Bang! Klose slammed his palm onto the map table, sending the miniature pieces on the sand table jumping. “What?! Leave the Guard?!” His raised voice echoed through the command room, nearly lifting the roof.
Ten minutes earlier, Nolan and Hank had just returned to the garrison from the alchemy shop. Before they could even catch their breath, they had summoned Klose and Little Donnie.
Hank placed a brief transfer document on the table. Without even lifting his head, he announced the decision in his signature low, steady voice, “Nolan and I have decided to leave Rosenberg. Starting today, I resign from my position as captain of the Guard.”
He lifted his gaze, sweeping it over the stunned Klose before settling on the equally shocked Little Donnie.
“Klose, you performed well in the defense battle. Your perseverance has earned everyone’s recognition. From now on, the responsibility of leading the Guard and defending Rosenberg is yours.” After a brief pause, he turned to Little Donnie. “As for you, Little Donnie, you’ll serve as deputy. Klose can be rash at times—your job isn’t to charge forward with him, but to hold him back.”
The information was too much to process all at once. The two young men stood frozen.
Klose was still dazed by his sudden “promotion,” but Little Donnie reacted first. Gritting his teeth, he blurted out, “I don’t want it! The truth is, Klose and I were eavesdropping outside that day! Adjutant Nolan is going to do something big! Captain Hank, you’ve decided to go with him too, haven’t you? Then count me in!”
Just a moment ago, Klose had been fuming at being exposed so abruptly, pointing at Donnie and stammering, “You—you—!” But in the next second, realization hit him as well. He slammed the table again, shouting even louder, “I’m going too! You think you can ditch us and go off on your own? No way!”
Hank’s expression hardened instantly, the imposing aura of a seasoned soldier returning in full force. “Nonsense! If both of you leave, what happens to the Rosenberg Guard? What happens to this city?”
Little Donnie lifted his chin, utterly unafraid. “Captain, I’m not like him! I’m an orphan—I’ve got nothing tying me down! Klose is the heir of the Locke family. Now that the lord has fled, Rosenberg is his responsibility! Charging into battle with you is what suits me best!”
Those words struck Klose right where it hurt. His face flushed red with anger, and he was about to argue back when Nolan spoke, “Klose.”
Nolan’s voice was calm, yet it immediately silenced him.
“I don’t doubt your current resolve or ambition. But Captain Hank is right—Rosenberg needs a capable leader. The undead of the Shiva Empire are still a threat. This city needs someone strong to hold the line. This is Captain Hank’s trust in you and his recognition.” Nolan looked at him, then shifted his tone. “And don’t forget your family. According to the wartime desertion clause in the Kingdom’s Lionheart Code, your father, Baron Locke, has been permanently stripped of his noble title. Only the formal notice from the capital remains. By law, you are now the lord of Rosenberg.”
“The lord…?” he murmured. The title his father had abandoned in disgrace now fell upon his shoulders, heavy enough to nearly crush him.
But he was no longer the reckless dandy he once was. War had taught him the weight of responsibility. He knew Nolan was right. This was not the time for impulsiveness.
After a long silence, he finally forced the words out through clenched teeth. “Fine! With all of you gone, this city will be mine to command! I’ve long been sick of you mud-footed commoners anyway! Maybe it’ll be quieter without you!”
He turned and stormed off, his back radiating frustration.
That very afternoon, Hank assembled the entire Guard.
After the war, Rosenberg Guard had rapidly expanded into a force of five hundred. According to the plan, before the first snowfall next year, it would grow to a thousand.
On the training ground, five hundred soldiers stood in orderly ranks, silent as stone. Standing atop the platform, Hank announced the latest appointments.
He himself was stepping down as captain.
Wartime adjutant Nolan and squad leader Donnie were departing.
Klose would assume the role of the new captain, effective immediately, with a notice to be posted across the city.
Throughout the process, Klose’s expression remained stiff and grim. The soldiers were baffled—wasn’t a promotion supposed to be a good thing?
After the ceremony, Hank walked over to Nolan, watching Klose’s retreating figure as he exhaled a ring of smoke from his cigar. “Give him time. He’ll understand.”
Two days later, just before dawn, Nolan, Hank, and the newly included Little Donnie set out, packs on their backs and mounted on horseback, leaving the garrison behind.
