around the head and chest, while the other two, though older, were also injured, with one having his arm wrapped in bandages.
They approached and knelt.
"Lady Margaery, we've come to ask for your help," one of them said.
My aunt stared at them.
"I've heard a bit of the story, but I want to hear it from you," she said.
The oldest man lifted his head.
"Our small village was attacked, and we were injured."
"I can see that just by looking at you. I need every detail possible. I want to know who the fool was that invaded our lands," she said sternly.
The most injured man lifted his head and began to speak.
"There were at least fifty of them. They were all on horseback, and some of them set our homes on fire. Others chased us with swords and wounded us." He paused, and another man continued.
"Lady Margaery, they burned our crops. Everything we saved was invested in expanding production, and they trampled it all with their horses, burning it down. Even our animals weren't spared. One of our silos, which was fully stocked, was blown up by several fireballs."
My aunt took a deep breath and put her hand to her head.
"I need more details. Tell me about their appearance, their armor, their weapons—even the color of their damned horses."
They looked confused.
"It was dawn, and we were trying to escape the fireballs. We couldn't make out much. As for the armor, there were no crests, just simple armor."
"And the dead? How many were killed?"
"Seven people were killed, and many others were injured," one of them said.
My aunt furrowed her brow.
"Were there any kidnappings? What did they steal?"
"There were no kidnappings, and they stole… everything of value from our village. They looted everything, and what they couldn't take, they burned," he replied.
All the Legacies exchanged glances.
"What about material losses?" she asked.
"Everything. They burned our crops, killed our livestock, set fire to our homes, and attacked us."
Aunt Margie clenched her fists.
"You may leave. I will handle this situation. We will compensate you for your losses and assist in rebuilding what was destroyed. I'll also send earth mages to help fertilize the soil and provide a patrol for the area. I can't bring back the lives that were lost, but I will take care of and treat those who survived," she said.
"Thank you so much, Duchess. I can't express how grateful we are. Everything we had was invested in planting those fields. Thank you," the man said, a bit emotional.
They left the room, and as soon as the door closed, everyone turned to my aunt.
"Speak. I need your opinions," she said.
Hugo was the first to speak up.
"The enemy had 50 men on horseback and mages among them. This doesn't seem like something that could be organized overnight; it was well planned. We need to find out if other places were attacked."
Samantha interjected, "It could be a new gang. That's a lot of people with horses, and they had mages with them. We need to intervene as quickly as possible."
My aunt bit her nail.
"Fifty men on horseback, assuming they counted correctly. There were mages among them, and they focused on destroying the village and its crops. Right when we've been encouraging farmers to make large-scale investments in land and crops. If these bandits attack more villages, it will undermine the economic plan to rebuild this territory, especially if other farmers hear about this and become fearful," she said.
"We're in a delicate moment, and this can't go unchecked. What they did was worse than just stealing what they had. Burning the crops affects not only them but everyone who depends on those harvests," my mother added.
"We need to deal with this swiftly. There are 50 men riding through my land after committing this crime. They need to be found and made to pay. There will be no mercy," Aunt Margie said firmly.
My mother looked at her. "I can use my elemental power to help with the planting. I already do this work on our farms. I can go and help them recover what was lost. All I need are seeds and fertile soil."
Aunt Margie was deep in thought as she listened to my mother's words.
"It's risky... but I'll send you with at least 100 soldiers. I'll also dispatch earth and water mages to assist, and with you there, we can accelerate the growth of the seeds. I'll also send a healing mage to tend to the injured," she said.
"I want to go as well," I said.
I won't leave my mother in a recently attacked place by herself.
My mother looked at me, but before she could say anything, my aunt spoke up.
"You will definitely go. I'm sending you and Sifu to resolve this situation," my aunt said.
Everyone looked at her in surprise.
"Margie, it's been less than a week since Nathan completed a mission, and you already want to send him on another?" my mother protested.
"My nephew will be the military leader of this entire territory, and I have high expectations for him. Nathan is more than capable of handling these problems, and you know it. He will be with Sifu, who will assist him," my aunt replied firmly.
My mother sighed deeply.
"The boy will be with me, Lady Katherine. I believe we're a good team, and we're just going to investigate. They might be on horseback and could have gone far, but that doesn't mean they've covered their tracks. Fifty horses leave trails, and that gives us a path to follow," Sifu reassured.
My mother looked at us, still concerned. "You'll only follow the trail and return at the first sign of serious danger. He may be an assassin, but that doesn't make him invincible," she said.
Sifu and I nodded in agreement, and a part of me was a little excited to have some real action again. I might just be a child, but I have the soul of a warrior. Ever since I started fighting in this world, my love for battle has been rekindled. Being a human warrior again is limiting, but the thrill in battle comes from the challenge of overcoming those limits.
As soon as we left the throne room and the door closed behind us, I looked at Sifu.
"So, we're just going to locate them and then come back?"
The monk looked at me and smiled.
"Of course not. We're going to hunt them down and kill every last one of them."
"Old man, I thought you were the type who loved peace or some mystical nonsense like that..."
The monk let out a hearty laugh.
"I am a man of peace, and I will live for it until the day I die. But if someone brings war to my doorstep... then I will deliver war to them."