Some time had passed since Naoto's clash had come to an end. The scenery had changed once again. No longer was it focused on Roer. That city was now dealing with the aftermath of what transpired.
Instead, it now focused southbound.
Back toward Liberl.
This time, it was north of Zeiss. At a very particular location.
Leiston Fortress.
The heart of Liberl's military.
It was well beyond midnight now. Despite the passage of time where most people were now fast asleep, Leiston Fortress operated twenty-four seven. While some soldiers rested inside their assigned barracks, those who were on night patrols were still awake. It was a military site. They couldn't have someone not guard the place. As for how Leiston Fortress was designed, it has a big open field in its center, which was surrounded by large, cement walls.
It looked very similar to a castle, except it had no roof. Instead, several watchtowers and orbal artillery guns could be seen equipped at each station, ready to fend off any attack should one dare send one their way. Only a fool would do so, as even the might of the Erebonian Empire couldn't destroy Leiston Fortress during the Hundred Days War. It was one of Liberl's few structures that never became occupied. It stood that strong.
Leiston Fortress was big, and on a similar scale to Erebonia's Garrelia Fortress. The difference between the two was that Garrelia Fortress was built into the side of a mountain with its base wrapping around it. Here, it was all open, flat ground. The big advantage Leiston had was the fact that Valeria Lake rested beyond its walls. One would have to dig all the way underneath the lake, or fly across it to reach Leiston. Either of which wasn't ideal.
Erebonia attempted the latter during the Hundred Days War, and Cassius greeted them with a fierce counterattack, which ended up in Liberl's favor. Because of that, Leiston Fortress has stood its ground for decades. It was right to call it a behemoth.
Several soldiers clad in green could be seen mending the watchtowers, and patrolling each area within Leiston Fortress. Large orbal lights moved around at a steady pace, making sure no area was left unturned. Every so often, the night soldiers would head back into their barracks to sleep for the night, and have someone else take over. It was all managed in shifts.
While Cassius might now be retired from the Royal Army, those of the likes of General Morgan operated out of here. On this particular night, the security detail was increased several fold.
And for a good reason.
Inside one of Leiston's many rooms within its walls.
One of the Captain's rooms...
Seated behind a desk that was piled up with many papers, a man could be seen with medium-length brown hair, and had blue eyes. He, along with the rest of the soldiers, was clad in green, and also had a beret on his head. Just like with Cassius and General Morgan, this soldier was also part of the Royal Army. A standard-issued saber could be seen equipped at his waist. Very similar to the one Second Lieutenant Schwarz uses back at Grancel Castle.
Except, this man held a higher rank than Julia did. This man was a Captain.
As far as military ranking goes, one starts out as basic personnel, becoming a Private. They would make their way up toward the rank of Sergeant, before their role changes, and become Junior Officers. From there, one would find themselves as a Lieutenant, or in Julia's case, Second Lieutenant. Being a Captain also fell here, such is the man present in the room being shown.
After that were Field Officers. It ranges from Major to Colonel. They would oversee operations and assign troops out to various regions to maintain peace. Colonel Richard falls onto this one. And lastly, there's the High Command, which can issue out the Royal Army by direct command, as long as Her Majesty the Queen approves it. Unlike the Erebonian Empire where it doesn't have direct command of the Imperial Army, within a monarchy, all requests must pass through its royalty, no matter the occasion. It is Her Majesty the Queen who has the last say in matters regarding the military.
In regards to the man in this room, he goes by the name Captain Cid. He is one of the higher ranking officers within Liberl's army, and often is assigned a post here in Leiston Fortress, overseeing its daily operations. Apart from rising up to a Colonel or a General, being a Captain is one of the highest ranks one could achieve.
Presently, Captain Cid had a mixture of emotions in his eyes. Despite that, he kept his demeanor polite. After all, there was a person who donned the Royal Crest of Liberl's Royal Family, the white falchion, who was present before him. A violet-haired boy who turned thirteen earlier this year, but was already over six feet tall. He had a silver-glad rapier at his waist. With each passing moment, a mark of annoyance appeared on Captain Cid's forehead, despite the boy smiling at him.
Of course, that boy is me. I could see Captain Cid's annoyed look, before he spoke out to me.
"So let me get this straight, Your Highness. You want me to draft a man into the Royal Army, who has no prior experience being a soldier, AND you're putting in a request for him to bypass all of our recruitment modules?", Captain Cid asked, acting as if he wasn't sure of what I requested of him.
