At the end of 5th month, or maybe even later, was the time when Mayflower blossomed throughout the land of the Titan Empire. Pieces of news about the Boudesdorf Highlands War's were being spread all over the Empire like little snowflakes.
It was from 12:00 on the 20th day of 5th month, in Church Calendar Year 799 to the dawn of the next day at 5. The First Special Combat Brigade of the Military Intelligence Bureau, under the command of Marshal of Guards Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette, fought the enemy at the Highlands area of Boudesdorf in the Westria Province. In this war, due to Marshal O'Neil's underestimation of the possible attacks from the enemy, the Special Combat Brigade was surrounded heavily by the southern criminals at first. A part of the army was eliminated in the mountain, yet Marshal O'Neil managed to defend against four attacks from the criminals with his excellent arts of command and accurate strategy. Also, with the guidance of a small unit of warriors, he successfully destroyed the command system and main base of the criminals.
After the final attack, the young Marshal of Guards attained a huge victory that took the lives of more than 6000 people.
Alfa III His Majesty showed a smile on a rare occasion. He waved the golden letter, which was a quick report, at the many soldiers in front of him.
"Look at this! If you are all like my Oscar, I will be able to retire in peace!"
The Generals in the Guards immediately laughed. They all praised the son-in-law of the Emperor. Obviously, Alfa II His Majesty was quite happy now. He did not care about these hypocritical people.
Not much improvement could be seen in the Emperor's health. He must be supported just to be able to stand, and he needed to use marijuana to fall asleep. There was a time when this Emperor even wanted to end his own life because he found that he could not get it hard anymore. However, it was at that time he knew about the birth of his young daughter, and so the matter of suicide had been put off.
It was almost the middle of the 5th month, or maybe the beginning of the 5th month, things were carried out quite discreetly. No one knew the exact time and venue. The wife of Titan Empire's Crowned Prince gave birth to a weak girl in a discreet monastery in the southern mountainous area. The birth of this child was late by a month from its expected birth date. She was not even 3 kilograms in weight when she was first born.
Her Highness Ashfin Kristen's process of giving birth was not dangerous. It was just that she was depressed all along. The child was called a devil by the priests as soon as she was born because the father of this child was the father of her husband. No matter what, Ashfin still begged the priest in the monastery to baptize her child, but things did not go so well. It could be the icy holy water that made the child sick. The dazed Faran Princess recalled that she had not given a name to her child when she was praying for a good blessing from God of Light.
The daughter of the Crowned Prince of Titan Empire, or probably the youngest Princess of His Majesty the Emperor. She called her child Phrenby. Phrenby Alfa Morisette. This name only had a short introduction in the 'Simple Dictionary of History'. There was only one meaning ultimately... the Princess of the Empire, suspected to be the daughter of Alfa III His Majesty of Morisette Dynasty. Looking at this statement, we could all foresee the fate of this poor child.
The war news from Southern Army Group had been sent back to the Capital through the station of the Guards. Logically, the content of the war should be the same, but Cabinet Chancellor of the Empire Duke Kachev Drakas Ferdinand received a private letter that was sent by 'Your child'.
Old Kachev was a little embarrassed. Because he was the last official to know of the news. He even heard about this from his grandson.
The Secretary of State carefully read the letter and kept giving cold smiles. The official beside shuddered, seeing his smile. At last, the old Duke placed the letter down and told the official, "Our little hero thinks that the time to build a Joint Government in Southern Five Provinces has come."
The officials did not say a word. They had no rights to point their fingers at a Prince who had a plethora of medals and a substantial amount of pride. Moreover, they had no rights to decide on this matter.
Old Kachev carefully thought about anything that could possibly go wrong, until ultimately he had to admit that O'Neil Andrew Morisette caught an opportunity that had no loopholes. The victory in the Boudesdorf Highlands War had at least provided a stable period of 3 to 5 years for the Southern Five Provinces. That was to say... At least for now, Prince O'Neil's influence on the southern land had been stabilized.
"Help me? Or crush him?" This was the usual way of thinking of Old Kachev, but this was the first time he felt so powerless. O'Neil Andrew Morisette grew strong like a monster. Thinking about his past experiences would definitely make it difficult for people to believe in that.
"Andrew is doing well in the east. Their youngest son wants to take the south. Could this be a conspiracy?" An official asked this.
"Who knows?" Another official said. "I know the Emperor is used to calling our little hero as 'my Oscar' or 'my nephew'! The Emperor trusts him. This is an obvious fact."
"But we can't just let his influence..."
"Or else, what?" Old Kachev interrupted the conversation of the officials impatiently. He was already 70 years old. His spirit and stamina, and his past charisma were deteriorating with time. "Should I slander him the way you used to in front of the Emperor? Make up some fake evidence? I want to know who amongst you have the courage to do so."
The people stopped talking. Slander and fake evidence? Forget that! The Military Intelligence Bureau of the Prince was more good at that than them.
"If you have no objection, then leave it to the discussion of every ministry. Then, following the legal procedures, send the proposal to House of Lords and Alfa III His Majesty!" Old Kachev had made up his mind. He used his hands to hold his forehead. This way, no one could see his smile that was filled with clouds. Now, helping O'Neil Andrew Morisette to stand taller was pushing him further to the dangerous cliff. If he were to sway the Prince... Wouldn't he simply fall into the abyss? The taller you stand, the harder you fall! This was the truth.
Just when the Cabinet Chancellor of the Empire planned to compromise with the Prince, Silverfox Alan received a quick letter from the Central Army Division at Jebron Fortress at the northern borderline of the Empire.
"The little guy won again?" The old Marshal had difficulty describing his emotions. However, other than his personal reasons, Silverfox's attitude about this matter could be categorized into three implications. Firstly, the main army of the southern criminals was finished! This was something worth celebrating, no matter what. Secondly, Alan began reflecting on his previous mistake. He should not have given up the previous 8431st Brigade and should not have cared when O'Neil Andrew Morisette built his trust as a Marshal in this Special unit that had exceptional combat ability. At last, congratulations to the smart kid. The south was all his now. No one could stop him!
"Did you see that? If it is about military experience and commanding talent, your younger generations have no one who can surpass him!" Old Marshal gave the news to his own grandson, but Reynold did not care so much
Perhaps it was because he was approaching his thirties, the young Reynold tied his beard up. This made him looked more mature, but his eyes still showed a naïve light. It was this light that had charmed the lady of Duke Jebron. This lady fell in love with this Lieutenant General of the Guards.
Reynold carefully read the news. He knew the Marshal was right! Looking at the whole situation of the battle, from the start of it until the final victory, O'Neil Andrew Morisette did not make any mistake at all. He held the rhythm of the battle in his hands almost perfectly. This was almost impossible for a Commander that was heavily surrounded by the enemy.
"Yes... I can't compare to him! He won Saijo Mountain and Boudesdorf Highlands. This is the main reason why he is a Marshal and I am still a Lieutenant General after ten years in the army," Reynold gave the letter back with ease. He was not jealous of the young Marshal. He was just longing for a rare opportunity.
"It would seem so..." Alan nodded. The soldiers in this age did not have many experiences of brushes with death like O'Neil Andrew Morisette. The two most important wars in ten years were all participated by this guy. Maybe he truly was the God-chosen warrior.
"Let us suppose that Prince O'Neil had already controlled the south. So... I won't interrupt the military affair in the south in an obvious way again!"
"Why?" Reynold Hewitt Preston looked at his grandfather with confusion. This was not the way of doing things of the old Marshal. "What else am I supposed to do?" Silverfox massaged his head. "Oscar used accurate evidence to ruin Hagrid and some unneeded accusation to get rid of General Dario. Then, he let his two trusted people to take up the position of the Commander of Fifth Region and the Chief of Staff of Southern Army Group. What more can I do, you say? It is more than enough to deal with Robin who keeps on opposing me in the army! I don't want to get on the bad side of another Marshal. Do you believe that? Dealing with Oscar is also giving trouble to the Emperor! I don't understand why Alfa III His Majesty protects him that much. The Emperor before has not been as blinded as he is now!"
