CH229 Change of Plans

***

Alex's brows furrowed deeply as the recording ended.

The conversation between Josiah Kellerman and his father left little room for doubt—Drake's intervention in the Wildkin crisis was part of their plan.

Without hesitation, Alex strode out of his tent.

"Laura," he called, "head to the Knights' camp. Tell Lieutenant General Jared I need to speak with him immediately. Make sure you relay, and he understands, the urgency in my tone."

"Yes, Lord Alex!" Laura rushed off.

Turning, Alex faced Lieutenant Cross.

"Clear twenty meters around this location. Anyone or anything that enters—kill on sight."

"By your command." Lieutenant Cross left at once to carry out the order.

"Udara," Alex summoned.

A shadow stirred. "Yes, Master." His armoured Shadow Guard appeared, kneeling.

"Kill anyone that slips past the soldiers' barricade. No questions asked. If they are too strong for your to pull off, alert me before immediately. They mustn't escape."

"Understood." Udara melted back into the darkness.

At that moment, Fen padded over and rubbed against his leg, sensing his tension. From where it was hitched, Dread grunted uneasily.

Alex picked up the wolf, insistent on remaining in its cub form, stroking its soft fur, and gave the Nightmare horse a steadying look. Dread calmed, lowering itself back into a seated position to rest.

The soothing warmth of Fen's fur eased Alex's nerves, and with a sigh, he realized he might have gone too far with his orders.

How likely was it that anyone would dare spy on the conversation of a General and a Saint warrior in the heart of an army encampment?

Very unlikely.

More likely, his drastic measures would draw attention and stir panic among the troops.

'I should have acted more calmly,' he admitted to himself.

But caution was never a sin. He let the orders stand and waited.

Before long, Laura returned—Jared with her. And as expected, the Dark Knight hadn't come alone. He understood well enough that the 'urgent summons' was not truly for him, but for the man disguised as his adjutant; Earl Drake.

The trio entered Alex's tent. Laura lingered outside the encirclement.

Drake wasted no time. "What was so urgent you had to throw the entire camp into an uproar?"

"My intuition tells me the Kellermans are about to strike at Fury lands," Alex said.

"We've known that for some time," Jared commented dryly.

"No," Drake corrected, eyes narrowing. "He means the attack itself will happen now. Or in the very near future."

Alex gave a firm nod.

Drake held his gaze. The boy remained silent.

"Get on with it," the Earl said, waving a hand. "You know how this dance works."

"Oh…" Realization dawned on Alex.

"I was reviewing Dark Mantle's reports on how the Wildkin seized Werth, trying to spot vulnerabilities we could exploit. That's when I noticed a problem."

Stroking Fen's fur had given Alex's the calm and time to come with a plausible sounding reason to explain his unease without revealing any secret information.

"The Deputy City Guard Commander of Werth was a veteran Saint under the Kellermans. Yet he fell too easily against an Orc Chief who supposedly showed no signs of reaching the Legendary Realm.

"That can only mean one thing. The Orc Chieftain holding Werth is at least a Half-Legendary.

"And that… is a power far beyond what Exercitus Alexii is equipped to face."

"I see…" Drake murmured. "You will most likely be forced to call for me to reinforce your unit against the threat. As a Legend, I can make the journey here in relatively short time."

"But not short enough." Alex countered. "If they launch their assault on Fury lands during your absence, and seize key positions before your return…"

Drake finished the thought with a grim nod. "Then reclaiming them would prove difficult. They will likely deploy their own Legend—or some other means—to keep me occupied."

Father and son wove the scenario back and forth, the weight of it hanging heavily in the tent.

"And what if I don't show up?" Drake asked, his tone rhetorical.

But Alex answered anyway.

"Would you not? From what I know of you, you are someone protective of your possessions. You would surely act if anyone dared covet what belongs to you.

"And since you are here, I suspect the Kellermans—or whatever power backs them—understand this as well as I do. They must have done something to earn your attention, to draw you out here.

"The Orc Chief may be nothing more than insurance. A guarantee that you'll act."

Earl Drake nodded his head, accepting the reasoning. It matched his own deductions.

But Alex wasn't finished.

"Even if you don't take the bait, the outcome is the same. To defeat a Half-Legend would be a pyrrhic victory. We would have no choice but to reveal the Fury Army's tactical reserves.

"And with the fact that the Fury Army gathered its elites gathered in this Division for this campaign… if they fall, the Fury Army will bleed for years to come. Especially once the Kellermans begin their invasion."

"They've put us between a rock and a hard place," Drake admitted.

He turned to his son. "So then, what plan of action have you devised?"

"Huh?" Alex blinked, caught off guard. "Isn't this the part where you take charge and get us out of this?"

Drake leaned back casually. "Fury military law dictates subordinates follow orders. As of this moment, I am Jared's adjutant. Since Jared answers to you in your capacity as General of this taskforce division… that means I answer to you as well."

Alex gaped. "But you're the Head of the Fury family! That law doesn't apply to you!"

Drake smirked. "I'm not here as Head of House Fury. I'm here as an adjutant."

Alex's face twitched. 'Damn you… honourless—no, prideless mercenary noble!'

Then again, who was he to talk? He himself rejected the trappings of the world's nobility, choosing instead to dress like a rogue.

'If I didn't know better, I'd say it's in our blood.'

He rubbed along the bridge of his nose.

'There's no changing his mind. Best to make the most of it.'

"Just so we're clear," Alex said at last, "you're going to follow my orders, right?"

"As long as they're reasonable," Drake replied with a lazy shrug. "Like any other soldier."

"In that case…" Alex drew a deep breath. "Here's what I want to do."

***

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