"Damn it!!"
Looking at the completely crushed Second Legion, Combat's face turned ashen. He had never imagined that the enemy possessed such power. How was that possible? Even the Demon Race could not possibly have such strength, yet now… they had been so easily defeated by these damned pawns!
"Retreat, retreat!!"
With no other choice, Combat decided to withdraw. He wasn't a fool. He could clearly see that if they continued fighting, the only ones who would suffer would be themselves.
But what angered Combat even more was…
"Where is the Fifth Army? Where the hell did they go?!"
Unfortunately, the Fifth Army couldn't hear Combat's complaints at the moment—and even if they could, there was nothing they could do.
Because the Fifth Army's general—Rolex Gadelas—and his adjutant Orlaure were currently locked up in the prison of Story 13.
"Sigh, I never thought we'd actually get captured."
Lying on a pile of straw and staring at the dim ceiling, Rolex whistled softly.
The Fifth Legion had naturally received the Council's orders as well. However, this ten-thousand-man guerrilla legion was usually elusive and hard to pin down. When they received the command, they were stationed at the eastern border. By the time the Fifth Legion planned to withdraw to Fort Bon to rendezvous with the First and Second Legions, Duanmu Huai had already captured Fort Bon.
Under those circumstances, the Fifth Legion certainly wasn't foolish enough to walk into a trap. But as a guerrilla legion, they had their own strengths.
Thus, after learning that Fort Bon had been occupied and that the Fourth Legion had dispatched part of its troops to accompany the Iron Giant to Fort Bon, Rolex, commander of the Fifth Legion, made a decision.
He would take a detour and launch a direct rear assault on Story 13, striking the Fourth Legion's headquarters!
His thinking was similar to General Kriorev's. The Fourth Legion originally had forty thousand troops, but after fighting the Inquisition, they had suffered over ten thousand casualties, and some had deserted. According to the intelligence at the time, the Fourth Legion had at most twenty thousand soldiers left. Fort Bon would certainly require at least three thousand troops to maintain control, and now that part of their forces had been sent out again, that meant the Fourth Legion troops remaining in Story 13 numbered just over ten thousand at best—roughly equal to the Fifth Legion.
Although their numbers were similar, Rolex did not believe their combat strength was. After all, the Fifth Legion was a guerrilla legion—quality over quantity. As for the Fourth Legion? To put it bluntly, they were a trash legion used to stall invading nations. Comparing them was like comparing a rookie to a super agent—no matter how you looked at it, the Fifth Legion had the stronger fighting force!
So under the cover of a dark and windy night, Rolex launched a surprise attack on Story 13, attempting to completely annihilate the Fourth Army's command center and capture its commander and generals.
And then… well, he ended up here.
The reason for the Fifth Legion's failure was actually very simple. It wasn't tactics, nor elite troops.
It was purely a difference in numbers.
That's right. Rolex had estimated the Fourth Legion had only ten thousand soldiers.
But when he charged into the city, he discovered that the Fourth Legion actually had fifty thousand troops!
Damn it, how the hell were they supposed to fight that?
So after realizing the enemy had overwhelming numbers and that his own forces were isolated and surrounded, Rolex decisively chose to surrender to save his life—he wasn't some dog of the Council, nor did he need to devote himself to them unto death.
And so he was locked up here.
Tap tap tap…
As Rolex leaned against the straw pile, boredly counting the stains on the ceiling, a series of footsteps echoed in the distance. A soldier walked up to his cell and slid a tray of food through the bars.
"Your dinner for today."
"Oh, finally time to eat."
Hearing the good news, Rolex quickly jumped up and went to the bars. As prisoners, they obviously couldn't expect any lavish meals. All they received was hard, dry bread, a small piece of jerky, and a bowl of soup. Of course, for prisoners, that was already considered decent.
Anyone else might have frowned at such a simple dinner, but Rolex, as the Fifth Legion's general, had spent his life in guerrilla warfare. He had endured all kinds of harsh conditions, so he didn't mind at all. He picked up a piece of cold bread and stuffed it into his mouth while looking at the soldier before him.
"Hey, kid."
"What is it?"
Hearing Rolex speak, the soldier stood opposite the bars, keeping watch as he replied.
"I remember you. You fought pretty well before—took down several of my men."
Looking at the young man in front of him, Rolex clicked his tongue in admiration.
"Never thought the Fourth Legion had talent like you. Which class did you graduate from?"
"Graduate?"
At Rolex's question, the young man snorted.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I just joined the Fourth Legion."
"Just joined?"
"That's right. After the Fourth Legion liberated Story 13, I signed up to join. Before that, I was just a blacksmith's apprentice."