Reynold shrugged without care. He respected Alan but did not prefer the soldier, Alan. He thought that soldiers should not care as much about others like his grandfather.
Alan's expression had already completely darkened. He was an old fox just like Kachev. They could always reach the same conclusion on the same problem. For example, Alan was praying. He prayed that the Prince who was already at the pinnacle of power would not fall all of a sudden. Not only was the air thin, it was dangerous to be on the pinnacle of power. Losing one's holding would end in a state where even his bone would not be left.
"Hmm... Sooner or later he will pay the price for what he did to Hagrid!" At last, Silverfox still cursed him.
Reynold was a little impatient, "Grandfather, Prince O'Neil's accusation of the Hagrid family is not unfounded. General Vangol at least violated ten laws of the Empire."
Alan was finally a little furious, "Don't use the Titan's Law to describe a person! Vangol is the most loyal warrior of the Empire!"
Reynold did not talk back to the frowning old Marshal, but he still made an expression that implied 'I don't think so.'
"I have decided!" Alan suddenly waved his hands, "Now that it seems... That Lady Jebron would be a good wife."
Reynold approached his grandfather, "Are you marrying or am I..."
"Don't joke about these things!" Alan widened his eyes, "As the first trading content of disarming the Jebron, you must be the son-in-law of this huge family! This way, you will have an identity to possess the strength of the First Infantry to rebuild the land! Or else, the Jebron family will not agree to this!"
Reynold turned his head away. Look at what his grandfather was saying? It seemed like he was just an object as compensation to the Jebron family from the Empire's Army Division.
"Oscar had confirmed his status in the south. We must hurry up!" Alan rubbed his dry fingers. He did not want to lose to this kid.
Compared to the result of his younger brother, General Figg Andrew Tibotty had already surpassed the Marshal of the Guards in terms of area of expanded land and number of enemy killed. If it was not for his father Dortmund who had urged him to keep his attacks down, Figg believed that his 36 cavalries would have completely forced all Persian on Anatolia Plains to the east side of Ufalarre River. The huge area to the east of Ufalarre was the traditional land of the True God.
The Andrew family believed in the God of Light. Even though Figg did not care that much about this, he still treated the Church Knights and religious armed groups that came from the Holy City of Rome to the battlefield well. There was another team of theologists who came to Anatolia Plains. They were carrying out careful investigations on the ancient remnants of the Plains.
This large-scale expedition had the attention of the whole theological world. According to the records in the books, the Anatolia Plains that was possessed by pagan for a long time was the true origin of the God of Light. The church remnants here could even be dated to four centuries before the Church Calendar! This had advanced the whole time period studied in theology by four hundred to five hundred years. The most exciting part was that the archaeologists and the theologists had deciphered together the ancient words in a remnant. This proved to be the earliest version of Holy Code.
Therefore, the theology world in Westland had a new holy land. The people who wanted to get a glimpse of it were from the east border of Andrew to as far as Faran's Mannod. Over the sea, even the people at Engels' port. After four hundred years, the God-chosen warrior once again became a fashionable term.
Then... At this moment, what was our Oscar doing?
The mountain extended outward like sea waves without ending. The reflections of the sunlight cast optical illusions into people's eyes.
The light slowly flowed at the faraway ground, making the scenery by the sky sometimes darker and other times brighter.
At the square in a small town by the border stood a lonely boundary marker. This rock in dark brown color was carved with ancient signs. 'Titan Empire's Southern Land. 1000 meters to the border.'
Grandory was the name of this old town near the border. Since the ancient times, this was the home of the family of Baron Feria. The ancestors of the Baron discovered the first Rock Cave of the town. Then, they hired craftsmen to build the longest rock carving group in the Westland.
After the end of the Center highlands, O'Neil Andrew Morisette and his Special Combat Brigade who continued their journey for a long time fought at the border area near Boudesdorf Mountain for 97 days. There was no need to talk in detail about the difficulty they had faced in these days. When the citizen of the small town saw the warriors of Guards at the street, they could totally imagine what these strong soldiers had gone through.
Oscar and his warriors reached this town at midnight. The Marshal of Guards dispersed the Investigation Knights at the forest around this town, then used his Commando to control a highland that led to this town. Only when all messages indicated that the nearby area was safe did Prince O'Neil bring his warriors into Grandory.
The warriors did not wake anyone up. These soldiers walked in the town, just like ghosts. They set up guard posts at the door of every family and roadblocks at a few roads in the town. However, the Prince was still not resting assured, so he ordered Mitchen and his snipers to go on the tall buildings in the town. When all preparations had finished, Venus was already high up in the sky. Oscar did not disturb the people in the town. His warriors and he simply spread the blanket at the two sides of the streets and slept peacefully under the roof of the citizens.
The citizen of Grandory saw the soldiers who slept on the street in the morning of the 22nd day of 8th month. The priest of the town wanted to ring the morning bell to greet the guests, but the soldiers guarding the church stopped him. The warrior said to the servant of the God, "Our Marshal just slept. If you dare to ring that thing, I will kill you!"
Actually, when the citizens woke up, the warriors had already lost their intentions to sleep. The reason being that they all had the tendency to wake up when people are around as trained in the mountain. Less than four hours of sleep every day on average and more than five times of mountain battle each week on average. The warriors even wondered themselves: How did they get through that 97 days? Speaking of this, no one was too sure about that. The constant fight, infiltration and sudden attacks had completely made the warriors lose track of time and the rights to remember. They respected the determination of the criminals. These guys already had immeasurable casualties, but they still fought the warriors for 97 days in the mountainous area with their strong mental capabilities. The resistance period was longer by a month as predicted by the Marshal of the warriors.
Freedom? Equality? These are the two words that appeared the most during interrogation. The soldiers of the Guards did not understand. Actually, even the criminals could not properly explain the accurate meaning of these two terms. According to the explanation of Marshal O'Neil, the freedom as said by the criminals meant breaking the law of Titan Empire. The equality of the criminals meant snatching others' wealth and honor anytime they wanted to. If it was as the Marshal had said, then the criminals were truly unreasonable.
The battle in the mountains had finally calmed down. Oscar joined the First and Second Corps of Eighth Region to carry out a large-scale check on the area a week ago. Major General Silvio of the Second Corps was the most spirited one. His army completely turned the important areas upside down. That sort of spirit was just like a forest fire. Silvio thought he should be responsible for the loss of the Special Combat Brigade, but Oscar and his warriors did not think so. If it was not for the two battalions of the Second Corps who kept attacking the encirclement of the criminals, they believed the criminals could send more army to the Center Highlands.
Until the middle of the 8th month, the Marshal of Guards finally confirmed that there was not a disturbing guy in the area. Therefore, his army and he walked out of the battle zone. They followed the borderline of the mountain and reached Grandory, which was famous for its chestnut, tomatoes, and chilies.
On the 22nd, the citizens of the town went out of their houses as usual in the morning, but they were more or less shocked by what they saw. The warriors of Guards that were fully armed filled all nook and cranny of the town. These tall soldiers who had a stern face and cold expression did not even kiss the children who greeted them.
Baron Feria and his young wife were woken up by their butler. The old butler woke up everybody in the mansion in the early morning. After asking about it, Feria immediately dressed up properly. He introduced himself to the soldiers of Guards who watched over his own mansion politely.
"I'll like to see your commander. As the mayor, I feel that I should do something for the warriors of our Empire!"
Perhaps it was the passion of the mayor. This warrior happily agreed to bring the Baron to the streets and look for his Marshal all over the place.
Feria looked at the soldier in front of him in fear. He could not be sure if these people were the Guards of the Empire! The Guards should not look like this. The Baron tried to recall his memory. The soldier he had seen wore a beautiful general uniform. Their soldiers were mainly useless people who favored to steal. Looking at these soldiers, their dirty uniform could barely show the color of the Guard's uniform. Their broken armors had mud and some black stuff stuck on them. What was the most terrifying was their weapon. A team of soldiers was cleaning their items by the drains. The fresh mountain water turned into flowing water in deep red color after the weapons were soaked in it.
