Chapter 171
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After Caesar returned to his room and stripped his clothes, he entered into his bed and pulled the thick covers over his body. He predicted that Ahri needed some time alone, and he was also required to rest for his body to heal.
Judging from his clean body and newly dressed bandages, he figured that Ahri had been taking care of him whilst he was unconscious. As such, she presumably didn't have time to mourn for her losses, nor did she even have time think about such troublesome matters.
While he was thinking to here, his bedroom door suddenly creaked open and a short figure entered. Joe slowly walked toward the chair next to Caesar's bed and pulled himself on top of it; his long beard shifting with every slight movement.
His shoulders were slumped and his expression was downcast as he stared at the ceiling, "I don't know if you remember our initial deal, but you owe me a ton of ale" he muttered after a few moments of hesitation, a small smile forming on his face.
Caesar, who was expecting Joe to talk about something entirely different, chuckled to himself, "you can rest assured that I haven't forgotten, I will supply you with the agreed upon ale, with interest, course," he replied with a wry smile.
The atmosphere turned merry and drastically changed from how it was previously. Both Caesar and Joe bantered with each other and eased their tense nerves for quite a while before Joe hopped off of the chair and headed for the door.
As he turned the doorknob and made it half out the door, he turned around and scrutinized Caesar's resting body. He hesitated for a few moments before begrudgingly opening his thick lips, "I've been either protected or imprisoned for a large portion of my life, as such, this happened to be the first war I've ever taken part in," Joe's words paused for a moment as his hand on the doorknob shook fearfully.
"I've never seen so many people die in front of me; their expressions of anguish and fear assault me in my dream even today. Every single troll I cut down, cursed me, and every ally I couldn't save, blamed me…" Joe grumbled incoherently and two streams of tears fell from his eyes.
"I had just eaten lunch with some of my newly acquired friends before I was forced to see them die right in front of my eyes, my powerlessness halting me from saving them…" Joe's words once again paused as his tears plopped on to the floor. He raised his eyes and stared at Caesar's face which was currently devoid of emotion.
"How do you handle it?" he asked after a long pause, the turbid emotions in his voice evident. His thick beard swayed left and right as he breathed heavily and his shaking hand became even more violent.
Caesar was taken aback for a few moments before opening his thin lips, "such is the responsibility of the comm-"
"Don't lie to me!" Joe shouted and interrupted Caesar's sly words. He knew of Caesar's personality better than others. He was painfully aware that although he possessed a cold facade, he was angrier than anyone else, and the longer he contained that anger, the quicker he would self destruct.
Caesar's eyes dilated and a self deprecating smile formed on his lips, "I handle the curses of my enemies with glee, and I honor the death of my comrades by acquiring vengeance for them, whilst also taking care of their family" Caesar's words paused as he tapped his chin, "love breeds hatred, to which more war occurs… it's a cycle that will never end until our enemies stop breathing."
Joe frowned, "doesn't that cause more war? More death? Aren't you tired of fighting, why can't we live peacefully in Rahvin kingdom?" Joe asked a handful of questions as more and more tears fell from his eyes.
Caesar simply shook his head in response, "The church will investigate how their personnel died, not to mention the fact that I have already killed one of their so-called heroes… living peacefully is a luxury I can no longer divulge in" he replied and Joe silently left his room after a few seconds of hesitation.
The room once again descended into silence and Caesar laid his head back on the pillow, his eyes closed. Caesar was, by no means, a good man, and the dice had already been thrown. More war was inevitable, and to him, it didn't matter how many enemies he massacred, but more so how many allies he could save.
He would gladly slaughter thousands, hell, even millions for the ones he cared about. He was innately selfish, and he would never deny that fact. However, that was the tragic reality, being kind to your enemies is being cruel to yourself.
With this in mind, Caesar peacefully drifted off to sleep, letting his wounds further heal themselves. He doubted there were any skilled doctors amongst the fox-kin, so he had to rely on himself to recuperate.
Like this, another week or so went by. Ahri visited his room every now and then and slowly recovered from her depressed state. She figured that Musashi would be saddened if she continued to mourn for his loss.
During this week, Caesar's wounds had somewhat recovered and he was capable of moving on his own. Since constantly resting on his bed was no longer necessary, he quickly took back command over the fox-kin from Ahri and helped reorganize their vast supplies.