"Yes.", I said with a firm nod of my head. "You did a good job summing my request up."
I didn't think this would be the first time I get to meet Captain Cid like this, but hey. One more character I got a chance to meet before the story starts! Captain Cid's role is minor during Trails in the Sky, but it is pivotal to Estelle and Joshua's escape during the attempted coup. I quite enjoy Captain Cid's character. I think he even receives a little bit of training from Cassius in the ways of the Eight Leaves One Blade, but it isn't anything to Julia's level, let alone being an official student of the School.
Long story short as to what happened from Roer to now, I had essentially completed the Emergency Mission assigned to me by Campanella. Thanks to that, my Level rose to Level 81, and I got some goodies out of it, including a selectable Master Quartz box. I can literally choose any single one I want! How cool is that?
That Quest went without a hitch for the most part. In regards to leaving the decision to Sharon, she became determined to direct her hatred toward the Gardens' organization as a whole, instead of to the individual.
Because of that, Ace's life was spared. I am not sure if she was referring to the Emperor, or all of the Gardens' Overseers. It would be very interesting to see Sharon clash against him later on.
However, at the time, I had no idea that the Emperor had already forfeited his life to the hands of McBurn.
"Hmm...", Captain Cid uttered, not immediately giving me an answer. Instead, his eyes shifted toward the person beside me. That's right, I wasn't alone in this room. Ace decided to accompany me back to Liberl. He was still in poor condition after being beaten into a bloody pulp from our battle earlier. His condition isn't life-threatening, thankfully. It wasn't hard for Captain Cid to see that he had just come back from a battle. His silence stretched on for a good moment, before his eyes shifted back to me.
"Care to explain the wounds then?", Captain Cid asked, seeing my appearance. It is true I had my normal look on, but my clothes were still quite torn up. Especially around the chest area. Captain Cid saw the large scar.
"A large Cryptid appeared near Erebonia's borders. It took some effort to take it down but His Highness here provided assistance in battle. We took some unexpected damage, but the job's done.", Ace said, explaining what happened to us with a white lie. I couldn't tell Captain Cid that I fought assassins now, could I? That was one of the conditions I gave Ace, should we spare his life. There was one more condition, but I'll get to that one later.
Captain Cid just watched on, only to see his annoyance grow with each passing moment. He reached his hand out, and rubbed the bridge of his eyes.
"Hah...", Captain Cid uttered, feeling annoyed. "You snuck out of the palace again, didn't you, Your Highness?"
"Guilty as charged~", I immediately replied. I stuck my chest out, feeling prideful. And yet, the moment I said that, the person standing beside Captain Cid looked even more annoyed. That's right, Captain Cid wasn't alone. A rather aged man stood beside him, who already had a full set of white hair.
He also was wearing the traditional green-clad uniform of Liberl's Royal Army. Unlike others, however, he had a big red shawl over his shoulder. That was due to the rank he presently held within the Royal Army. This man is General Morgan, who was often seen as Colonel Cassius's rival while he was still within the army. Just like how Captain Cid was reacting to us arriving at Leiston Fortress, General Morgan was equally annoyed.
"Guilty as charged my ass. You're going to sit on the throne one day, Your Highness. You can't keep sneaking out like this.", General Morgan said. I mean, yeah. I can get why General Morgan is worried. I took over the role of inheriting Liberl's throne instead of Princess Klaudia. It will be me who will rise up and become King in the future. If something happens to me, especially within another country's border, it could lead to civil turmoil. I'm treading along a fine line here while mixing myself within the duties of a noble, and working alongside Ouroboros.
"It was a matter that required my personal attention, but I do understand your point, General. Liberl already lost its Crown Prince once within the last decade or two. It would be quite an uproar if that were to happen again.", I said, with a serious look in my eyes.
"So you do understand where I am coming from, Your Highness. You very well know we can't place your life in danger like that.", General Morgan responded with a firm nod of his head. "Still, I did not expect that you would put forth someone of your own recommendation to join the Royal Army. While we do have our own form of a draft, we still give people opportunities to not join. We have modules in place that we cannot ignore. You're asking a lot here, Your Highness."
"I know.", I replied. "Let's just say he's willing to be put to the test, no matter what you send his way. I have high hopes for him.", I continued, grinning.
After I said that, Captain Cid sized Ace up once more.