"You... Where are you from?" The Baron pulled at the arms of the warrior.
The warrior did not say anything. He simply pointed to the faraway mountain.
"That... Who is your commander?"
The eyes of the warrior lighted up. He could almost immediately think of that short Marshal who loved to scream 'Ola' and always in front of the unit.
"Our commander is Marshal of Guars, His Highness Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette!"
The warrior pointed to the end of the street where soldiers were lying down for the Baron.
Feria looked at the sleeping Prince and Marshal of Guards with mixed emotions. If there was a difference at all between O'Neil Andrew Morisette and his warriors, it would be that the Marshal, who was wrapped in a thin blanket, still had an unknown animal skin covered under him.
The warrior who led the way for the Baron shook his head, "You're not here at the right time!"
Feria looked at the street that slowly became noisy and the Prince who was sleeping on the ground. He, too, shook his head, "I should at least get a comfortable bed for His Highness."
"It's fine..." The warrior pulled the Baron away. "Our Marshal preferred to sleep amongst the corpses and in the sea of blood."
"Who said that?" Oscar woke up in a daze, "The one sleeping amongst corpses and in the sea of blood is the demon, Louise! You need someone to punch you again?"
This normal soldier Louise saluted the Marshal with smiles. "I am sorry I disturbed you!"
"Ola!" Oscar stretched and showed a smile to the bright sun. Then, he reached out his hands to Louise. Louise took the hand, shocked. He pulled the Marshal up from the ground.
"I heard... You can get me a comfortable bed!" Oscar turned to the stunned Baron.
"Oh... Yes, yes! If you don't mind, you can stay in my mansion!"
'Ola!' Said Oscar, his eyes showed an anticipated light, "Do you have hot water there? Warm meal?"
The Baron finally smiled, "Please be rest assured!"
It seemed... The soldiers all over the city all laughed. It was not because of the shower and warm meal. They instead turned to the carriage at the town and let out a deafening cheer.
"Look who's here." The warriors surrounded their brothers in the cannon division until their Marshal came.
Oscar helped the trembling Second Lieutenant Massimi down from the carriage carrying the cannons. This official of the Special Combat Brigade who did not die from the explosion was found from amongst the corpse.
"How is it?"
Massimi shook his head, troubled, "Doctor Percy said that I need to wait for a few years to be able to move my right arm freely again."
The warriors around them immediately cheered passionately. They said a few years' time did not count for much. It was only in a blink of an eye! Everyone surrounded Massimi as he entered the town as if they were treating a real Marshal. Every soldier of the Special Combat Brigade knew clearly of his contribution.
Only Oscar and Massimi of the whole Brigade lived at the mayor's house. They happily took a hot shower and enjoyed a warm meal. The town treated the other soldiers the same. Every family prepared hot water and spicy warm food for them. However, Oscar was not one to take advantage of others. He left a silver coin for each family that provided service to his Special Combat Brigade.
In the afternoon, Oscar finally woke up from his nap. He looked at the clean bed, bright window and the washing up water that was placed on the table. Oscar used the salt water that had lemon leaves in it to wash his mouth. At this time, he realized something terrifying.
"D*mn it! What is it with this weather? It was fine this afternoon!" The Prince pointed to the sky to the lady of the Baron family. That bright blue had turned into pieces of dark clouds.
"It's rainy season. It's about to rain!" The young Baroness said as she placed the ironed uniform on the bed of the Prince. Then, she looked out the window in worry. "Hopefully the rain will pass soon..."
However, the reality was that the rain, which was just like a waterfall, kept falling until the 24th day. Even on the night of the 25th, there was still no sign of stopping.
The Baron stayed in his mansion. Not only did the rain slow down the Prince's schedule, but it had possibly ruined a nearby bridge and the riverbank of Vansi River.
"If that is the case... Your Highness! You are not going anywhere!" Baron Feria looked at the Prince apologetically. "Grandory is a big town compared to before. Under the rocks are all citizens. The flood in Year 671 washed everything away. What you see now is the remaining town."
Oscar nodded in understanding, "No wonder it was all ruins under the rocks. I even thought a war had broken out here before!"
The Baron sighed, "It was the same as war. Maybe even worse than war. You have not seen a true flood before."
Oscar was finally worried. "Will there be a problem?"
"Of course!" The Baron looked at the storm outside of the window, "It's been four days. The water level in the river must be increasing at an incredible rate. If the riverbank is destroyed, the town downstream will be in deep trouble!"
"This rain will provide many conveniences for us!" The head of Military Intelligence Bureau Baron Messier suddenly mumbled softly to the Marshal, "This way, we can safely go through the border defense area of the Faran!"
Oscar frowned, "Leave it! I don't want to send my warriors to God of Light with the flood."
"Then what should we do? Wait here?"
Oscar did not say anything. He felt that something would surely happen here.
As expected, in the early morning of the 25th, the priest of the church rang the alarm. The clock tower released a heavy yet urgent rumbling. The whole town was immediately lighted up. The men from every family climbed out of their bed. They wore their rain gears and took all sorts of tools to the empty place outside of the church.
Together with the priest was a Second Lieutenant of the Guards. This Second Lieutenant came from the station opposite of the river. He announced the order as given by the station officer and requested all young and strong men to report to the riverbank.
The Prince who just fell asleep was awoken by the confusion in the mansion. He saw that his warriors had already made preparations to move out.
"What is this? Are you guys abandoning me?"
The warriors laughed when they saw the Prince who was wearing his bear pajamas, "Resisting the flood! Head! We are going to resist the flood. There is a hole at the riverbank. The situation is dangerous!"
Oscar said 'Ola', "Then what are you waiting for? We are the Guards of the Empire!"
Just like that... Just when it was about dawn, the First Special Combat Brigade of the Military Intelligence Bureau and the First Cannon Division of the Guards left behind the weapons which never left their side and brought bags of sand and rocks towards the Vansi River.
The dark sky was still crying, and the river water overflowed onto the riverbank. The bridge that connected the two sides had already been drowned by the river. A huge amount of water flowed from the upstream and crashed mud and broken woods onto the bridge. The bridge seemed to be trembling. Sometimes, it would let out a few heavy rumblings.
There was water from the sky and on the ground, and smoke and cold fog around the area could be seen. The men kept walking around the riverbank. These men's upper body was naked and the heavy sandbags bent their spine. The icy cold water was attacking their body.
The men would not admit defeat. The outcome of this would determine the survival of numerous ten thousands of citizens in the downstream area. Soldiers, farmers, nobles, and businessmen truly united when they were faced with a natural disaster. They helped each other and cheered for each other. They used their thin body to defend against the flood.
The joining of the Special Combat Brigade and Cannon Division immediately stabilized the situation. The Warriors maintained the excellent tradition of the Guards. They listened to the advice of the local and built a new flood-resisting fence at the riverbank. Then, the warriors added anything that could stop the flood into the fence.
Amongst the panic at the riverbank, the military rhyme of the Guards was sounded. Countless voices became the iron wall made of rhythms under the sky.
The station official had not seen such a terrible downpour in many years. However, luckily there was a strong army nearby, or he would have no idea how he could deal with the rising water level.
This old official pulled at the arm of a warrior, "Who is your commander? I want to treat him with liquor when the weather turns nice!"
"It's Marshal of Guards, Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette!" The warrior pointed to a silhouette in the rain. "The one nailing the wooden support!"
"Wow! A Marshal?" The old official heard of the war story of this Marshal, but he could not relate the guy who was wearing his pajamas and soaking in water to the people's man of Titan.
Oscar was a 'human support' at the riverbank. His job was to stand in water and held tightly to the real wooden support. Then, he waited for the soldiers above him to knocked the wooden support firmly on the ground.
The Marshal was the same as every warrior. He shouted the slogan loudly. For every shout, he had to spit out the river water that was mixed with mud. The face of the Prince was flushed white by the rainwater. Only when he felt that his body was as heavy as lead did he allow a warrior to exchange with him.
The Marshal climbed up onto the riverbank. His warriors reached out their hands to him, but Oscar did not care. He went straight to the place where people filled up the bags of sand and organized the transportation of the bags. This was because he found the situation opposite of them was extremely urgent.