He reconstructed the army formations and even set out scouts to find the small group of retreating trolls. Naturally, he also sent a small force to procure any forgotten belongings at the old fox-kin stronghold.
This continued for another week or so until finally, Faust barged into the palace room and kneeled in front of Caesar who was sitting atop his throne, "my lord, we have finally discovered traces of the trolls, please deliver your orders" Faust pleaded eagerly and the flames of vengeance raged on in his eyes.
Since Ahri and the others hadn't told anyone of Charlie's defection, Faust and his wife assumed he had died during the war. As such, they detested the trolls with every fiber of their being, and Caesar wasn't going to correct their misconception any time soon.
"Their numbers?" Caesar asked whilst tapping the armrest of the throne. Although he was more than willing to send Faust, he wouldn't attack the remaining trolls without sufficient information.
"Our scouts informed me that they should merely be around 120 strong, as such, I can lead a small army and easily exterminate them" Faust replied energetically.
Caesar contemplated for a few moments, "very well, but bring Soka with you, I don't want any mishaps to occur" Caesar ordered and Faust thankfully bowed his head and left the throne room. He had long been waiting for this day.
Once Faust left the room, Ahri, who was sitting to his right, nudged his shoulders, "are we going to leave this forsaken place soon? Although the walls are very sturdy, the citizens loathe this place" she said hesitantly, fearing Caesar's harsh rebuttal.
However, contrary to her expectations, Caesar simply nodded his head, "it is indeed about time… prepare the citizens for evacuation. Stock the carriages with food, clothing, and other supplies. We'll be leaving in two days from now, granted Faust returns with good news" Caesar spoke quickly and stood up from the throne.
He was currently adorning a silver kimono that perfectly matched his hair and silver crown that Musashi had gifted him. The clan heads and other important folk residing in the throne room immediately left to relay his orders.
As they left the throne room, Caesar looked up at the ceiling, "I'll be back soon, father" he whispered quietly, inaudible for anyone else to hear besides himself.
*******
At another side of the world, at Rahvin kingdom, a middle-aged man with weathered facial features and a well-groomed beard sat atop the throne. His expression was weary and the entire throne room was down-cast.
"My liege, the crusaders request entry… they say that we are required to allow them passage, on the pretense of their ongoing investigation," an older man, presumably an advisor, spoke hesitantly as he kneeled on the ground.
Crowley stroked his beard, "Hide the elves and prepare a banquet. Since my son isn't currently here, I doubt they can find a reason to kill us" as Crowley spoke to here, he warily look to his left where a young and very stunning young girl sat.
A very bright and warm energy escaped from her as she played with the dolls in her hands, giggling happily to herself. Crowley stared at her incredulously for a few moments, "hide Elizabeth as well, I don't want her to attract any unnecessary attention," Crowley said with a deep sigh and creased his brows.
"Yes my lord, we will enact your orders right this moment," the advisor said respectfully and scooted his way out of the extravagant throne room.
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After Caesar returned to his room and stripped his clothes, he entered into his bed and pulled the thick covers over his body. He predicted that Ahri needed some time alone, and he was also required to rest for his body to heal.
Judging from his clean body and newly dressed bandages, he figured that Ahri had been taking care of him whilst he was unconscious. As such, she presumably didn't have time to mourn for her losses, nor did she even have time think about such troublesome matters.
While he was thinking to here, his bedroom door suddenly creaked open and a short figure entered. Joe slowly walked toward the chair next to Caesar's bed and pulled himself on top of it; his long beard shifting with every slight movement.
His shoulders were slumped and his expression was downcast as he stared at the ceiling, "I don't know if you remember our initial deal, but you owe me a ton of ale" he muttered after a few moments of hesitation, a small smile forming on his face.
Caesar, who was expecting Joe to talk about something entirely different, chuckled to himself, "you can rest assured that I haven't forgotten, I will supply you with the agreed upon ale, with interest, course," he replied with a wry smile.
The atmosphere turned merry and drastically changed from how it was previously. Both Caesar and Joe bantered with each other and eased their tense nerves for quite a while before Joe hopped off of the chair and headed for the door.
As he turned the doorknob and made it half out the door, he turned around and scrutinized Caesar's resting body. He hesitated for a few moments before begrudgingly opening his thick lips, "I've been either protected or imprisoned for a large portion of my life, as such, this happened to be the first war I've ever taken part in," Joe's words paused for a moment as his hand on the doorknob shook fearfully.
