[Vol. 7] Chapter 278: Fighting Fire with Fire
“......”
Sitting tall on a strong armored horse, dressed in full military uniform, Ferdinando held the horse's reins and looked ahead in silence at the distant city covered by a colorful storm.
This wasn’t the first time he had tried to figure out the real reason the Austre Empire had sent them here.
The Austre Empire was huge. Besides the city guards in towns and villages, it also had border troops, security forces, a navy, and four elite army groups created for fast-moving, or to put it more directly, invasion warfare. These four elite forces were directly controlled by the Empire and stationed in the east, south, west, and north.
Each of them had over 100,000 soldiers.
Thanks to heavy investment from the Empire, these elite armies didn’t have to deal with any side duties.
Their daily tasks were simple: march, train, hold drills, and handle bandits or serious threats within the country.
Their combat strength was far beyond that of regular troops. They also had the latest magical weapons developed by the Empire. These armies were the sharpest blades in the hands of the royal family.
The Empire's current strong, centralized rule had a lot to do with these four elite armies.
Ferdinando was the commander of the Western Army Group, known as the [Lion’s Fang].
He had risen from a common background, promoted step by step through merit. At only forty years old, he had already reached such a high position, a rough but capable general. He was extremely loyal to the current Emperor who had recognized his abilities, and he looked down on those who used their power to secretly gain wealth or fake achievements.
In fact, he had publicly accused some high-ranking officials, even ones with more power than himself, more than once. Because of this, many people in the upper ranks disliked and tried to suppress him.
Corruption and favoritism exist in every government and every system, no matter the country or race. Even in a strict and disciplined place like the Austre Empire, a blunt man with no political skill like Ferdinando had a hard time surviving in high circles.
If the Emperor hadn’t been protecting and supporting him on purpose, Ferdinando probably would have already been removed from his position, or even secretly killed.
He was deeply grateful for the Emperor’s wisdom. Although he didn’t understand why the Emperor didn’t just get rid of all the corrupt officials, his loyalty was unquestionable. He was one of the Emperor’s most faithful supporters.
That’s why, even when he received sudden orders during the border march, telling him to change course and head to the Academy City, where the World Academy Joint Exchange Conference was being held, he didn’t question it. He simply followed the order without hesitation.
He had originally thought this was just another military drill with some changes. But when he got closer to the Sainz and saw the storm of colorful magic spreading through the sky and completely covering the city like a divine sign, Commander Ferdinando finally realized, something really serious might have happened in the Academy City.
The order from the Imperial Capital had been very vague. It simply told him to bring his army to the outskirts of the Academy City, without giving any clear instructions on what to do next. That left him very confused.
What made it worse was that the city of Sainz had a signed agreement with the Empire. The Empire’s army was not allowed to come within a certain distance of the Academy City for any reason.
So now, with the vanguard troops less than 100 kilometers from the city, just about to enter the restricted area covered by the treaty, this straightforward commander didn’t know what to do.
If he led the troops in without permission and broke the peace that had lasted for over a hundred years, the consequences could be terrible. Ferdinando knew he’d be the one to take the full blame.
Just then—
“Commander Ferdinando! Urgent military report!!!”
As he was still hesitating, unsure whether to stop the army and wait for higher orders, a rider galloped up quickly on horseback, bringing a message.
“Good! Just in time!”
Ferdinando immediately perked up. After all, getting any information was better than complete silence. Whatever the situation, it would at least help him understand things better and make a clearer decision.
He quickly signaled his personal guards to let the messenger through.
As the commander of [Lion’s Fang], Ferdinando could tell at a glance who the rider was and where he came from.
“You’re... from the front line, right? A second-class officer of the Leopard rank? That makes you the deputy commander of the vanguard. What’s happening out there? Did you figure out the cause of the storm around Sainz?”
The messenger quickly dismounted, knelt on one knee before the powerful and commanding general, and respectfully delivered the report from his superior.
“Sir! I am the adjutant of General Precht Dorgon, commander of the vanguard force! Reporting to you, our vanguard troops ran into heavy resistance and were blocked by many individuals during the march. We are now stuck and can’t move forward. The people blocking the way are special. General Precht cannot deal with them using normal military force or arrest them without causing a serious incident. He is having trouble making a decision and sent me to request your instructions!”
“...Blocked?”
Hearing this, Ferdinando frowned.
As the commander of the Western Legion, he was very familiar with the empire’s laws and military procedures. In the Austre Empire, no commoner had the right to block the army's path for any reason.
If civilians ever got in the way of the army, the commander had full authority to drive them off, arrest them, or if they refused to leave even after being warned, kill them on the spot, all within the legal limits.
The Austre Empire was built on war, and its army was known for being fierce. Normal citizens usually stayed far away from marching soldiers and at most just watched from a distance.
Who would be crazy enough to put up roadblocks on an official road and openly try to stop a marching army?
At that moment, something finally clicked in Ferdinando’s not-so-quick-thinking mind.
“Wait... could they be people from Sainz?”
If that was the case, then it would make sense. And if they were indeed from Sainz, maybe he could talk to them and learn more about the current situation.
He immediately waved his hand.
“Are those people still in front of the vanguard force? Did they say who they are or why they’re trying to block our army?”
“Yes, sir! Uh... but about their identity...”
The messenger, who despite wearing a helmet, was clearly taller than average and had horn-like bone structures sticking out from both sides of his head, suddenly looked unsure, like he didn’t want to say something.
Ferdinando glared at him. He was clearly unhappy that the man was hesitating at such a critical time.
“Idiot! What could you possibly not say? Who are they!?”
“Y-Yes, sir! Reporting, Commander! The ones blocking the road are all... dragonkin from the Lannas Province!”
“Haha! I knew it must’ve been someone from... Wait, what? Dragonkin?”
The commander froze for a moment in surprise. The kneeling officer continued, now with a slightly worried tone.
“Yes, sir. And it’s not just dragonkin warriors. There are men, women, and children among them. It seems they’re local civilians who live nearby. There are a lot of them. If we end up in a fight with them... things might get out of control, sir.”