The hole at the opposite riverbank seemed to be expanding. The river water was flushing out of the hole, letting out a scary howl. Every citizen and soldiers of the Guards were filling sand and rocks at the hole. However, the rushing water immediately brought the sand and rocks to downstream. The people were fighting endlessly, yet the effect was in vain.
The Special Brigade warriors managed to find a sailboat that was more than 20 meters long out of nowhere. A whole unit of warriors pulled the boat to the hole at the riverbank like boat tracker. The immense energy of the water made them unable to move forward even a step. The water would not stop knocking on the boat. The rope holding tightly by the warriors held immense danger just like the line to light up the fire powder. An instant of relaxation would cause the whole unit to fall into the roaring water.
"We don't have enough man! Not enough man!" The captain of this unit shouted loudly to the generals at the station and the nearby citizens. Almost immediately, a tall guy dressed like a businessman called his team over. They held the rope tightly and pulled the boat following the slogan of the Special Brigade soldiers until the sailboat completely blocked the hole at the riverbank.
Staff Sergeant Ferdin, who once successfully stole a treasury, took up yet another extremely dangerous task. This 'white shark' jumped onto the sailboat and went straight for the base. Then, he used his sharp knife to slice a hole at the base. At last, he set up some fire powder there.
The people at the riverbank was waiting anxiously until a terrible rumbling exploded at the base of the boat. Ferdin finally appeared on the deck. He determinedly jumped at the moment of explosion and numerous warriors held him.
The boat quickly sank and the water that flowed onto the riverbank immediately became a small stream. The warriors and citizens once again jumped into the chest-deep river. They secured the wooden support and filled sand and rocks into the hole.
"The leader just now..." A warrior called his comrade.
"What?" This warrior raised his head as he carried the sandbag.
"That guy had injuries all over his body!"
"What is wrong with that?"
"That is due to the cannon! I swear! We killed so many criminals before. I have seen those scars a lot!"
The warrior threw the sandbags into the river, "Don't talk about such unhappy things. No matter what, they are here to help! Moreover, aren't the criminals the same as us... We are all born from poor families. It's only that they stood on the wrong ground."
The warrior who said this looked at the riverbank and the people rushing about here, fighting the flood. At last, he gave it thought and never talked about it again.
O'Neil Andrew Morisette finally got a cold. He had a headache and felt nauseous. This Marshal of Guards borrowed a rain gear from the nearby citizen, but he still stayed at the riverbank.
His warriors needed him here. The long riverbank was not any different from the frontlines.
Oscar thought carefully for a while. He finally realized the God of Light was indeed the scariest existence. The disaster created by this God was more terrifying than any enemy!
"Hey! Fatso!" Bagheeda Narov shouted suddenly in a loud voice, "Don't look over there! I am talking about you! What are you staring at? Come over and help!"
Oscar hesitated for one second, not because he was not willing to help, but that he was sensitive to the word 'Fatso'. However, the Marshal of guards did not get angry. In the end, he still carried a huge rock with this sarcastic guy. The two of them kept moving the piles of rocks until a deafening cheer sounded at the riverbank.
It was because the rain was getting weaker.
Oscar and Bagheeda lied down on the wet grass. It was apparent that they were exhausted. The Marshal of Guards was exhausted because of his cold; the leader of Liberty Front was because of the recovery of his injury.
Bagheeda opened up an oilcloth package. He was ecstatic. It seemed the cigar inside it was not wet at all. Oscar was immediately in high spirit when he smelt the scent of the cigar. He came over hungrily.
Bagheeda was very generous. He first prepared one for the young man with bear pajamas. Then, he prepared one for himself. Two of them used the fire torch to light up their cigar, and inhaled at the same time. At last, they contentedly dried their limbs.
"Where are you from? Your accent is weird!" Bagheeda looked at his enemy funnily, but apparently, he did not know the person's identity.
"Ola... Half a Narcissus and half a Dulin!"
"Oh... From far away!" Bagheeda nodded, "My house is just nearby. If the riverbank is finished, so is my home. Thank you for coming to help!"
Oscar shrugged, "Protecting the country and our homes is the duty of a soldier, no? I don't think anyone would frown at this moment."
"You are a soldier?" Bagheeda widened his eyes, "But from your words just now, I already know you are a good one! This cigar is worth it!"
Oscar looked at his muddy bear pajamas, "You can't see that I am a soldier?"
Bagheeda shook his head. He was suddenly interested in this guy, "Are you from the nearby station?"
Oscar waved his hands, "No, I am here with the foreign army unit!"
Bagheeda's expression suddenly became lonely. There was only one unit from other places here.
"You... I still don't know your name."
Oscar quickly took the cigar off his mouth and reached out his hands to the leader of Titan's Liberty Front, "O'Neil Andrew Morisette!"
Bagheeda looked unbelievably at the young soldier in front of him.
"Why? Is there something wrong?" Oscar was a little confused.
Bagheeda smiled bitterly. He looked into the person's clear eyes and the palm that was filled with mud. At last, the leader of the Liberty warriors shook the person's hand, "Hello, nice to meet you. I am Bagheeda Narov. You must have heard of me before!"
Oscar did not seem surprised at this. He simply nodded, "Yes, many captives speak of your name. They say you are a... Hmm... Teacher. And... A good man."
Bagheeda stared at the face of the Marsha. He still could not believe this. He shook hands with O'Neil Andrew Morisette. This guy had even carried rocks with him for around an hour.
"You... Don't you want to call your people to capture me?"
Oscar looked at him, "Please, Uncle, I can kill you by myself!"
Bagheeda simply smiled bitterly, "I believe so. My warriors said you are a demon!"
Oscar shrugged, "Didn't you see? I am like this. A normal soldier."
Bagheeda shook his head, "You are not normal at all!"
Oscar did not say a word. He looked at the citizens at the riverbank and the warriors walking about.
"Uncle, your house is nearby. You still have a base at the Faran border. Why do you think that I am here? So... I think you should not make me do more than I should."
Bagheeda was a little confused, "What do you want?"
Oscar pointed to the riverbank. He just thought of this, "I am exhausted! I believe that you are too. So are your warriors! Let's cease fire!"
"Cease fire?" Bagheeda suddenly laughed, "Do you know how many people were killed under your blade? And you are asking me to cease fire now?"
Oscar shook his head, "I said this. Don't make me do more than I should. The lives in Southern Five Provinces are recovering. The anger at the businessmen circle has calmed down. Don't you think armed resistances have become a disturbing presence now?"
Bagheeda was silent. He could not answer that question. He imagined the poor community in Titan could get a life that was equal and free, but he was afraid of the great sacrifices and the loss of his family. He was contradicting himself. He enjoyed the pride of being loved by many but worried over the limited survival space and decreasing people. Maybe.... Armed resistance had truly become a disturbing matter.
"I can't answer you!" Bagheeda was very honest, "You are a noble person. You have not experienced the survival pressure of the poor community. You don't understand the true reason behind our fighting and sacrifices."
Oscar suddenly laughed, "Haven't you put that survival pressure into the battlefield? Life on the battlefield is completely equal! Is this the true reason you talk about?"
Bagheeda let his cigar die and bowed to the Prince politely, "If you are not stopping me, I am afraid I will excuse myself now!"
Oscar stood up. He did not shake his hands with the leader of the criminals anymore, "I will be staying a little longer in Grandory. We can talk about this."
Bagheeda did not reply. His figure that was filled with injuries slowly disappeared in the weak rain in the morning.
Until the end when it was the time for O'Neil Andrew Morisette and his warriors to leave Grandory, Bagheeda Narov had not visited him. However, the Military Intelligence Bureau at that time had received news from Faran. The criminals who were hiding in all discreet locations suddenly disappeared in one night as if they had never gathered there before.
Bagheeda Narov's name was still on the wanted list in the Empire's Ministry of Justice. However, after the farewell at Vansi River, no one had seen him ever since. His Titan Liberty Front and he were drowned in the sea of history, but his name would forever be remembered by the revolutionaries that longed for freedom.