"We won't go easy on you.", Captain Cid said. "You will be starting from the absolute bottom. The rank of Private. Only after passing through a series of rigorous combat tests. Should you ace them personally, you will skip the training regime we have in place for those who sign up to become a soldier. After tonight, your days of leisure will be over."
"Yes, Sir. I have received the grace of His Highness. I was once a dead man. But now, I will sign up to become a soldier of the Royal Army.", Ace responded with a resolute look in his eyes.
"Haha.", I replied, laughing. "Do your best now to put Hearts in the wringer, alright? I want him up to at least Second Lieutenant Julia's level before I begin my studies at Jenis in a couple years' time. It won't be long now."
"You are definitely expecting a lot here, Your Highness. It isn't that easy rising through the ranks. But if this guy...Hearts, was it? Is anything you claim to be, then I have high expectations of you.", Captain Cid remarked.
"Thank you. I will live to meet up to your expectations.", Ace said, and thanked Captain Cid and General Morgan.
"Haha.", I said, laughing. "Hearts definitely have the strength to do so. He just needs to be whipped into shape first."
Ain't that the truth? And therein lies the second condition I set forth for Ace.
Ace Rayne is a dead man. He's playing things out similarly to how Rufus "dies", and becomes free to explore the world alongside the Picnicking Front.
The man beside me is no longer Ace Rayne, but Hearts, a name I bestowed upon him. At the same time, Ace was willing to become a soldier of the Royal Army. Now that was a decision I wasn't expecting to hear from him. Perhaps what tipped the scales was Ace finding out who I truly was. Naoto von Auslese, Crown Prince to Liberl's throne. At least here, he would have the freedom to do as he pleases. As long as he does his job as a soldier, that is. He was no longer bound by an assassin's creed. In return, the place he was looking for might change down the line.
Instead of potentially settling down in Erebonia, Ace, or Hearts now, might find a new home here in Liberl. We'll see if he can successfully persuade Ace and Nadia in the future to flee the Garden. That part still remains up in the air. For the time being, he'll be put to the test, and become a soldier.
As for how I did, I couldn't help but inwardly smile. I think everything has turned out for the better. Ace didn't need to sacrifice his life, apart from tossing his name aside. If anyone, it might be Alisa who got the short end of the stick here.
Sharon caused Alisa to fall unconscious during the latter half of the fight, and on top of that the Reinford Group was a mess. Thankfully, it was reparable, and no heavy losses happened, apart from a few floors that got blown up in the process. No precious documents were stolen or anything, since we managed to kill everyone. I did want to wait around to see Alisa wake up and all, but that probably wasn't for the best. She only knows my appearance with Child of the Progenitor equipped, and not my actual identity. She likely won't recognize me once I enroll at Thors Military Academy later on.
Regardless, completing the Emergency Quest did unlock Alisa's and Sharon's Favorability. I am Level 81 one now. Only 19 Levels remain to partake in the Vermillion Trials. Gotta get on that grind still! With my Stats already reaching its cap and seeing how Attack Damage and Arts Attack Damage are calculated, I wonder what I will look like once I reach Level 250. Will that even happen, or will the Gamer System evolve in some way where a potential reset could occur? I'm not sure. I'm already powerful enough as it is. I'm much more confident tackling the Vermillion Trials now.
If there's an area that I still lack, it's my swordsmanship. I want to continue developing its foundations, somehow.
As I settled my thoughts for the time being, I saw Captain Cid remain quiet for a good moment after he heard our exchange with General Morgan. In the end, Captain Cid could only sigh.
"You know this is going to create a bunch of more paperwork for me right, Your Highness?", Captain Cid asked me.
"Haha, so you aren't rejecting my proposal then. You won't regret it, Captain. Hearts here has a lot of potential.", I said, and smiled back at him. I truly meant it. Ace is one of the strongest people in Zemuria. Perhaps not to the likes of the Golden Rakshasa, the Scarlet Ogre, or the Thunder God, but a notch down from that level. Captain Cid saw the determination in my eyes, as well as Hearts' eagerness and acceptance.
Captain Cid turned toward Hearts one more time.
"05:00. Do not be even a second late. Any tardiness will be counted as failure to comply, and you will be fired on the spot. There is zero leniency. Understood?", Captain Cid commanded.
"Yes, Sir!"
"Very good. From this moment onward, that will be 'Captain', to you. Do I make myself clear, Private?"
"Understood, Captain!"