บท 18: Legacy
Erika continued to stand by Maxwell's side as another war council was being held.
This time, sprawled out on the table in front of everyone was a map of the main continent.
There were three figures on the map.
One was that of a purple snake's head which was situated in the middle of the Vlate plains. Of course this figure represented the Violet Army.
To the north of the purple snake was the figure of an orange shield while to the west of the snake was the figure of an orange bull's head.
If the information that Sicilia 'extracted' from the recently deceased Sebastian was correct then the orange shield should represent the army lead by Julio Del Pieto, a distinguished Panish noble while the bull's head was the army lead by Rodriguez De Espanosa, the current Marshal of the Panish Expeditionary Force.
Although both armies were composed of 10,000 men each, Rodriguez's army was composed of more professionally trained soldiers when compared to the civilian conscripts that made up the bulk of Julio's army.
Now that Sebastian's army was destroyed and Sebastian himself executed, the officers of the Violet Army have to now decide on their next move.
"Alright. Before we actually begin, let's review our current situation."
The first one to speak in the war council was of course, Maxwell.
"Erika, read out the statistics."
As per usual, Erika followed Maxwell's orders without question.
"We have confirmed that we have suffered 468 casualties. 125 men were killed in action while the other 343 were wounded. This brings our number down to 5532 able-bodied men, however..."
Erika moved forward before taking a figure of a purple shield out of her coat and placed it on the map as she said this.
"The 6th Battalion has recently been deemed ready for battle. As of right now, we have 1000 men in reserve at Maximinus."
Erika paused to glance around the room before she concluded her report.
"The only question left is how do we regroup."
The first one to speak was the brigadier of the 3rd Battalion; Zanack.
"Pardon my rudeness but do we really require the aid of the 6th Battalion?"
All eyes turned to Zanack as he said this. Erika was no exception.
"If my recollection of the battle at the plains was correct then the 4th and 5th Battalions barely participated in the battle. In truth it was closer to 3000 men against 10,000 rather than 6000 against 10,000."
The person who responded to Zanack was Maxwell himself.
"Be that as it may, it would still be prudent to maximise our current fighting capacity. Especially when the enemy that we're facing is the Panish Empire."
"But of course. I was merely stating my opinion."
Maxwell shrugged when he heard Zanack's answer before proceeding to explain his plan.
"The news of Sebastian's defeat will spread fast. Although the news will surely shock the Paniards, it will also make them aware of our activities and they will surely be more cautious in subsequent battles."
Maxwell jokingly shrugged as he said this.
"Well, at least I hope they are. It would be a shame if they weren't even competent enough to learn from their mistakes."
Maxwell turned his eyes onto the map before he continued speaking.
"If the news will travel fast, that just means that we need to move faster. We will strike them while they are still in a state of panic and confusion."
Maxwell pointed his finger at the orange shield before he continued.
"We will be moving against Julio's army, who should be in the process of holding a siege at the Citadel of Briegkhoven, the only thing blocking the Paniards way from getting into the heartland of Drussia."
Despite how serious the war actually is, Maxwell casually addressed it as if was nothing more than a mere game. This surprised no one. By now everybody has gotten used to Maxwell's laid-back and casual tone.
"However, due to the nature of this plan, we will inherently have a very, very narrow time-limit."
This time Maxwell turned his eyes to glance at all the brigadiers as he said this.
"We also have to keep in mind that unlike Sebastian who didn't bring any cannons along to maximise his marching speed, Julio has also brought 15 cannons to assist in his siege. If Sicilia's information is correct, then ten of these cannons should be light field artillery while the remaining five are heavy cannons."
Maxwell shrugged before leaning back on his chair.
"So basically all we need to do is to figure out the optimal way to march to meet Julio's army and therefore ease the pressure on the other families while at the same time regrouping with the 6th Battalion."
After Maxwell said this, he turned to face Erika, telling her to continue speaking on his behalf.
"The plan of holding our position while awaiting the 6th Battalion is out of the question. Maxwell wants us to draft up a plan where both our forces and the 6th Battalion can simultaneously march for Julio's army while at the same time also regrouping."
Erika turned her attention back to Maxwell only to find that his eyes seemed completely uninterested by the meeting. Instead his focus was on the glass chalice of wine in his hands.
Nevertheless, it was Erika's role as the 1st lieutenant to act on the behalf of the general.
She was not going to let him down.
"So does anyone have any suggestions?"
...
Sicilia patiently waited in the shadows as the members of war the council continued to discuss their plans.