At the end of 5th month, or maybe even later, was the time when Mayflower blossomed throughout the land of the Titan Empire. Pieces of news about the Boudesdorf Highlands War's were being spread all over the Empire like little snowflakes.
It was from 12:00 on the 20th day of 5th month, in Church Calendar Year 799 to the dawn of the next day at 5. The First Special Combat Brigade of the Military Intelligence Bureau, under the command of Marshal of Guards Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette, fought the enemy at the Highlands area of Boudesdorf in the Westria Province. In this war, due to Marshal O'Neil's underestimation of the possible attacks from the enemy, the Special Combat Brigade was surrounded heavily by the southern criminals at first. A part of the army was eliminated in the mountain, yet Marshal O'Neil managed to defend against four attacks from the criminals with his excellent arts of command and accurate strategy. Also, with the guidance of a small unit of warriors, he successfully destroyed the command system and main base of the criminals.
After the final attack, the young Marshal of Guards attained a huge victory that took the lives of more than 6000 people.
Alfa III His Majesty showed a smile on a rare occasion. He waved the golden letter, which was a quick report, at the many soldiers in front of him.
"Look at this! If you are all like my Oscar, I will be able to retire in peace!"
The Generals in the Guards immediately laughed. They all praised the son-in-law of the Emperor. Obviously, Alfa II His Majesty was quite happy now. He did not care about these hypocritical people.
Not much improvement could be seen in the Emperor's health. He must be supported just to be able to stand, and he needed to use marijuana to fall asleep. There was a time when this Emperor even wanted to end his own life because he found that he could not get it hard anymore. However, it was at that time he knew about the birth of his young daughter, and so the matter of suicide had been put off.
It was almost the middle of the 5th month, or maybe the beginning of the 5th month, things were carried out quite discreetly. No one knew the exact time and venue. The wife of Titan Empire's Crowned Prince gave birth to a weak girl in a discreet monastery in the southern mountainous area. The birth of this child was late by a month from its expected birth date. She was not even 3 kilograms in weight when she was first born.
Her Highness Ashfin Kristen's process of giving birth was not dangerous. It was just that she was depressed all along. The child was called a devil by the priests as soon as she was born because the father of this child was the father of her husband. No matter what, Ashfin still begged the priest in the monastery to baptize her child, but things did not go so well. It could be the icy holy water that made the child sick. The dazed Faran Princess recalled that she had not given a name to her child when she was praying for a good blessing from God of Light.
The daughter of the Crowned Prince of Titan Empire, or probably the youngest Princess of His Majesty the Emperor. She called her child Phrenby. Phrenby Alfa Morisette. This name only had a short introduction in the 'Simple Dictionary of History'. There was only one meaning ultimately... the Princess of the Empire, suspected to be the daughter of Alfa III His Majesty of Morisette Dynasty. Looking at this statement, we could all foresee the fate of this poor child.
The war news from Southern Army Group had been sent back to the Capital through the station of the Guards. Logically, the content of the war should be the same, but Cabinet Chancellor of the Empire Duke Kachev Drakas Ferdinand received a private letter that was sent by 'Your child'.
Old Kachev was a little embarrassed. Because he was the last official to know of the news. He even heard about this from his grandson.
The Secretary of State carefully read the letter and kept giving cold smiles. The official beside shuddered, seeing his smile. At last, the old Duke placed the letter down and told the official, "Our little hero thinks that the time to build a Joint Government in Southern Five Provinces has come."
The officials did not say a word. They had no rights to point their fingers at a Prince who had a plethora of medals and a substantial amount of pride. Moreover, they had no rights to decide on this matter.
Old Kachev carefully thought about anything that could possibly go wrong, until ultimately he had to admit that O'Neil Andrew Morisette caught an opportunity that had no loopholes. The victory in the Boudesdorf Highlands War had at least provided a stable period of 3 to 5 years for the Southern Five Provinces. That was to say... At least for now, Prince O'Neil's influence on the southern land had been stabilized.
"Help me? Or crush him?" This was the usual way of thinking of Old Kachev, but this was the first time he felt so powerless. O'Neil Andrew Morisette grew strong like a monster. Thinking about his past experiences would definitely make it difficult for people to believe in that.
"Andrew is doing well in the east. Their youngest son wants to take the south. Could this be a conspiracy?" An official asked this.
"Who knows?" Another official said. "I know the Emperor is used to calling our little hero as 'my Oscar' or 'my nephew'! The Emperor trusts him. This is an obvious fact."
"But we can't just let his influence..."
"Or else, what?" Old Kachev interrupted the conversation of the officials impatiently. He was already 70 years old. His spirit and stamina, and his past charisma were deteriorating with time. "Should I slander him the way you used to in front of the Emperor? Make up some fake evidence? I want to know who amongst you have the courage to do so."
The people stopped talking. Slander and fake evidence? Forget that! The Military Intelligence Bureau of the Prince was more good at that than them.
"If you have no objection, then leave it to the discussion of every ministry. Then, following the legal procedures, send the proposal to House of Lords and Alfa III His Majesty!" Old Kachev had made up his mind. He used his hands to hold his forehead. This way, no one could see his smile that was filled with clouds. Now, helping O'Neil Andrew Morisette to stand taller was pushing him further to the dangerous cliff. If he were to sway the Prince... Wouldn't he simply fall into the abyss? The taller you stand, the harder you fall! This was the truth.
Just when the Cabinet Chancellor of the Empire planned to compromise with the Prince, Silverfox Alan received a quick letter from the Central Army Division at Jebron Fortress at the northern borderline of the Empire.
"The little guy won again?" The old Marshal had difficulty describing his emotions. However, other than his personal reasons, Silverfox's attitude about this matter could be categorized into three implications. Firstly, the main army of the southern criminals was finished! This was something worth celebrating, no matter what. Secondly, Alan began reflecting on his previous mistake. He should not have given up the previous 8431st Brigade and should not have cared when O'Neil Andrew Morisette built his trust as a Marshal in this Special unit that had exceptional combat ability. At last, congratulations to the smart kid. The south was all his now. No one could stop him!
"Did you see that? If it is about military experience and commanding talent, your younger generations have no one who can surpass him!" Old Marshal gave the news to his own grandson, but Reynold did not care so much
Perhaps it was because he was approaching his thirties, the young Reynold tied his beard up. This made him looked more mature, but his eyes still showed a naïve light. It was this light that had charmed the lady of Duke Jebron. This lady fell in love with this Lieutenant General of the Guards.
Reynold carefully read the news. He knew the Marshal was right! Looking at the whole situation of the battle, from the start of it until the final victory, O'Neil Andrew Morisette did not make any mistake at all. He held the rhythm of the battle in his hands almost perfectly. This was almost impossible for a Commander that was heavily surrounded by the enemy.
"Yes... I can't compare to him! He won Saijo Mountain and Boudesdorf Highlands. This is the main reason why he is a Marshal and I am still a Lieutenant General after ten years in the army," Reynold gave the letter back with ease. He was not jealous of the young Marshal. He was just longing for a rare opportunity.
"It would seem so..." Alan nodded. The soldiers in this age did not have many experiences of brushes with death like O'Neil Andrew Morisette. The two most important wars in ten years were all participated by this guy. Maybe he truly was the God-chosen warrior.
"Let us suppose that Prince O'Neil had already controlled the south. So... I won't interrupt the military affair in the south in an obvious way again!"
"Why?" Reynold Hewitt Preston looked at his grandfather with confusion. This was not the way of doing things of the old Marshal. "What else am I supposed to do?" Silverfox massaged his head. "Oscar used accurate evidence to ruin Hagrid and some unneeded accusation to get rid of General Dario. Then, he let his two trusted people to take up the position of the Commander of Fifth Region and the Chief of Staff of Southern Army Group. What more can I do, you say? It is more than enough to deal with Robin who keeps on opposing me in the army! I don't want to get on the bad side of another Marshal. Do you believe that? Dealing with Oscar is also giving trouble to the Emperor! I don't understand why Alfa III His Majesty protects him that much. The Emperor before has not been as blinded as he is now!"