"Wait…"
Hearing this, Rolex froze.
"So you've been in the Fourth Legion for less than a month? Then why were you fighting so desperately??"
Rolex clearly remembered how fiercely the young man had fought on the battlefield. Though inexperienced, he carried a terrifying willingness to trade his life for others. In fact, it wasn't just him—many Fourth Legion soldiers were the same. As the saying went, the bold fear the reckless, and the reckless fear those who don't fear death. The Fifth Legion wasn't stupid. How could they fight to the bitter end against a group that didn't even care about their own lives?
That was why Rolex ultimately chose to surrender.
At the time, he had assumed these soldiers were fighting for the Fourth Legion and had even marveled at the charisma of its current commander. But now…
Good grief, you've been in the Fourth Legion for less than a month?
Then what the hell are you risking your life for?
Rolex had never seen someone so eager to die.
"Of course it's to protect my family!"
"Your family?"
"That's right."
The young soldier nodded vigorously, looking at Rolex.
"You people probably have no idea what our lives were like before the Fourth Legion came! We couldn't fill our stomachs, and in winter we could only freeze! Those damned guards beat us whenever they wanted, and the noble lords treated us like livestock!"
As he spoke, the young soldier clenched his fists.
"But when the Fourth Legion came, everything changed! All the nobles who used to lord over us were executed publicly, and the guards who oppressed us were all driven out! They even took the nobles' grain and distributed it to us…"
At this point, the young soldier seemed to recall something, his anger intensifying.
"You have no idea what we saw when we entered those nobles' warehouses. Huge slabs of meat—if we had that at home, we wouldn't dare eat it for a whole year. But to them, it was thrown in a corner like trash, left to rot! And the grain, the vegetables, the fruit—we couldn't even taste them, while they dumped them into the gutters like garbage…!"
"…."
Hearing the young soldier's furious outburst, Rolex said nothing. He knew what nobles were like, though he hadn't expected them to be so… well, on second thought, it wasn't that surprising.
"Now we're finally living the lives we always hoped for. We'll never let anyone take that away from us!"
As he spoke, the young soldier glared viciously at Rolex.
"What Council, what nobles, what Emperor—I don't care! I only know that the Fourth Legion killed the nobles who bullied my family, gave us food, and made this city safer. People don't have to worry about being harassed by guards or soldiers anymore, nor being humiliated by nobles! If you try to take all that away, even if it costs me my life, I'll stop you!"
"…So that's why you joined the Fourth Legion?"
"That's right."
"…"
Hearing the young soldier's firm reply, Rolex sighed. Even the bread in his hand seemed tasteless now.
At last, he understood how the Fourth Legion, which should have been reduced to ten thousand men in name, had suddenly grown so large.
Thinking of this, Rolex looked up at the young soldier before him.
"Hey, kid. Tell your legion commander I have something to discuss with her."
It had to be said, when Krim received the message, she was quite surprised. Nevertheless, she came to the prison to meet Rolex.
"Good day, General Rolex."
"Alright, alright. I'm your prisoner now—no need for formalities."
Looking at Krim, Rolex waved his hand, then studied her curiously.
"I asked you here because I want to ask something… Why are you doing this?"
"I don't understand what you mean, General Rolex. Are you referring to…"
"I heard it all from that kid." As he spoke, Rolex pointed to the young soldier standing beside them. "You occupied this city, killed its nobles, and distributed their property to the people… Why? Is it simply to win their hearts?"
"You wouldn't be entirely wrong to see it that way."
Under Rolex's probing gaze, Krim remained calm.
"We need strength. But we cannot stand with the nobles and the Council. That leaves us only one choice."
"Indeed. Hermann is a mess right now."
Rolex nodded.
"Hermann is like a rotting loaf of bread, crawling with disgusting maggots. They've chewed holes all through it, until it's barely recognizable… So how do you intend to change all that?"
"I know very well that changing everything won't be easy. In fact, the Inquisitor told me that simply overthrowing the Council wouldn't change the current situation. To solve all this, we must carry out a complete reform from the bottom up. And that is exactly what we are doing."
"..."
Hearing this, Rolex frowned.
"You mean you plan to implement this system in every city across Hermann?"
"Of course."
Krim nodded.
"What we want is to fundamentally change this country, not merely replace one master with another. If Emperor Shira lacks that ability, then even if she regains power, how would she be any different from Prime Minister Stisser?"
"And that's why you're doing all this."
At this, a trace of excitement appeared on Rolex's face. He stared at Krim and spoke.
"Sounds pretty interesting. Why not count me in… what do you say?"
(End of Chapter)