CHAPTER 135: REDEPLOYED

Dominic returned to the top of the Keep, and took his usual spot on the sofa.

"How did the repair mission go?" Princess Alexis asked.

"Good. I’ve got the whole Regiment operational again, with some spare rifles for their next engagement. They put far more rounds through those magitech rifles than they were ever designed for, but that’s my fault.

I underestimated what they would be going through." Dominic replied.

James Burton looked up from a map of the area.

"You say that as if you were the one who chose those particular rifles for them."

Dominic nodded. "I chose the design, I made the rifles, and I made the spare parts that got them going again today. But when I was given the task, I was thinking of something more like the Noble Riflemen of the Officer Corps."

The young Marquis sighed and ran his hand through his tangled black hair.

"Nobody expected things to end like this. Magitech is changing everything about warfare. First the rifles, the improved cannons, now airships changing everything about troop deployment.

Nothing that I learned as a boy means a damned thing anymore, and now I have to take up where my father left off." He muttered.

Dominic got to his feet and poured James a drink from the decanter on the end table.

"Here, you sound like you need this. Remember, everyone learned things the same way that you did, so everything is new to all the Commanders, and they’re just making it up as they go.

The whole naval blockade tactic we used with the airships? It’s just the standard naval blockade technique adapted for three dimensions. The same with the riflemen clearing infantry charges and disabling mechanized charges.

There was a saying with the guards in the manor I grew up at. No plan survives the first engagement of the war.

It’s only those who can adapt who live." Dominic spoke slowly and quietly, calming the stressed Nobleman.

The new Marquis Burton sighed. "The Royal Messenger arrived while you were gone.

The Royal Delegation and the Natural Sons have been redeployed. His Majesty is unconvinced about the sincerity of the Dagos Crown, so I am to be left with only my city guards.

Hell, I don’t even have half my staff anymore because they turned traitor, or were sent to infiltrate the Keep."

"On the bright side, you’ve already proven that your city can repel a full assault by the Dagos army without suffering a single breach.

The Dagos Army never set foot in the city when they attacked over the wall.

That has to count for something when they consider whether Burton should be a target again.

Don’t underestimate your city guards. They did a phenomenal job." Dominic informed him sternly, while Princess Alexis smirked at him.

She had been trying to talk him down all day, but he just got more worked up with every new message that they got.

She gave it five minutes before he was going again.

Sure enough, not even ten minutes later, there was a mechanical horse rider at the eastern gate, requesting access to the city. He had information from the King, for the third time today.

"I will go receive the messenger at the base of the tower. Your Highness, I shall return promptly." James announced, then nearly ran from the room.

"He’s a high-stress person." Dominic noted.

"He’s not doing bad, for a new Marquis. Most of them get a transition period to get used to the position, either with a higher Ranking Noble looking over their shoulder and giving guidance, or with their parents present." Princess Alexis shrugged.

"Well, you’re here, aren’t you? Supervised transition is what we’re doing. Probably not as well as we should be." Dominic replied.

"What sort of advice is that, Advisor?"

"Questionable advice. Like my questionable transition training techniques. I’m just making things up here." Dominic joked, while the Princess smiled at him in amusement.

The sound of the guards snapping to attention alerted the pair that things were not as they seemed, and Dominic quickly got to his feet with his hand on the pistol at his hip.

He was trying to look casual, but knew that he was failing miserably when the door opened and the Second Prince, Prince Alex, stepped into the strategy room.

"Relax, I’m not a threat, Advisor."

Princess Alexis stepped over to give her big brother a hug, and the Battle Mage Prince laughed.

"Good work, little sister. Elanor is insanely jealous, and she’s driving us all insane with requests to hear the story of your battle feats. I tried to tell her that your time here would have been in a boring strategy room, but she insists that she missed an epic battle story." The Prince sighed.

Alexis laughed. "Well, I suppose that we do have one somewhat epic battle story, about how the enemy managed to top the wall and send a unit of infiltrators to surround us while we were patrolling the Northern Front.

But I doubt that will be enough to satiate her for long."

Prince Alex smiled and sat down in the swivel chair at the desk.

"Now, I didn’t come here only to escape the attention of our youngest sister. Father is calling the Princesses all back to the Castle for the banquet to officially announce the Armistice. The Dagos Royal Family is in rough shape right now, with the loss of the King and the most powerful Duke in the nation." He explained.

Alexis smirked at him. "Then I suppose it is suiting that you came here to inform me. After all, it was the units under the two of us who were responsible for the majority of this chaos."

The Prince ruffled her hair. "Who said I used a unit? I got news that the King was going to be moving from Albroles to Kinewen, so I ambushed his convoy alone before they could react.

Between you and me, the whole story of the Noble loss in Single combat is absolute Bullshit. He was ninety years old, and intending to turn over the nation the moment that he could find a competent heir.

That was supposed to be after the war on Cygnia was over. Whichever Prince or Duke could prove themselves would have taken over the nation."

"How many Princes did they lose?" Alexis asked.

"Six out of ten. But the four that are left are the smartest of the lot, so there is some hope that they’re not going to cause a fuss at the Armistice signing.

Two of them are currently unwilling guests of the Crown, after all."

Dominic made a mental note of that. The King of Cygnia hadn’t shown any leniency to the invading Royals. Seven Royals dead, two of the surviving four captured, and a forced Armistice without sending a single Regiment across the border.