“Are they going out to battle or something?” Siegfried asked.
The empire’s officer replied, “No, Your Majesty. Those are the Adventurers deserting the camp.”
“Deserters?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Why?”
“Most of them have had their contracts expire. But there are quite a few who terminated their contracts too.”
Mercenary contracts were enforced whenever Adventurers joined an NPC faction in wars. This was a preventative measure put in place so that they could not hop between factions like a rat.
“Ah, so they’re trying to save themselves,” Siegfried muttered while looking at the Adventurers.
These people were trying to cut their losses, as they were certain that the empire would lose the war. Thus, they were most likely planning to join the rebel faction at the latter part of the war to obtain a few coins from the rebels.
“How foolish.”
“Indeed, Your Majesty. They are nothing more than a bunch of arrogant fools who do not know their place.”
“Yeah, there’s a saying that your body will suffer if you’re foolish. I guess they’re going to be the perfect example,” Siegfried agreed with a nod. Then, he asked, “But you’re just letting them walk away?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. The empire does not stop mere mercenaries from leaving.”
“Ah, as expected of the world’s greatest superpower. Hot damn...”
Siegfried was sincerely in awe after hearing the officer’s response.
Allowing the Adventurers to leave would, without a doubt, be a huge disadvantage to the empire. There were bound to be a few of them who would join the rebel faction regardless of whether it was allowed or not, which meant that they would become enemies of the empire.
The fact that they weren't stopping the Adventurers from deserting was a display of the empire’s confidence and prestige.
It appeared simple, but no other nation on the continent would dare to attempt it.
‘I guess this is why the Marchioni Empire is the most powerful nation on the continent...’ Siegfried thought in awe while watching the Adventurers.
He was certain that the future looked bleak for them.
Sure, the empire was letting them leave now. But what about once the civil war was over?
Will Emperor Stuttgart simply overlook those who deserted camp? More so, those who dared to join the rebels? —
‘A whole lot of people are gonna have rough days ahead.’
Siegfried had no doubt that the emperor would find a way to make them pay—especially the turncoats. Politics was a ruthless game, as more often than not, someone had to serve as an example to keep everyone else in line.
“His Imperial Majesty wishes to see you.”
“I will go at once.”
“Please, this way.”
The officer led Siegfried to the tent where the most powerful man on the continent, Stuttgart von Posteriore, was staying.
***
Emperor Stuttgart’s tent was called a tent, but it was no different than a mobile bunker.
‘I have a feeling that even a meteorite can't scratch that thing,’ Siegfried thought while looking around, admiring how sturdy the tent—no, the bunker looked.
“Your Imperial Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa of the Proatine Kingdom has arrived.”
“Let him in.”
“Yes, sire.”
It had been months since they saw each other, but today, they were finally reunited. Searᴄh the NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
“I, Siegfried van Proa, greet His Imperial Majesty,” he greeted with utmost respect.
Emperor Stuttgart, who was sitting on his throne, waved his hand and replied, “It has been a while, Siegfried van Proa.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Raise your head.”
Siegfried raised his head and saw the emperor on his throne, clad in full armor.
Three beautiful women were standing next to the emperor.
‘H-Hiiiik?!’ Siegfried shrieked inwardly and almost fell to his butt.
The three women standing beside the emperor, Clotho, Lachesis, and Athropos, turned out to be Level 449 mages.
In other words, they weren't just ordinary mages; all three of them were Great Wizards. On top of that, they were Great Wizards on the cusp of becoming Archmages.
‘Three Level 449 Great Wizards?! That’s crazy!’ Siegfried screamed inwardly.
“Are you surprised?” Emperor Stuttgart asked with a smile. Then, he waved his hand and said, “They are my longtime retainers.”
“Yes, my lord. I was truly surprised.”
“They have been with me since before I ascended the throne.”
The three Great Wizards greeted Siegfried in unison.
“We greet Your Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa.”
“We greet Your Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa.”
“We greet Your Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa.”
Siegfried was once again overwhelmed by the sheer might of the Marchioni Empire.
The existence of these three Great Wizards had to be under wraps until now, as even he had not heard of them at all. In other words, Emperor Stuttgart had ensured that their existence would remain a secret.
‘Michele was right. There’s no way that the empire will... lose this war.’
As the realization sank into Siegfried's mind...
“I am grateful that you have rushed to my aid without any hesitation. I failed to help you in your time of need, yet here you stand before me when I am in need,” Emperor Stuttgart said.
Siegfried shook his head and replied, “That is all in the past now. Please, do not trouble yourself over it, my lord.”
“You have my utmost respect for your generosity, Siegfried van Proa.”
“I am deeply honored by your kind words, my lord.”
“Siegfried van Proa.”
“Yes, my lord?”
“Will you lead the Adventurers and subdue the rebels on my behalf?”
“I will gladly serve my lord!”
At that moment, a quest message popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.
[Emperor’s Persona]
[Follow the emperor’s command and lead the Adventurers into battle against the rebels.]
[Type: Quest]
[Progress: N/A]
[Reward: Immeasurable]
‘I-Immeasurabruuu?!’ Siegfried shrieked inwardly as his eyes widened from shock.
This was Emperor Stuttgart giving the quest, after all. If Siegfried did things well, the reward would truly be beyond anything he could ever imagine.
“Siegfried van Proa.”
“Yes, my lord?”
“I know of the hardships and struggles you went through.”
“P-Pardon me, my lord?”
“I am aware of the sacrifices you've made to protect this world.”
“I... I am truly deeply honored.”
Siegfried felt there was an undertone in the emperor’s words that suggested he was aware of everything that happened.
“But I ask that you also understand that I had urgent matters to attend to, too.”