"I've never seen so many people die in front of me; their expressions of anguish and fear assault me in my dream even today. Every single troll I cut down, cursed me, and every ally I couldn't save, blamed me…" Joe grumbled incoherently and two streams of tears fell from his eyes.
"I had just eaten lunch with some of my newly acquired friends before I was forced to see them die right in front of my eyes, my powerlessness halting me from saving them…" Joe's words once again paused as his tears plopped on to the floor. He raised his eyes and stared at Caesar's face which was currently devoid of emotion.
"How do you handle it?" he asked after a long pause, the turbid emotions in his voice evident. His thick beard swayed left and right as he breathed heavily and his shaking hand became even more violent.
Caesar was taken aback for a few moments before opening his thin lips, "such is the responsibility of the comm-"
"Don't lie to me!" Joe shouted and interrupted Caesar's sly words. He knew of Caesar's personality better than others. He was painfully aware that although he possessed a cold facade, he was angrier than anyone else, and the longer he contained that anger, the quicker he would self destruct.
Caesar's eyes dilated and a self deprecating smile formed on his lips, "I handle the curses of my enemies with glee, and I honor the death of my comrades by acquiring vengeance for them, whilst also taking care of their family" Caesar's words paused as he tapped his chin, "love breeds hatred, to which more war occurs… it's a cycle that will never end until our enemies stop breathing."
Joe frowned, "doesn't that cause more war? More death? Aren't you tired of fighting, why can't we live peacefully in Rahvin kingdom?" Joe asked a handful of questions as more and more tears fell from his eyes.
Caesar simply shook his head in response, "The church will investigate how their personnel died, not to mention the fact that I have already killed one of their so-called heroes… living peacefully is a luxury I can no longer divulge in" he replied and Joe silently left his room after a few seconds of hesitation.
The room once again descended into silence and Caesar laid his head back on the pillow, his eyes closed. Caesar was, by no means, a good man, and the dice had already been thrown. More war was inevitable, and to him, it didn't matter how many enemies he massacred, but more so how many allies he could save.
He would gladly slaughter thousands, hell, even millions for the ones he cared about. He was innately selfish, and he would never deny that fact. However, that was the tragic reality, being kind to your enemies is being cruel to yourself.
With this in mind, Caesar peacefully drifted off to sleep, letting his wounds further heal themselves. He doubted there were any skilled doctors amongst the fox-kin, so he had to rely on himself to recuperate.
Like this, another week or so went by. Ahri visited his room every now and then and slowly recovered from her depressed state. She figured that Musashi would be saddened if she continued to mourn for his loss.
During this week, Caesar's wounds had somewhat recovered and he was capable of moving on his own. Since constantly resting on his bed was no longer necessary, he quickly took back command over the fox-kin from Ahri and helped reorganize their vast supplies.
He reconstructed the army formations and even set out scouts to find the small group of retreating trolls. Naturally, he also sent a small force to procure any forgotten belongings at the old fox-kin stronghold.
This continued for another week or so until finally, Faust barged into the palace room and kneeled in front of Caesar who was sitting atop his throne, "my lord, we have finally discovered traces of the trolls, please deliver your orders" Faust pleaded eagerly and the flames of vengeance raged on in his eyes.
Since Ahri and the others hadn't told anyone of Charlie's defection, Faust and his wife assumed he had died during the war. As such, they detested the trolls with every fiber of their being, and Caesar wasn't going to correct their misconception any time soon.
"Their numbers?" Caesar asked whilst tapping the armrest of the throne. Although he was more than willing to send Faust, he wouldn't attack the remaining trolls without sufficient information.
"Our scouts informed me that they should merely be around 120 strong, as such, I can lead a small army and easily exterminate them" Faust replied energetically.
Caesar contemplated for a few moments, "very well, but bring Soka with you, I don't want any mishaps to occur" Caesar ordered and Faust thankfully bowed his head and left the throne room. He had long been waiting for this day.
Once Faust left the room, Ahri, who was sitting to his right, nudged his shoulders, "are we going to leave this forsaken place soon? Although the walls are very sturdy, the citizens loathe this place" she said hesitantly, fearing Caesar's harsh rebuttal.