Reynold shrugged without care. He respected Alan but did not prefer the soldier, Alan. He thought that soldiers should not care as much about others like his grandfather.
Alan's expression had already completely darkened. He was an old fox just like Kachev. They could always reach the same conclusion on the same problem. For example, Alan was praying. He prayed that the Prince who was already at the pinnacle of power would not fall all of a sudden. Not only was the air thin, it was dangerous to be on the pinnacle of power. Losing one's holding would end in a state where even his bone would not be left.
"Hmm... Sooner or later he will pay the price for what he did to Hagrid!" At last, Silverfox still cursed him.
Reynold was a little impatient, "Grandfather, Prince O'Neil's accusation of the Hagrid family is not unfounded. General Vangol at least violated ten laws of the Empire."
Alan was finally a little furious, "Don't use the Titan's Law to describe a person! Vangol is the most loyal warrior of the Empire!"
Reynold did not talk back to the frowning old Marshal, but he still made an expression that implied 'I don't think so.'
"I have decided!" Alan suddenly waved his hands, "Now that it seems... That Lady Jebron would be a good wife."
Reynold approached his grandfather, "Are you marrying or am I..."
"Don't joke about these things!" Alan widened his eyes, "As the first trading content of disarming the Jebron, you must be the son-in-law of this huge family! This way, you will have an identity to possess the strength of the First Infantry to rebuild the land! Or else, the Jebron family will not agree to this!"
Reynold turned his head away. Look at what his grandfather was saying? It seemed like he was just an object as compensation to the Jebron family from the Empire's Army Division.
"Oscar had confirmed his status in the south. We must hurry up!" Alan rubbed his dry fingers. He did not want to lose to this kid.
Compared to the result of his younger brother, General Figg Andrew Tibotty had already surpassed the Marshal of the Guards in terms of area of expanded land and number of enemy killed. If it was not for his father Dortmund who had urged him to keep his attacks down, Figg believed that his 36 cavalries would have completely forced all Persian on Anatolia Plains to the east side of Ufalarre River. The huge area to the east of Ufalarre was the traditional land of the True God.
The Andrew family believed in the God of Light. Even though Figg did not care that much about this, he still treated the Church Knights and religious armed groups that came from the Holy City of Rome to the battlefield well. There was another team of theologists who came to Anatolia Plains. They were carrying out careful investigations on the ancient remnants of the Plains.
This large-scale expedition had the attention of the whole theological world. According to the records in the books, the Anatolia Plains that was possessed by pagan for a long time was the true origin of the God of Light. The church remnants here could even be dated to four centuries before the Church Calendar! This had advanced the whole time period studied in theology by four hundred to five hundred years. The most exciting part was that the archaeologists and the theologists had deciphered together the ancient words in a remnant. This proved to be the earliest version of Holy Code.
Therefore, the theology world in Westland had a new holy land. The people who wanted to get a glimpse of it were from the east border of Andrew to as far as Faran's Mannod. Over the sea, even the people at Engels' port. After four hundred years, the God-chosen warrior once again became a fashionable term.
Then... At this moment, what was our Oscar doing?
The mountain extended outward like sea waves without ending. The reflections of the sunlight cast optical illusions into people's eyes.
The light slowly flowed at the faraway ground, making the scenery by the sky sometimes darker and other times brighter.
At the square in a small town by the border stood a lonely boundary marker. This rock in dark brown color was carved with ancient signs. 'Titan Empire's Southern Land. 1000 meters to the border.'
Grandory was the name of this old town near the border. Since the ancient times, this was the home of the family of Baron Feria. The ancestors of the Baron discovered the first Rock Cave of the town. Then, they hired craftsmen to build the longest rock carving group in the Westland.
After the end of the Center highlands, O'Neil Andrew Morisette and his Special Combat Brigade who continued their journey for a long time fought at the border area near Boudesdorf Mountain for 97 days. There was no need to talk in detail about the difficulty they had faced in these days. When the citizen of the small town saw the warriors of Guards at the street, they could totally imagine what these strong soldiers had gone through.
Oscar and his warriors reached this town at midnight. The Marshal of Guards dispersed the Investigation Knights at the forest around this town, then used his Commando to control a highland that led to this town. Only when all messages indicated that the nearby area was safe did Prince O'Neil bring his warriors into Grandory.
The warriors did not wake anyone up. These soldiers walked in the town, just like ghosts. They set up guard posts at the door of every family and roadblocks at a few roads in the town. However, the Prince was still not resting assured, so he ordered Mitchen and his snipers to go on the tall buildings in the town. When all preparations had finished, Venus was already high up in the sky. Oscar did not disturb the people in the town. His warriors and he simply spread the blanket at the two sides of the streets and slept peacefully under the roof of the citizens.
The citizen of Grandory saw the soldiers who slept on the street in the morning of the 22nd day of 8th month. The priest of the town wanted to ring the morning bell to greet the guests, but the soldiers guarding the church stopped him. The warrior said to the servant of the God, "Our Marshal just slept. If you dare to ring that thing, I will kill you!"
Actually, when the citizens woke up, the warriors had already lost their intentions to sleep. The reason being that they all had the tendency to wake up when people are around as trained in the mountain. Less than four hours of sleep every day on average and more than five times of mountain battle each week on average. The warriors even wondered themselves: How did they get through that 97 days? Speaking of this, no one was too sure about that. The constant fight, infiltration and sudden attacks had completely made the warriors lose track of time and the rights to remember. They respected the determination of the criminals. These guys already had immeasurable casualties, but they still fought the warriors for 97 days in the mountainous area with their strong mental capabilities. The resistance period was longer by a month as predicted by the Marshal of the warriors.
Freedom? Equality? These are the two words that appeared the most during interrogation. The soldiers of the Guards did not understand. Actually, even the criminals could not properly explain the accurate meaning of these two terms. According to the explanation of Marshal O'Neil, the freedom as said by the criminals meant breaking the law of Titan Empire. The equality of the criminals meant snatching others' wealth and honor anytime they wanted to. If it was as the Marshal had said, then the criminals were truly unreasonable.
The battle in the mountains had finally calmed down. Oscar joined the First and Second Corps of Eighth Region to carry out a large-scale check on the area a week ago. Major General Silvio of the Second Corps was the most spirited one. His army completely turned the important areas upside down. That sort of spirit was just like a forest fire. Silvio thought he should be responsible for the loss of the Special Combat Brigade, but Oscar and his warriors did not think so. If it was not for the two battalions of the Second Corps who kept attacking the encirclement of the criminals, they believed the criminals could send more army to the Center Highlands.
Until the middle of the 8th month, the Marshal of Guards finally confirmed that there was not a disturbing guy in the area. Therefore, his army and he walked out of the battle zone. They followed the borderline of the mountain and reached Grandory, which was famous for its chestnut, tomatoes, and chilies.
On the 22nd, the citizens of the town went out of their houses as usual in the morning, but they were more or less shocked by what they saw. The warriors of Guards that were fully armed filled all nook and cranny of the town. These tall soldiers who had a stern face and cold expression did not even kiss the children who greeted them.
Baron Feria and his young wife were woken up by their butler. The old butler woke up everybody in the mansion in the early morning. After asking about it, Feria immediately dressed up properly. He introduced himself to the soldiers of Guards who watched over his own mansion politely.
"I'll like to see your commander. As the mayor, I feel that I should do something for the warriors of our Empire!"
Perhaps it was the passion of the mayor. This warrior happily agreed to bring the Baron to the streets and look for his Marshal all over the place.
Feria looked at the soldier in front of him in fear. He could not be sure if these people were the Guards of the Empire! The Guards should not look like this. The Baron tried to recall his memory. The soldier he had seen wore a beautiful general uniform. Their soldiers were mainly useless people who favored to steal. Looking at these soldiers, their dirty uniform could barely show the color of the Guard's uniform. Their broken armors had mud and some black stuff stuck on them. What was the most terrifying was their weapon. A team of soldiers was cleaning their items by the drains. The fresh mountain water turned into flowing water in deep red color after the weapons were soaked in it.