In the end, they were only able to create a basic draft of their plan before Maxwell dismissed them under the pretence that 'he's getting sleepy.'
Soon enough, it was only her, Maxwell and Erika who were left in the tent.
After a brief moment of silence, Maxwell turned to his right at the shadows, exactly where Sicilia was standing. Apart from Maxwell and Erika, no one was aware of Sicilia's presence in the shadows.
The one to break the silence was Sicilia.
"I apologise Erika, but this is a rather personal matter. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Erika responded in her usual respectful tone.
"As you wish, lady Dunnwal."
After giving Sicilia a short bow and Maxwell a salute, Erika herself left the tent, leaving just Sicilia and Maxwell alone in the tent.
"She's a rather... odd girl isn't she?"
Sicilia immediately revealed her thoughts the moment Erika's footsteps can no longer be heard.
"But she's also remarkably talented."
Sicilia scoffed when she heard Maxwell's reply. She took a seat perpendicular to Maxwell before responding.
"But is that really a good thing?"
Maxwell casually shrugged as he replied.
"Her loyalty lies with me. As long as it stays that way, I am willing to overlook her... quirks."
"Are you really unaware?"
Sicilia couldn't stop the mockery from showing in her voice when she spoke.
"She may act like that perfect, hardworking little assistant on the outside... but she can't hide that look in her eyes."
Sicilia couldn't stop herself from smiling as she leaned forward on the table, closer to Maxwell.
"You know that she has feelings for you."
Maxwell only stared blankly at her before he replied.
"She has feelings for the 'works of art' that I show her... nothing else."
A look of surprise quickly formed itself on Sicilia's face. It took her a short moment before she even knew how to respond.
"But even so... you could still use that to seduce her and have-"
"And have what?"
With a slightly irritated voice, Maxwell responded to Sicilia.
"Have children?.. And extend the family line? Don't we already have my older brothers for that?"
Sicilia was surprised by Maxwell's question. Unlike usual, his tone was very serious, totally unlike his nonchalant self.
"What are you saying?.. Don't you care about your legacy? About our legacy?"
Maxwell scoffed when he heard Sicilia's question.
"Legacy? Legacy of what? The family name? Family names rise and fall within the blink of an eye. But your actions? Once you set in stone your grand achievements, it will forever be remembered by history..."
As Maxwell spoke, Sicilia could see a slight hint of madness in his eyes.
"Only then can you be truly immortal. That is the true legacy that you leave behind... Your mark on the world..."
"I still don't understa-"
Sicilia went to respond only to be interrupted by Maxwell.
"Forget it... For now, let's just pretend that we never had this conversation... Is that understood?"
"But..."
Sicilia was interrupted again by Maxwell. However, this time, he voiced out his words slowly.
"I said. Is. That. Understood?"
Sicilia clicked her tongue before she replied.
"I understand."
"Good. Then we're in agreement"
Maxwell immediately returned to his casual tone as he went to drink his wine. Soon after, he began a conversation about another topic.
"Now that, that's done with. I have something else that I want to speak to you about."
Sicilia pouted sourly as she replied.
"Really now?"
Like usual, Maxwell shrugged as he replied.
"Yes. It's regarding our miscellaneous matters."
Sicilia found her eyebrows raising when she heard Maxwell's answer.
"Go on..."
"It came to my attention that we can no longer just rely on your abilities if we want to continue with our plans."
Sicilia chuckled when she replied.
"What? Are you saying that adding the Panish-Drussian provinces to our own will make it a lot more difficult for me to do my job? Oh please, you and our brothers haven't even given me a job that can be considered an actual challenge yet."
Maxwell jokingly shook his head before he responded.
"But can you be at more than two places at once?"
"That..."
Seeing that Sicilia was unable to answer Maxwell's question, he instead ignored her and continued.
"I am not going to deny your capabilities but..."
Maxwell glanced back at the map as he said this.
"We need to expand our miscellaneous projects if we want to maintain our hold over Drussia."
Maxwell turned to face Sicilia before explaining his plans.
"I want to build an organisation that is solely responsible for these miscellaneous tasks... an organisation lead by you of course.
An organisation composed of people like you. Magically gifted individuals who are talented in covert operations.
An organisation whose members slip in and out of the shadows... kind of like a spectral ghost...
I think that I'll call it the 'Wraith Initiative.'"
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Acedus
Acedus I'd just like to thank you guys for the support! The novel has just received a sudden explosion in popularity and I just want to thank you guys so much for the continued support!
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