However, contrary to her expectations, Caesar simply nodded his head, "it is indeed about time… prepare the citizens for evacuation. Stock the carriages with food, clothing, and other supplies. We'll be leaving in two days from now, granted Faust returns with good news" Caesar spoke quickly and stood up from the throne.
He was currently adorning a silver kimono that perfectly matched his hair and silver crown that Musashi had gifted him. The clan heads and other important folk residing in the throne room immediately left to relay his orders.
As they left the throne room, Caesar looked up at the ceiling, "I'll be back soon, father" he whispered quietly, inaudible for anyone else to hear besides himself.
*******
At another side of the world, at Rahvin kingdom, a middle-aged man with weathered facial features and a well-groomed beard sat atop the throne. His expression was weary and the entire throne room was down-cast.
"My liege, the crusaders request entry… they say that we are required to allow them passage, on the pretense of their ongoing investigation," an older man, presumably an advisor, spoke hesitantly as he kneeled on the ground.
Crowley stroked his beard, "Hide the elves and prepare a banquet. Since my son isn't currently here, I doubt they can find a reason to kill us" as Crowley spoke to here, he warily look to his left where a young and very stunning young girl sat.
A very bright and warm energy escaped from her as she played with the dolls in her hands, giggling happily to herself. Crowley stared at her incredulously for a few moments, "hide Elizabeth as well, I don't want her to attract any unnecessary attention," Crowley said with a deep sigh and creased his brows.
"Yes my lord, we will enact your orders right this moment," the advisor said respectfully and scooted his way out of the extravagant throne room.
After Caesar returned to his room and stripped his clothes, he entered into his bed and pulled the thick covers over his body. He predicted that Ahri needed some time alone, and he was also required to rest for his body to heal.Judging from his clean body and newly dressed bandages, he figured that Ahri had been taking care of him whilst he was unconscious. As such, she presumably didn't have time to mourn for her losses, nor did she even have time think about such troublesome matters.While he was thinking to here, his bedroom door suddenly creaked open and a short figure entered. Joe slowly walked toward the chair next to Caesar's bed and pulled himself on top of it; his long beard shifting with every slight movement.His shoulders were slumped and his expression was downcast as he stared at the ceiling, "I don't know if you remember our initial deal, but you owe me a ton of ale" he muttered after a few moments of hesitation, a small smile forming on his face.Caesar, who was expecting Joe to talk about something entirely different, chuckled to himself, "you can rest assured that I haven't forgotten, I will supply you with the agreed upon ale, with interest, course," he replied with a wry smile.The atmosphere turned merry and drastically changed from how it was previously. Both Caesar and Joe bantered with each other and eased their tense nerves for quite a while before Joe hopped off of the chair and headed for the door.As he turned the doorknob and made it half out the door, he turned around and scrutinized Caesar's resting body. He hesitated for a few moments before begrudgingly opening his thick lips, "I've been either protected or imprisoned for a large portion of my life, as such, this happened to be the first war I've ever taken part in," Joe's words paused for a moment as his hand on the doorknob shook fearfully."I've never seen so many people die in front of me; their expressions of anguish and fear assault me in my dream even today. Every single troll I cut down, cursed me, and every ally I couldn't save, blamed me" Joe grumbled incoherently and two streams of tears fell from his eyes."I had just eaten lunch with some of my newly acquired friends before I was forced to see them die right in front of my eyes, my powerlessness halting me from saving them" Joe's words once again paused as his tears plopped on to the floor. He raised his eyes and stared at Caesar's face which was currently devoid of emotion."How do you handle it?" he asked after a long pause, the turbid emotions in his voice evident. His thick beard swayed left and right as he breathed heavily and his shaking hand became even more violent.Caesar was taken aback for a few moments before opening his thin lips, "such is the responsibility of the comm-""Don't lie to me!" Joe shouted and interrupted Caesar's sly words. He knew of Caesar's personality better than others. He was painfully aware that although he possessed a cold facade, he was angrier than anyone else, and the longer he contained that anger, the quicker he would self destruct.Caesar's eyes dilated and a self deprecating smile formed on his lips, "I handle the curses of my enemies with glee, and I honor the death of my comrades by acquiring vengeance for them, whilst also taking care of their family" Caesar's words paused as he tapped his chin, "love breeds hatred, to which more war occurs it's a cycle