"You... Where are you from?" The Baron pulled at the arms of the warrior.
The warrior did not say anything. He simply pointed to the faraway mountain.
"That... Who is your commander?"
The eyes of the warrior lighted up. He could almost immediately think of that short Marshal who loved to scream 'Ola' and always in front of the unit.
"Our commander is Marshal of Guars, His Highness Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette!"
The warrior pointed to the end of the street where soldiers were lying down for the Baron.
Feria looked at the sleeping Prince and Marshal of Guards with mixed emotions. If there was a difference at all between O'Neil Andrew Morisette and his warriors, it would be that the Marshal, who was wrapped in a thin blanket, still had an unknown animal skin covered under him.
The warrior who led the way for the Baron shook his head, "You're not here at the right time!"
Feria looked at the street that slowly became noisy and the Prince who was sleeping on the ground. He, too, shook his head, "I should at least get a comfortable bed for His Highness."
"It's fine..." The warrior pulled the Baron away. "Our Marshal preferred to sleep amongst the corpses and in the sea of blood."
"Who said that?" Oscar woke up in a daze, "The one sleeping amongst corpses and in the sea of blood is the demon, Louise! You need someone to punch you again?"
This normal soldier Louise saluted the Marshal with smiles. "I am sorry I disturbed you!"
"Ola!" Oscar stretched and showed a smile to the bright sun. Then, he reached out his hands to Louise. Louise took the hand, shocked. He pulled the Marshal up from the ground.
"I heard... You can get me a comfortable bed!" Oscar turned to the stunned Baron.
"Oh... Yes, yes! If you don't mind, you can stay in my mansion!"
'Ola!' Said Oscar, his eyes showed an anticipated light, "Do you have hot water there? Warm meal?"
The Baron finally smiled, "Please be rest assured!"
It seemed... The soldiers all over the city all laughed. It was not because of the shower and warm meal. They instead turned to the carriage at the town and let out a deafening cheer.
"Look who's here." The warriors surrounded their brothers in the cannon division until their Marshal came.
Oscar helped the trembling Second Lieutenant Massimi down from the carriage carrying the cannons. This official of the Special Combat Brigade who did not die from the explosion was found from amongst the corpse.
"How is it?"
Massimi shook his head, troubled, "Doctor Percy said that I need to wait for a few years to be able to move my right arm freely again."
The warriors around them immediately cheered passionately. They said a few years' time did not count for much. It was only in a blink of an eye! Everyone surrounded Massimi as he entered the town as if they were treating a real Marshal. Every soldier of the Special Combat Brigade knew clearly of his contribution.
Only Oscar and Massimi of the whole Brigade lived at the mayor's house. They happily took a hot shower and enjoyed a warm meal. The town treated the other soldiers the same. Every family prepared hot water and spicy warm food for them. However, Oscar was not one to take advantage of others. He left a silver coin for each family that provided service to his Special Combat Brigade.
In the afternoon, Oscar finally woke up from his nap. He looked at the clean bed, bright window and the washing up water that was placed on the table. Oscar used the salt water that had lemon leaves in it to wash his mouth. At this time, he realized something terrifying.
"D*mn it! What is it with this weather? It was fine this afternoon!" The Prince pointed to the sky to the lady of the Baron family. That bright blue had turned into pieces of dark clouds.
"It's rainy season. It's about to rain!" The young Baroness said as she placed the ironed uniform on the bed of the Prince. Then, she looked out the window in worry. "Hopefully the rain will pass soon..."
However, the reality was that the rain, which was just like a waterfall, kept falling until the 24th day. Even on the night of the 25th, there was still no sign of stopping.
The Baron stayed in his mansion. Not only did the rain slow down the Prince's schedule, but it had possibly ruined a nearby bridge and the riverbank of Vansi River.
"If that is the case... Your Highness! You are not going anywhere!" Baron Feria looked at the Prince apologetically. "Grandory is a big town compared to before. Under the rocks are all citizens. The flood in Year 671 washed everything away. What you see now is the remaining town."
Oscar nodded in understanding, "No wonder it was all ruins under the rocks. I even thought a war had broken out here before!"
The Baron sighed, "It was the same as war. Maybe even worse than war. You have not seen a true flood before."
Oscar was finally worried. "Will there be a problem?"
"Of course!" The Baron looked at the storm outside of the window, "It's been four days. The water level in the river must be increasing at an incredible rate. If the riverbank is destroyed, the town downstream will be in deep trouble!"
"This rain will provide many conveniences for us!" The head of Military Intelligence Bureau Baron Messier suddenly mumbled softly to the Marshal, "This way, we can safely go through the border defense area of the Faran!"
Oscar frowned, "Leave it! I don't want to send my warriors to God of Light with the flood."
"Then what should we do? Wait here?"
Oscar did not say anything. He felt that something would surely happen here.
As expected, in the early morning of the 25th, the priest of the church rang the alarm. The clock tower released a heavy yet urgent rumbling. The whole town was immediately lighted up. The men from every family climbed out of their bed. They wore their rain gears and took all sorts of tools to the empty place outside of the church.
Together with the priest was a Second Lieutenant of the Guards. This Second Lieutenant came from the station opposite of the river. He announced the order as given by the station officer and requested all young and strong men to report to the riverbank.
The Prince who just fell asleep was awoken by the confusion in the mansion. He saw that his warriors had already made preparations to move out.
"What is this? Are you guys abandoning me?"
The warriors laughed when they saw the Prince who was wearing his bear pajamas, "Resisting the flood! Head! We are going to resist the flood. There is a hole at the riverbank. The situation is dangerous!"
Oscar said 'Ola', "Then what are you waiting for? We are the Guards of the Empire!"
Just like that... Just when it was about dawn, the First Special Combat Brigade of the Military Intelligence Bureau and the First Cannon Division of the Guards left behind the weapons which never left their side and brought bags of sand and rocks towards the Vansi River.
The dark sky was still crying, and the river water overflowed onto the riverbank. The bridge that connected the two sides had already been drowned by the river. A huge amount of water flowed from the upstream and crashed mud and broken woods onto the bridge. The bridge seemed to be trembling. Sometimes, it would let out a few heavy rumblings.
There was water from the sky and on the ground, and smoke and cold fog around the area could be seen. The men kept walking around the riverbank. These men's upper body was naked and the heavy sandbags bent their spine. The icy cold water was attacking their body.
The men would not admit defeat. The outcome of this would determine the survival of numerous ten thousands of citizens in the downstream area. Soldiers, farmers, nobles, and businessmen truly united when they were faced with a natural disaster. They helped each other and cheered for each other. They used their thin body to defend against the flood.
The joining of the Special Combat Brigade and Cannon Division immediately stabilized the situation. The Warriors maintained the excellent tradition of the Guards. They listened to the advice of the local and built a new flood-resisting fence at the riverbank. Then, the warriors added anything that could stop the flood into the fence.
Amongst the panic at the riverbank, the military rhyme of the Guards was sounded. Countless voices became the iron wall made of rhythms under the sky.
The station official had not seen such a terrible downpour in many years. However, luckily there was a strong army nearby, or he would have no idea how he could deal with the rising water level.
This old official pulled at the arm of a warrior, "Who is your commander? I want to treat him with liquor when the weather turns nice!"
"It's Marshal of Guards, Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette!" The warrior pointed to a silhouette in the rain. "The one nailing the wooden support!"
"Wow! A Marshal?" The old official heard of the war story of this Marshal, but he could not relate the guy who was wearing his pajamas and soaking in water to the people's man of Titan.
Oscar was a 'human support' at the riverbank. His job was to stand in water and held tightly to the real wooden support. Then, he waited for the soldiers above him to knocked the wooden support firmly on the ground.
The Marshal was the same as every warrior. He shouted the slogan loudly. For every shout, he had to spit out the river water that was mixed with mud. The face of the Prince was flushed white by the rainwater. Only when he felt that his body was as heavy as lead did he allow a warrior to exchange with him.
The Marshal climbed up onto the riverbank. His warriors reached out their hands to him, but Oscar did not care. He went straight to the place where people filled up the bags of sand and organized the transportation of the bags. This was because he found the situation opposite of them was extremely urgent.
