Chapter 16: Chapter 16

“Quite frantic, isn’t it?”

Standing on one of the palace’s balconies, Saulus glanced down at the chaotic mess below. Just a few paces away, people were busy with their own orders and tasks they wanted to accomplish. Someone was currently checking their backpack, someone else was haggling with a blacksmith, and someone else was receiving a scolding from his superior.

And that was just the official legion’s camp alone.

Raising his head a bit to grasp the sight of the entire city, the scale of madness caused by Saulus’s schemes revealed itself to his eyes.

“Isn’t that what we wanted? This sense of urgency?”

Resting herself against the balustrade of the balcony, Venna followed after Saulus’ eyes, glancing at her new subjects. Her remark perfectly expressed the slightly nostalgic mood that she had.

“It is. It most definitely is.”

For some reason, Saulus wasn’t happy to admit it. While most of what was going on in the streets was a direct result of the plans that he had come up with, it was quite a grim feeling to actually stress over the fate of all those busy people.

Not the ones within the legion’s camp. All the soldiers had signed up for exactly what was happening right now. It was the situation of the many civilians of Aldo and the surrounding villages that brought the young commander down.

“You can’t help it. It’s not like you are the… or nevermind. What I wanted to say, those people have awaited this opportunity for a long time already. While some of them will most definitely die, they would jump at any chance at regaining their freedom.”

Noticing the inner struggle of her old friend, Venna sympathized. But no matter how much she wanted to soothe Saulus’s emotional distress, it was something that every military commander had to learn to cope with. Words alone wouldn’t be enough to deal with the guilty conscience of sending entire swaths of people to spread the news of the revolution. Words wouldn’t buy back the lives of those volunteers that wouldn’t make it back to their families.

“You didn’t force them into the hell of a war. You just gave them an opportunity to risk their lives for something they believe in… and with a better future awaiting them once they fulfill their tasks.”

Listening to Venna’s words, Saulus suddenly stood away from the railing. Moving a few steps to the back, he cast a sharp glance at the girl.

“Don’t try to make me feel better about it. I’m not worried about those people. They are willingly joining the cause.”

Tilting his head to point with his chin at the city below, Saulus returned to the balcony and rested his back against the railing.

“I’m worried about those who will be swept up by the momentum of our schemes, whether they like it or not. Did you ever think about how many people would lose their means to feed their families once the trading routes change, according to how the war will go?”

Pouring the ice-cold truth directly on the field of their discussion, Saulus shook his head before nodding it towards the queen.

“I’m sorry. By whining like that I’m just trying to push my guilt away. Ultimately, I’m the one who started it all, so now I just need to swallow my pride and suffer through what it costs… But it hurts.”

Saulus wasn’t a monster. As silly as it sounded, every villain in the history of humanity could say that about themselves. From the troubled past, through the involvement of the Pleiades all the way to his brutal upbringing, Saulus checked off all the marks of a tragic villain in the story of his life. But it didn’t matter how much he would want to avoid admitting that. Ultimately, the entire situation was a result of nothing else but his own choice to follow down this disastrous path.

Because in the end, the cost of not doing so was something that Saulus couldn’t afford to pay.

“I think we should head to the quartermaster’s office. With all the recruits pouring in, we might face some troubles with properly supplying them. Either way, we need to push them into battle soon…

Usually, Saulus would take the time to explain the way to solve this problem. But this time, he decided to let the girl come up with it on her own.

After all, while he was a general of the combined rebel armies, it was Venna that ultimately had to check all his orders. Just like his duty was to suffer through the moral drawbacks of throwing the country into a civil war, it was the Queen’s duty to affirm the orders that would push countless people into the horrors of civil strife.

“So we are back to this topic? I know I will ultimately have to do it… But I just can’t yet. Can’t we give them a bit more time?”

With her elbows still resting on the balcony’s railing, Venna looked into the distance. Located right beside the legion’s camp, a temporary training ground was set. Managed by the top veterans of the second legion, its purpose was to turn the reckless mob of volunteers from Aldo and the areas surrounding into disciplined soldiers.

Yet, both of the highest commanders of the entire rebellion were perfectly aware of how little could be achieved in that camp given the limited time. With the second legion already in full swing of preparation for the further invasion to the south, the newbie soldiers in the camp would have only a few more days to practice.

But teaching them to follow orders would at least give them a better shot at surviving in a battle. Sadly, it wasn’t something that could happen in a span of just a few days. In fact, Saulus didn’t even dare to imagine what would happen to the second legion if a large battle occurred any time soon.

The one thing that was certain was that only after more blood would be split, would the soldiers of the second legion reach their maturity as warriors. This mental powerup, turning them from simple soldiers to proper legionaries had to be quenched in the blood of the enemies they would kill themselves. As for the volunteers…

It would suffice to say that they weren’t even on that level yet.

“Just give them a few more days. While that means giving our enemies more time to prepare… It’s not like we will count on our numbers to take over Mengia. Right?”