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Rupilo couldn't feel his fingers any longer. He didn't know if it was from the cold, from clenching his fists too hard or from the fear that had crept into his bones.

When he had watched his warriors charge down the hill full of enthusiasm, he had still been optimistic. They were the elites of Medala's lords, and they had all come together to deal with the threat from the south as one. Yet as soon as they reached the foot of the hill, he had to let go of all his fanciful notions of victory. Like witchcraft, the noisy, inelegant weapons of the southern King Corco droned out their battle drums as they washed away their soldiers like dust in the rain.

When he had watched his warrior charge fail, the numbness had spread from his fingers all throughout his body.

Even when it seemed like they could push through and force a melee, they still failed spectacularly. As if held back by a divine being, his men just couldn't push past an area only a few steps away from the enemy front line. Every time an organized command of his core infantry charged the lines, Rupilo was hopeful once more; and every time, they would fall down as if hit by lightning.

He wanted to make fun of them, wanted to call them incompetent and blame them for his failures, but he just couldn't. Not in the face of such inferiority. Now he understood: even though he had been so careful, it still hadn't been enough. He never should have tried to fight against Corco, in any fashion.

Although his men finally pushed through to the front line, Rupilo's head was spinning and he barely noticed at that point. When his wide-open eyes stared at his collapsed right flank, a numbness had come over his entire body, and he soon collapsed on the floor.

When he came back to his senses, the battle was still fresh in his ear.

”Master!”

A desperate scream, together with the pull of a hand, brought Rupilo back to reality. His eyes still glazed over, he stared at the top of his command tent. If he hadn't recognized the washed-out red colors, we would have had no idea where he was. Before he could fully get his bearings, his personal attendant moved his head into his line of sight, his face filled with worry. Only now did Rupilo understand that he had lost consciousness and was lying on the ground.

”What happened?” he muttered. At least the battle still raged on in his ears, so he couldn't have been out for long. His servant shouldn't have heard the words, but he still answered.

”Master, our right flank has collapsed and the southerners have turned and threaten to encircle our front! We need to go and reinforce the line!” the attendant screamed. Though his face was pale, his eyes were still firm. Of course, bravery was much easier for him. This servant was only a simple warrior, while Rupilo was a mighty lord. Compared to him, what had some warrior to lose? Unlike his attendant, Rupilo couldn't just die here and pretend it was honorable.

He would have to get away, by any means necessary. If only he could escape from the battlefield today, he could still send tributes to the two kings for insulting them and wasting their warriors. Although his estate might face a few lean years as a result, there was no reason to bother with him so long as he remained in his territory for a decade or two, until everyone had forgotten about his transgressions.

Now that he had a proper goal in front of his eyes, life returned to the commander's body, and he finally sat up.

”Retreat,” he ordered in a raspy voice.

”Master, the men are already on the back foot. Our front line has been driven back up the hill and is about to collapse. If we order a full-on retreat now, we will only speed up our demise.” As he spoke with urgency, the servant helped up his master.

”Nonsense, what does some lowly warrior know?” he screamed and threw off his loyal servant's helping hand. Even though his sense of duty was grating, the servant's loyalty was the key to Rupilo's salvation. Loyalty was good, for loyalty made him stupid. And a stupid servant would be easier to take advantage of.

”Tell the second line reserve to step up and cover the retreat of our warriors in the front. Add in the skirmishers as well. They better perform if they don't want to be held accountable for their mistakes at the start of battle. Those commoner skirmishers will join in too, as will those useless warriors with the fake hand cannons from Herak. I don't care how many die, just make sure they can buy enough time for the lords. We can allow much, but we cannot allow King Corco to imprison lords of the central kingdom. We would never live down the shame!”

”What about the warriors?” the servant asked and glanced at the other guards in the tent. These men must have carried Rupilo into the tent after he had fainted.

”What about them?” Rupilo sneered. ”The warriors will be fine! That king always says how much he cares about his people, so nothing bad will happen to them even if they are caught. In the worst case, we will just have to pay a bit of ransom to buy back our servants. The harvest was good this year, everyone will be able to pay that greedy merchant king. Now stop talking back and do what your master tells you!”

Although he looked unhappy, his attendant still lowered his head like a good dog.

”Yes, master. Of course, master.”

”No, wait!” Rupilo called his attendant back before he could leave to relay his master's orders.

”You,” the commander pointed at one of his honor guards. ”You get to relay the orders. Take all other honor guards with you to make sure nothing happens on the way. The battle is chaotic after all. My attendant stays here, there's still much to do if we are to salvage this mess.”

Like good little servants, the honor guards bowed and left without another word of complaint. As soon as they were gone, Rupilo began to take off his armor, to the stunned look of his attendant.

”Why stand there and watch like an idiot?” he scolded while he struggled with his helmet. ”Help me get rid of all this pointless metal.”

Without a word, but with a skeptical frown, the servant helped the lord remove his burdens. Although he looked like he wanted to say something, at last the loudmouth servant had learned his lesson and waited for his master to explain. Rupilo decided to reward him with the greatest honor he could think of.