that will never end until our enemies stop breathing."Joe frowned, "doesn't that cause more war? More death? Aren't you tired of fighting, why can't we live peacefully in Rahvin kingdom?" Joe asked a handful of questions as more and more tears fell from his eyes.Caesar simply shook his head in response, "The church will investigate how their personnel died, not to mention the fact that I have already killed one of their so-called heroes living peacefully is a luxury I can no longer divulge in" he replied and Joe silently left his room after a few seconds of hesitation.The room once again descended into silence and Caesar laid his head back on the pillow, his eyes closed. Caesar was, by no means, a good man, and the dice had already been thrown. More war was inevitable, and to him, it didn't matter how many enemies he massacred, but more so how many allies he could save.He would gladly slaughter thousands, hell, even millions for the ones he cared about. He was innately selfish, and he would never deny that fact. However, that was the tragic reality, being kind to your enemies is being cruel to yourself.With this in mind, Caesar peacefully drifted off to sleep, letting his wounds further heal themselves. He doubted there were any skilled doctors amongst the fox-kin, so he had to rely on himself to recuperate.Like this, another week or so went by. Ahri visited his room every now and then and slowly recovered from her depressed state. She figured that Musashi would be saddened if she continued to mourn for his loss.During this week, Caesar's wounds had somewhat recovered and he was capable of moving on his own. Since constantly resting on his bed was no longer necessary, he quickly took back command over the fox-kin from Ahri and helped reorganize their vast supplies.He reconstructed the army formations and even set out scouts to find the small group of retreating trolls. Naturally, he also sent a small force to procure any forgotten belongings at the old fox-kin stronghold.This continued for another week or so until finally, Faust barged into the palace room and kneeled in front of Caesar who was sitting atop his throne, "my lord, we have finally discovered traces of the trolls, please deliver your orders" Faust pleaded eagerly and the flames of vengeance raged on in his eyes.Since Ahri and the others hadn't told anyone of Charlie's defection, Faust and his wife assumed he had died during the war. As such, they detested the trolls with every fiber of their being, and Caesar wasn't going to correct their misconception any time soon."Their numbers?" Caesar asked whilst tapping the armrest of the throne. Although he was more than willing to send Faust, he wouldn't attack the remaining trolls without sufficient information."Our scouts informed me that they should merely be around 120 strong, as such, I can lead a small army and easily exterminate them" Faust replied energetically.Caesar contemplated for a few moments, "very well, but bring Soka with you, I don't want any mishaps to occur" Caesar ordered and Faust thankfully bowed his head and left the throne room. He had long been waiting for this day.Once Faust left the room, Ahri, who was sitting to his right, nudged his shoulders, "are we going to leave this forsaken place soon? Although the walls are very sturdy, the citizens loathe this place" she said hesitantly, fearing Caesar's harsh rebuttal.However, contrary to her expectations, Caesar simply nodded his head, "it is indeed about time prepare the citizens for evacuation. Stock the carriages with food, clothing, and other supplies. We'll be leaving in two days from now, granted Faust returns with good news" Caesar spoke quickly and stood up from the throne.He was currently adorning a silver kimono that perfectly matched his hair and silver crown that Musashi had gifted him. The clan heads and other important folk residing in the throne room immediately left to relay his orders.As they left the throne room, Caesar looked up at the ceiling, "I'll be back soon, father" he whispered quietly, inaudible for anyone else to hear besides himself.*******At another side of the world, at Rahvin kingdom, a middle-aged man with weathered facial features and a well-groomed beard sat atop the throne. His expression was weary and the entire throne room was down-cast."My liege, the crusaders request entry they say that we are required to allow them passage, on the pretense of their ongoing investigation," an older man, presumably an advisor, spoke hesitantly as he kneeled on the ground.Crowley stroked his beard, "Hide the elves and prepare a banquet. Since my son isn't currently here, I doubt they can find a reason to kill us" as Crowley spoke to here, he warily look to his left where a young and very stunning young girl sat.A very bright and warm energy escaped from her as she played with the dolls in her hands, giggling happily to herself. Crowley stared at her incredulously for a few moments, "hide Elizabeth as well, I don't want her to attract any unnecessary attention," Crowley said with a deep sigh and creased his brows."Yes my lord, we will enact your orders right this moment," the advisor said respectfully and scooted his way out of the extravagant throne room.
