Very few things in the world are more important than magic. A group of good enough mages could solve most problems a city could have, so that was the standard solution. More so, if even one of them had the skills or an unusual element, being called a champion or hero, then it was possible they could manage alone.

  It was simply that convenient, and in war, it was simply the absolute rule.

  Willian Gown had almost no talent for magic, though. He also had no money, family, or even a place to call home. All he had was his wits and the goal of overcoming every single one of the things he lacked.

  Armed with a single sword and some knives in a country that was adopting effective firearms, he was fast to become a mercenary. Just another hired sword, at first, but only at first. Soon, it became clear that he was good at it. Good enough to get him his own company in less than ten years. He became someone who, although not talented at all, was somehow close to being a champion, and then to pulling off the greatest stunt seen until then.

  And for him, that was only the beginning.

  For Willian, even this daring plan, this ‘miracle fort’ as the soldiers were saying, was no more than a prelude. A little plan he was using to show the higher-ups that he could, and would, manage the impossible. It would turn him into a legend, and even the deals he made in exchange for his main weapon would seem small to all he would get from it.

  Or that was the plan, at least.

  “Sir!” One of the grunts borrowed from Lazzos’ military engineer corps entered the command tent and waited at attention.

  “Report” Willian answered as the main strategist and temporary commander of the fort. He was swamped with work after managing to safeguard the position and fight back the weak old knight from the nearby citadel, but he could feel something was going on. Something big.

  “There is a carriage leaving Frercross. The details are fuzzy, but it is a noble one.”

  “Hmmm…”

  A noble carriage could carry some six people, coaches included. Not enough to be a threat unless it was something like that ‘hero party’ Prourene was known for. But they couldn't be here. They were lacking their linchpin, so it would be impossible for them to do much.

  Willian was sure of that. His ambush and cursed blade ensured that would be the case. Still, his intuition was saying that it wasn’t safe to ignore.

  Maybe it was the pressure, but the mercenary could feel a growing dread, and not only because his position in Lazzos was frail. If he failed here, even if he wouldn’t lose his position, he would lose any chances of getting higher. Unless he was utterly crushed after coming this far, of course.

  Should he call for help, then? His company wasn’t around right now. He had to move fast and couldn’t bring the heavy soldiers with similar gifts to him, but he could call them now. They would be here in a few hours if they gave up on the armor, but it was hard to be sure of how well they would do. Soldiers with short blades and no armor weren't the best combination against cavalry, and that was what he had there... They were better at surprise assaults and ambushes.

  If it wasn’t for the fact they had very little cognitive capacity, he could give them other weapons in sum with the ‘dark blades’, but as is…

  This one was the biggest reason he thought the crooked dagger wasn’t as convenient as it could be. They were too short for real battles. If that weird guy had given them guns instead, all would have been much easier. Either that or if they lacked the annoying trait of causing insanity to most who used it.

  Neither option was reality, though, so Willian could only play with the cards he had. If it was such a convenient tool to begin with, more people would be using it and he wouldn’t get this chance. He wouldn't be given such a pricy tool if he wasn’t the only one crazy enough to use them.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Either way, Willian had to react, so the mercenary got up and decided to lead his troops personally against whatever was coming. And that got him to the worst situation possible, one he couldn’t even rationalize.

  He could only think of his overconfidence and of the pain now.

  Willian wasn’t even sure how he was alive, but he knew what he would do after this. And until the moment the soldiers carrying him finally reached a proper hospital, that was all he managed to think about. But then, as he finally recovered enough to move, his situation worsened.

  “You can’t be serious! We only retreated due to the surprise. They would never be able to pull a trick like that again, so…”

  “The senate’s decision is final. They can’t take another hit to popularity this soon. And you wouldn’t be able to pull it off anyway, Willian.” The leader of the Great Republican Army answered the mercenary under his command with indifference. “Having the other summoned hero be a threat was unexpected, so some are already second-guessing the ultimatum. I’m not ignoring your exploits for that, of course, you’ll still be rewarded, but we’ll be pulling out for now.”

  This man was the Supreme General of Lazzos’ Republican Army, Kostantin Vinhail. An efficiency-focused career officer and likely someone who would soon enter the government too. A man of simple appearance, officer garbs, a well-trained body, bald head, and a massive mustache, all covered in an intense complexion. His words alone had weight to sway the parliament and the senate, and using him to soar the ranks was what the mercenary was sure he could do… At least until now.

  He knew the general was a utilitarian and a pragmatic. He was known for his unusual tactics and was never openly defeated, but above both, for the fact he never gave second chances.

  If he saw something wasn’t working and decided it wouldn’t, then he was fast to cut his losses. So, until the next plan came, Willian would be left on reserve, if not sidelined completely. Two options more than unacceptable for the mercenary.

  Someone in reserve would never have a chance of getting some payback on that girl…

  “Please, believe me, general. We need to try cracking that fortress again, that place is the perfect spot, and as long as we prepare against…”

  “We won’t. Getting beaten again would question our worth in this alliance and destroy the senators’ reputations. We’ll go back to the original plan instead.” The general answered while turning away from his subordinate. “The Federation already called for an ‘alliance meeting’ to mock us, so we have to move carefully for now. Don’t waste your life for fame, boy.”

  All the general was saying kept raising the anger of the scarred mercenary much more than he could handle, but he had to keep control. Enough to notice the important detail of all he was told right now, at least.

  “A meeting? They allowed foreigners into one of their cities?!”

  “Obviously not. They decided to amass an army on that abandoned holy site close to the central borders. They’ll have some sort of festival there. Something as stupid as you would expect from religious fanatics.” The general continued while already heading to the door. “Best case scenario, they draw all those pompous nobles out of their castles and both sides destroy each other at some chasm. Worst case, we lose our chance ally as they attract the enemies. Either way, we will get an opening.”

  It wasn’t too hard for Willian to understand what was happening. Since they lost their chance, the people at the Federation decided to try and draw Prourene into a fight by mocking them.

  Not the smartest idea if the strongest country on the continent could move its army and squash the stupid party, but it could work right now. Prourene couldn't move as is, and they would bet on it. It would still be a massacre if someone went crazy and actually redirected all their forces into an assault there, but that would be ideal for his side.

  Willian could think of some other unusual ways to deal with it, but they weren’t things Prourene was known for doing. Or at least, that was what he would think if it wasn't for the so-called duchess he met.

  “Sorry for the insolence, sir, but that’s not happening.” Willian interrupted the leaving general one last time. “If you ask me, then what Prourene will do is…”

  He knew what they would likely do, so he could fight back. It was still a harsh time convincing his employer that his idea was a fair one, but the general wielded with time. Next, though, he would need to convince the crazy people running that ritual to let him in, and even then, the situation wasn’t ideal.

  Still, he had a trap. A few squads of his men who could only follow simple orders due to the erosion of the cursed blades, and a champion from the mountain people, all around a situation that would draw her here. It was still too little. If Willian was as powerful as a hero, he knew this much would fail, but failure wasn’t an option.

  No matter the cost, he would get revenge here.