It was still early; the entire compound lay quiet.
Little Donnie glanced back and couldn’t help joking. “These guys sleep like pigs. I was hoping someone would wake up to see us off.”
Nolan only smiled and shook his head.
At a street corner in the northern part of the city, the three met up with Leus and his son.
Over the past two days, Leus had already sold off his “Off-Key” alchemy shop. With the money, he had purchased a sturdy carriage, its cargo filled with his precious belongings—bottles, jars, and all manner of strange experimental equipment.
Beside the carriage, a young woman in a neat, fitted dress was methodically securing a crate of potions, each marked with a skull on the label, into the compartment.
“Anna, my daughter,” Hank said, gesturing toward her, pride evident in his voice. “Without her, half the street would’ve been blown up by Leus’ ‘treasures’ by now.”
Hearing them, Anna turned and gave Nolan and Little Donnie a composed nod. She carried herself with calm confidence, showing not the slightest trace of embarrassment at her father’s praise. She didn’t know why her father had chosen to follow someone as young as Nolan, but she didn’t press the question.
Even with two lifetimes of experience, this was Nolan’s first time meeting Hank’s daughter. She was undoubtedly a rare beauty in the southern regions of Elfin. Who would’ve thought that this gruff old man had such a beautiful daughter? Was she even his biological child?
Of course, Nolan didn’t dare ask.
With everything ready, the group set out, heading for the north gate.
But as soon as the carriage rolled onto the main road, Nolan sensed something was off.
Ahead, a crowd had gathered. So early in the morning—what were all these residents doing?
As they drew closer, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, “They’re here!”
At once, the densely packed crowd parted to both sides, opening a path.
Then, voices rose one after another from all directions.
“Captain Hank, safe travels!”
“Thank you! Heroes of Rosenberg!”
“Adjutant Nolan! Come back and visit sometime!”
Inside the carriage, Kreil poked his head out excitedly, stammering to his father, “Dad, they… they’re here to see Mr. Nolan and the others off!”
Riding forward at a steady pace, the group passed through the crowd. Men along the street removed their hats in salute. Women bowed slightly, their eyes filled with gratitude. Some bolder children ran behind the carriage, shouting, “Thank you!”
Nolan and Hank rode side by side at the front.
Nolan glanced at the old soldier beside him. This man of iron still wore a stern expression, but Nolan noticed the cigar in his mouth remained unlit. In that brief moment, Hank’s grip on the reins seemed to tighten. Nolan smiled knowingly, raising his hand to return the crowd’s greetings.
Little Donnie, meanwhile, was flushed with excitement, sitting ramrod straight. For the first time in his life, he experienced what it meant to be treated like a hero.
As they neared the city gate, Little Donnie suddenly cried out, “Look! It’s the Guard! No wonder the garrison was so quiet—they all came here!”
Ahead, beneath the gate and along the city walls, stood rows of uniformed guards. All five hundred of them, every single one, stood in silence, like a forest of steel.
At the front stood the newly appointed captain, Klose. Standing atop the battlements, he looked at the approaching group, took a deep breath, then suddenly drew his sword and raised it high.
A clear, resounding shout rang through the morning air of Rosenberg, “Salute to Captain Hank, Adjutant Nolan, and Squad Leader Donnie!”
Shing! Five hundred soldiers moved as one, drawing their swords in perfect unison. With one hand, they held their blades upright, tips pointed to the sky, hilts pressed against their left chests. It was the most solemn military salute of the Elfin Kingdom.
Klose’s gaze locked firmly onto the three figures below, his voice hoarse with emotion. “Don’t forget! The Rosenberg Guard will always be your roots and your strongest support! For us—carry our glory across the entire kingdom!”
Hank, Nolan, and Little Donnie reined in their horses at the same time. They drew their own swords and returned the salute in kind.
Nolan lifted his head, looking at the young man on the wall who had shed his immaturity, at the five hundred resolute faces behind him—and laughed aloud. “Together, let us reclaim the kingdom’s glory!”
With that, he turned his horse, his gaze set on the distant road leading to Veli City. There lay his first objective—his first step in establishing a foothold within the kingdom.
“Move out!”
Sign up to join the discussion...
Already have an account? Log in
No comments yet. Be the first to discuss this chapter.