“My lord...”
“The terrorist attack during the last World Peace Conference was the rebels’ doing.”
“...!”
“Furthermore, the rebels have joined forces with otherworldly beings and are looking to gain supremacy over this world. I am not simply waging war against mere insurgents—no, I am fighting to protect not only my empire, but also our entire world from foreign invaders that seek to claim it for themselves.”
“I understand, my lord.”
“To aid me in crushing the rebels is no different from protecting our world. I trust that you will give your utmost devotion to this mission.”
“Please be rest assured, my lord,” Siegfried replied with a firm nod.
It seemed that Emperor Stuttgart was fighting his own battles to protect this world, just like Siegfried.
[Alert: You have accepted the Quest — Emperor’s Persona!]
The moment he accepted the quest...
“You will need authority if you are to command the Adventurers.”
With those words, Emperor Stuttgart stepped forward and personally handed Siegfried a Marchioni Empire’s military uniform.
“Siegfried van Proa.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“I hereby appoint you as the Commander of the Great Marchioni Empire’s Adventurer Division. This position should grant you the rank of Division Commander, but as you are royalty, I shall bestow you the rank of General instead.”
“Y-Your grace is immeasurable, my lord!”
And with that, Siegfried became a four-star general of the Marchioni Empire.
It was a fitting appointment.
Why?
It was all because Siegfried was the king of the Proatine Kingdom, a vassal of the Marchioni Empire, so his title as "King" granted him equal rank to that of a "Duke" within the empire’s nobility ranks.
“I will dedicate my body and soul to fulfill my duties, Your Imperial Majesty,” Siegfried said firmly. Then, he bowed low to the ground and retreated from Emperor Stuttgart’s presence.
***
Siegfried immediately headed to where the Adventurers were located.
“Loyalty!”
Everywhere he passed, the knights and soldiers of the Marchioni Empire would snap to attention and salute him.
‘Damn, this is so good. I could really get used to this,’ Siegfried felt good.
Now that he was a four-star general in the most powerful superpower on the continent, he could finally feel that his status had improved by leaps and bounds.
‘The Proatine Kingdom’s army isn’t bad at all, but it’s just way weaker in comparison to the empire. Hmm... I wonder when we can grow as strong as the empire?’
While going around the camp, he was stunned by the sheer individual prowess of the empire’s knights and soldiers.
On average, the Marchioni Empire’s soldiers alone were a staggering fifty levels higher than the soldiers of the Proatine Kingdom.
‘I’ll have to push them to train even harder from now on.’
If the Proatine Kingdom’s soldiers could hear his thoughts, they would, without a doubt, tremble in fear and piss their pants.
Siegfried finally arrived at the camp, but...
“Haha... Hahaha...” Siegfried let out an awkward laugh. He was rendered utterly speechless by the scene before him.
“Hey! You there! Fold that tent properly!”
“I can’t pull this stake out! It’s stuck!”
“Move faster!”
The tents in what was supposed to be Adventurers’ camp were being dismantled.
“Excuse me?” Siegfried called out to an officer.
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“What... exactly is going on here?”
“We are dismantling the tents that are no longer in use after the Adventurers deserted en masse.”
“I get that but... there aren’t that many tents left though...?”
There were six tents left standing, to be exact.
Judging by the countless holes on the ground, he deduced that there used to be at least hundreds of them at one point.
“Pull that out!”
“Roger!”
And with another tent being taken down, there were now only five tents remaining.
“The Adventurers are leaving in droves. More than ninety percent of those we recruited have already deserted, Your Majesty.”
“Then... How many Adventurers are under my command now? Two hundred, maybe?”
“Well, there are roughly around one hundred fifty, Your Majesty. Or perhaps... less than that.”
“What kind of commander has only one hundred fifty men under his command?!” Siegfried shouted in frustration.
He really thought this was his time to shine. The fact that he was appointed as a general of the mighty Marchioni Empire meant that he would get to lead tens of thousands of Adventurers into battle, which painted a very grand picture of him.
Forget about any picture; he was left with just one hundred fifty people under his command. Forget about being a division commander; he was no different from a squadron leader at best.
“Oh?! Isn’t that Siegfried?!”
“Whoa! That’s Siegfried!”
The remaining Adventurers finally recognized him and flocked over.
The problem was that all of them were low-level Adventurers, barely reaching Level 200. To make matters even worse, most of them were simply waiting for their contracts to expire so they could leave camp.
“Hahaha! Are you here to ride the Marchioni Empire Coin, too?”
Among those that stayed, a handful stayed because they saw an opportunity to win big if the empire managed to win against all odds. In other words, they were merely gamblers trying to strike it big.
Siegfried finally realized that the army that would be under his command was no different from a bunch of ragtag groups that could barely be called an army.
“T-This won’t do... I need to call for reinforcements...” Siegfried grumbled under his breath. Then, he infused mana into the insignia of the Head Crusher Guild.
Rumble!
The ring symbolizing the Head Crusher Guild emitted a faint vibration as it transmitted his message to all of his guild members.
He had no other choice. There was no way he could carry out any missions with the number of people he had under his command at the moment.
‘Well, I’ll be struggling for a bit, but it’s fine. This coin is guaranteed to go to the moon.’
Fighting under the empire’s banner would be advantageous for his guild members, too, so he did not hesitate to summon them.
‘Now, the question is... How long will it take before this civil war—’
It was then.
Whiiiiiiiing!
Sirens blared across the empire’s camp.
— Attention, all units.
— This is a message from headquarters.
— In twelve hours, the area within a two-hundred-kilometer radius from the camp will be completely sealed.
— All units are to act accordingly.
— Dismissed.