Chapter 129: Fifteenth Episode: Chapter 2 (2/2)

The sight of it struck a chill into Duke of Andrew's heart, and he quickly returned his gaze to the old man.

”I'm sorry! I shouldn't have brought this up!” Dortmund sincerely bowed slightly to Marshal Robin, ”You must have already received the message of my youngest son's safe return. To tell you the truth, I'm truly grateful for all you have done for my Oscar! It really put me, this father, to shame!”

”Hahaha!” The old man patted the Duke's shoulder, ”Don't mention it, your youngest son is also my student, and he's a pretty good young man! But if he plots a couple more battles like the Saijo Mountain Battle, perhaps this old heart of mine couldn't take it anymore!” Delight was showing all over his face. From the drawer located at the bottom of the seats, he retrieved a bottle of Engels produced Brandy. ”Pop!” He then removed the golden badge pinned in front of his chest to open the bottle of wine.

”Come on! Dortmund, the last time we met you were still a young lad who only cared about girls!”

”Hahahahaha!” Duke of Andrew grew excitement over the old man's enthusiasm and funny remark. He took over the wine bottle and filled their glasses close to the brim.

”To Oscar!” Dortmund raised his glass at Marshal Robin.

”Yes! To that young rascal who's definitely bolder and more daring than his father's young self!”

After a round of stiff drink, both the marshals weren't agitated. On the contrary, the alcohol evened their temper.

”Why are you here anyway?” Marshal Robin asked out of nowhere, ”You don't seem like the kind who like crowds in an activity.”

”Uh…” Dortmund hesitated to answer the question, but he was quick to put on a big smile, ”You got it wrong this time, I'm indeed here to join the crowd. Well, what about you? You certainly are not one who likes the chaos! Moreover, the one being put to death was Marshal Valier Cypress!”

The light went out from Robin's eyes, ”I'm only here to bid goodbye to my old friend. After all, Valier Cypress and I are of the same head family, and we've been through a lot throughout the years. Besides, the one being executed was the stupid Marshal Valier, this fella didn't even have a chance for a comeback! It was exactly his stupidity that allowed Alan to take advantage of him.”

”What… what do you mean?” With extra care, Dortmund sought clarification. He knew that this old marshal hidden in the Imperial Military Academy was a difficult personage to deal with.

”Don't sound as if all this is none of your business! I'm only telling you this because you're Oscar's father!” Marshal Robin cast a dangerous look at Duke of Andrew.

Dortmund adjusted his expression. There was nothing for him to be scrupulous about, as he had said earlier, any doubts regarding past events were only one's psychology playing with their mind.

Seeing that Duke of Andrew remained expressionless, the old marshal gave up and turned his head around.

”Dortmund, I've no idea what's your arrangement with Alan, and I don't want to know about your hazardous plans for the future either, but I really ought to remind you to take all kinds of opinion into consideration. Alan is playing with fire, you know? I haven't notice that earlier but now I realized how much threat he poses being here in the capital!” The old marshal said and pointed at his own head.

”Actually… all these are not that important really, the prioritized concern is about Oscar's future. Perhaps you might think Alan's strategy is practical, but I'm worried if that sly old fox will end up like Valier Cypress!”

Dortmund avoided Marshal Robin's burning stare on intention. He already had so much on his plate, with things happening in his family and matters to that old Kachev. If he had to beware of both Silver Fox Alan and this old marshal who sat opposite him then this trip to the capital truly put him down to the bottom of his luck!

”Why do you think so?” Dortmund couldn't resist the doubts pestering his mind.

Robin shrugged nonchalantly, ”More or less I can guess what evil plans are Alan plotting in his mind. Although he is of high prestige in the army, being the Dean of Imperial Military Academy for numerous years I have fostered my own connections too. Not mentioning those high-ranking military officers in the regionals, more than half of the officers in Imperial Army used to be my students.”

Dortmund shook his head, ”I'm well aware of your power and influence so there's no need for you to show them off to me. You still haven't answered my question.”

”Is there still a need for that?” Marshal Robin raised his eyebrows, ”Although I don't know about the exact content of the correspondence between you and Alan, someone will definitely keep me informed about it.”

Dortmund clicked his tongue. He was completely speechless now.

”You've been taken in! I'm sure Alan's plan is greater than what he revealed to you in the letter!” Robin finally cast his bait.

”Oh?” As expected, Duke of Andrew revealed a confused expression.

”Even I'm aware of this, so don't you think our great Majesty the Emperor will not know?” Marshal Robin looked mockingly at Dortmund, ”Now you should know why you are encountering numerous big problems in Dulin. The reason the Emperor has pressured you was because he picked up some dangerous signals based on the cooperation of Andrew and the military. His Majesty the Third may allow Alan's tricks because his tactics have indeed changed the strategic layout of the Empire. As the master of Titan, the Emperor knew better than anyone that Alan's strategy did no harm to himself! However, if the same thing happens to Andrew…”

Dortmund trembled at the thoughts. Why did Alfa III lay his cards on the table at this inappropriate moment? Marshal of Andrew finally comprehended the mystery of how the Imperial Army could change their usual practice, but Andrew couldn't! By only avoiding the constraints of Titan Code to get to the eastern part of Deiss already triggered the emperor's vigilance. He wanted Andrew to restore their correct profile, he wanted Andrew to bow down to Morisette once more!