The hole at the opposite riverbank seemed to be expanding. The river water was flushing out of the hole, letting out a scary howl. Every citizen and soldiers of the Guards were filling sand and rocks at the hole. However, the rushing water immediately brought the sand and rocks to downstream. The people were fighting endlessly, yet the effect was in vain.
The Special Brigade warriors managed to find a sailboat that was more than 20 meters long out of nowhere. A whole unit of warriors pulled the boat to the hole at the riverbank like boat tracker. The immense energy of the water made them unable to move forward even a step. The water would not stop knocking on the boat. The rope holding tightly by the warriors held immense danger just like the line to light up the fire powder. An instant of relaxation would cause the whole unit to fall into the roaring water.
"We don't have enough man! Not enough man!" The captain of this unit shouted loudly to the generals at the station and the nearby citizens. Almost immediately, a tall guy dressed like a businessman called his team over. They held the rope tightly and pulled the boat following the slogan of the Special Brigade soldiers until the sailboat completely blocked the hole at the riverbank.
Staff Sergeant Ferdin, who once successfully stole a treasury, took up yet another extremely dangerous task. This 'white shark' jumped onto the sailboat and went straight for the base. Then, he used his sharp knife to slice a hole at the base. At last, he set up some fire powder there.
The people at the riverbank was waiting anxiously until a terrible rumbling exploded at the base of the boat. Ferdin finally appeared on the deck. He determinedly jumped at the moment of explosion and numerous warriors held him.
The boat quickly sank and the water that flowed onto the riverbank immediately became a small stream. The warriors and citizens once again jumped into the chest-deep river. They secured the wooden support and filled sand and rocks into the hole.
"The leader just now..." A warrior called his comrade.
"What?" This warrior raised his head as he carried the sandbag.
"That guy had injuries all over his body!"
"What is wrong with that?"
"That is due to the cannon! I swear! We killed so many criminals before. I have seen those scars a lot!"
The warrior threw the sandbags into the river, "Don't talk about such unhappy things. No matter what, they are here to help! Moreover, aren't the criminals the same as us... We are all born from poor families. It's only that they stood on the wrong ground."
The warrior who said this looked at the riverbank and the people rushing about here, fighting the flood. At last, he gave it thought and never talked about it again.
O'Neil Andrew Morisette finally got a cold. He had a headache and felt nauseous. This Marshal of Guards borrowed a rain gear from the nearby citizen, but he still stayed at the riverbank.
His warriors needed him here. The long riverbank was not any different from the frontlines.
Oscar thought carefully for a while. He finally realized the God of Light was indeed the scariest existence. The disaster created by this God was more terrifying than any enemy!
"Hey! Fatso!" Bagheeda Narov shouted suddenly in a loud voice, "Don't look over there! I am talking about you! What are you staring at? Come over and help!"
Oscar hesitated for one second, not because he was not willing to help, but that he was sensitive to the word 'Fatso'. However, the Marshal of guards did not get angry. In the end, he still carried a huge rock with this sarcastic guy. The two of them kept moving the piles of rocks until a deafening cheer sounded at the riverbank.
It was because the rain was getting weaker.
Oscar and Bagheeda lied down on the wet grass. It was apparent that they were exhausted. The Marshal of Guards was exhausted because of his cold; the leader of Liberty Front was because of the recovery of his injury.
Bagheeda opened up an oilcloth package. He was ecstatic. It seemed the cigar inside it was not wet at all. Oscar was immediately in high spirit when he smelt the scent of the cigar. He came over hungrily.
Bagheeda was very generous. He first prepared one for the young man with bear pajamas. Then, he prepared one for himself. Two of them used the fire torch to light up their cigar, and inhaled at the same time. At last, they contentedly dried their limbs.
"Where are you from? Your accent is weird!" Bagheeda looked at his enemy funnily, but apparently, he did not know the person's identity.
"Ola... Half a Narcissus and half a Dulin!"
"Oh... From far away!" Bagheeda nodded, "My house is just nearby. If the riverbank is finished, so is my home. Thank you for coming to help!"
Oscar shrugged, "Protecting the country and our homes is the duty of a soldier, no? I don't think anyone would frown at this moment."
"You are a soldier?" Bagheeda widened his eyes, "But from your words just now, I already know you are a good one! This cigar is worth it!"
Oscar looked at his muddy bear pajamas, "You can't see that I am a soldier?"
Bagheeda shook his head. He was suddenly interested in this guy, "Are you from the nearby station?"
Oscar waved his hands, "No, I am here with the foreign army unit!"
Bagheeda's expression suddenly became lonely. There was only one unit from other places here.
"You... I still don't know your name."
Oscar quickly took the cigar off his mouth and reached out his hands to the leader of Titan's Liberty Front, "O'Neil Andrew Morisette!"
Bagheeda looked unbelievably at the young soldier in front of him.
"Why? Is there something wrong?" Oscar was a little confused.
Bagheeda smiled bitterly. He looked into the person's clear eyes and the palm that was filled with mud. At last, the leader of the Liberty warriors shook the person's hand, "Hello, nice to meet you. I am Bagheeda Narov. You must have heard of me before!"
Oscar did not seem surprised at this. He simply nodded, "Yes, many captives speak of your name. They say you are a... Hmm... Teacher. And... A good man."
Bagheeda stared at the face of the Marsha. He still could not believe this. He shook hands with O'Neil Andrew Morisette. This guy had even carried rocks with him for around an hour.
"You... Don't you want to call your people to capture me?"
Oscar looked at him, "Please, Uncle, I can kill you by myself!"
Bagheeda simply smiled bitterly, "I believe so. My warriors said you are a demon!"
Oscar shrugged, "Didn't you see? I am like this. A normal soldier."
Bagheeda shook his head, "You are not normal at all!"
Oscar did not say a word. He looked at the citizens at the riverbank and the warriors walking about.
"Uncle, your house is nearby. You still have a base at the Faran border. Why do you think that I am here? So... I think you should not make me do more than I should."
Bagheeda was a little confused, "What do you want?"
Oscar pointed to the riverbank. He just thought of this, "I am exhausted! I believe that you are too. So are your warriors! Let's cease fire!"
"Cease fire?" Bagheeda suddenly laughed, "Do you know how many people were killed under your blade? And you are asking me to cease fire now?"
Oscar shook his head, "I said this. Don't make me do more than I should. The lives in Southern Five Provinces are recovering. The anger at the businessmen circle has calmed down. Don't you think armed resistances have become a disturbing presence now?"
Bagheeda was silent. He could not answer that question. He imagined the poor community in Titan could get a life that was equal and free, but he was afraid of the great sacrifices and the loss of his family. He was contradicting himself. He enjoyed the pride of being loved by many but worried over the limited survival space and decreasing people. Maybe.... Armed resistance had truly become a disturbing matter.
"I can't answer you!" Bagheeda was very honest, "You are a noble person. You have not experienced the survival pressure of the poor community. You don't understand the true reason behind our fighting and sacrifices."
Oscar suddenly laughed, "Haven't you put that survival pressure into the battlefield? Life on the battlefield is completely equal! Is this the true reason you talk about?"
Bagheeda let his cigar die and bowed to the Prince politely, "If you are not stopping me, I am afraid I will excuse myself now!"
Oscar stood up. He did not shake his hands with the leader of the criminals anymore, "I will be staying a little longer in Grandory. We can talk about this."
Bagheeda did not reply. His figure that was filled with injuries slowly disappeared in the weak rain in the morning.
Until the end when it was the time for O'Neil Andrew Morisette and his warriors to leave Grandory, Bagheeda Narov had not visited him. However, the Military Intelligence Bureau at that time had received news from Faran. The criminals who were hiding in all discreet locations suddenly disappeared in one night as if they had never gathered there before.
Bagheeda Narov's name was still on the wanted list in the Empire's Ministry of Justice. However, after the farewell at Vansi River, no one had seen him ever since. His Titan Liberty Front and he were drowned in the sea of history, but his name would forever be remembered by the revolutionaries that longed for freedom.
