Julie nodded. "The army consisted of around a thousand warriors—"
"Wait." Cassius interrupted, genuinely surprised. "A thousand? I thought the Holy Guard only had three hundred knights."
"The Holy Guard does." Julie confirmed. "But the Blood and Iron Brigade is much larger. A thousand soldiers, all of them battle-hardened veterans from families who have been fighting for generations."
"And among them, there were certain families who had been ruling and protecting the mines for so long that they had become the de facto leaders. Generation after generation, they would take turns commanding the army, with the most capable one taking the crown."
"Usually, each era produced one clearly superior warrior who would naturally rise above the rest."
"But not this generation." Aisha said, her ears drooping slightly. "This generation was cursed with abundance. Every family produced an exceptional candidate. Every single one of them was strong enough, smart enough, proud enough to lead."