If so, how could he explain the internal conflict in his House? Dortmund frowned to think hard but he could only infer that it was a by-product of which Oscar's distress acted as a catalyst! Coupled with Kachev Drakas Ferdinand's teasing…Wait a minute! What was old Kachev's intention really? His position has reached its peak, so was he creating so much trouble in order to become the emperor? It didn't seem quite possible! That illegitimate child made the royal family keep this cabinet chancellor at arm's length, so what could the old man possibly wish for?

Dortmund once again downed the glass of alcohol. Dulin was occupied by a group of monsters, and this was definitely not a place to stay. However, he still agreed to Marshal Robin's inference that if it wasn't for Alan's strategy, he would not have appeared in the capital, then all of these would not have happened!

Alan seemed too frail for his large appetite! He stabilized the southern part of the empire, called the western part his own, gradually reorganizing the northern part of the empire, and also… perhaps the most obscured motive behind all his planning was that he successfully isolated the eastern part of the empire! He managed to isolate Andrew!

However, Dortmund knew Alan's obscure strategy toward Andrew wasn't malicious. In the eyes of most of the Empire's important people, Andrew should only stay obediently in the eastern border. It could also be said that to a large extent, Alan's strategy has been a help to Andrew. Due to the exposure of their ambitions and repression from imperial family, Andrew House's own instability was completely revealed. Dortmund could, therefore, take the right actions to solve the problems; to prepare his people mentally for the debut of his youngest son, therefore, laying down some foundation for his future rule.

If this had been expected by Alan since long before, then Dortmund had to admit that even though they were both marshals he was slightly at the lower hand compared to Silver Fox!

”Dortmund, will you do me a favor?” Marshal Robin broke the long silence, interrupting Duke of Andrew's train of thought. ”Very soon, the Emperor will issue an order for me to become the next Chief of Staff of Imperial Guards, and I want to seize this opportunity to request a demand.”

”What is it?” Marshal Andrew became perplexed again. What was wrong with these old men in Dulin? What was in the thoughts of Marshal Robin now?

”I want the Military Intelligence Bureau to be withdrawn from the Combat Department to be under the control of the Chief of Staff!”

”You must be kidding!” Duke of Andrew widened his eyes, ”Marshal Alan is going to disdain you for this, he will never agree with this idea!”

”That's for sure!” Marshal Robin shrugged with indifference. ”The Military Intelligence Bureau is a real powerful department created single-handedly by him and he will never give it up, but I can't allow his forces to continue expanding in the military either! Do not forget that the chief position of the Military Intelligence Bureau is still vacant, in preparation for young Oscar. I don't want young Oscar to turn into a yes-man of that dangerous person Alan. I think Oscar and the Military Intelligence Bureau under his command must struggle out of Alan's control!”

In the twinkling of an eye, Dortmund understood perfectly the associations between all these. No matter what was Robin's ulterior motive, this suggestion of his was indeed worth considering.

”And so, what should we do to let Marshal Alan give up?”

Robin didn't bother concealing the excitement for the first step of his successful plot. One day, sooner or later, this father sitting opposite him would discover that he had racked his brain trying to mold a proud disciple.

”I will choose an appropriate time to propose this initiative. I know Alan will definitely stand up against my idea of putting the Military Intelligence Bureau under the administration of Chief of Staff, and His Majesty the Emperor might also take his side! So just when Alan and I are each sticking to our guns… Marshal Andrew, you must stand up to suggest another idea! You should propose for the Military Intelligence Bureau to be a complete independent department, separating it from the Combat Department and Chief of Staff to be the third largest unit which would be directly under His Majesty's responsibility!”

Dortmund almost slapped at his thighs at this brilliant idea, it seemed that all of these experienced men of capital Dulin were all extremely interesting figures.

”Let's do it your way, Marshal Robin! Your tactics are impeccable. Out of all the choices he was to be given His Majesty the Third will certainly agree to this compromised opinion that ”I” suggest. Besides, if the Military Intelligence Bureau really becomes the third largest unit and is responsible only to the Emperor, in other words, this new real powerful department will become the second Secret Service Department other than the Imperial Secret Service Department, I'm sure the Emperor must be willing to accept it.”

”You're totally right! However, even so, Alan would still be the person in charge of arranging the personnel placement in Military Intelligence Bureau. This means that it'll still be up to Oscar to fully grasp the forces to lead these secret intelligence agents powerful enough to influence the Imperial Guards!” The old Marshal finished his sentence and patted the shoulder of the Duke of Andrew. ”Let's toast to our child!”

Dortmund could only raise his glass and forced out a smile. It has been too long since he last dealt with a Dulin, and he found himself not working at it with great skills.

***************

O'Neil Andrew Morisette was completely furious! What happened to his courage and physique during the escape? Currently, His Highness Prince couldn't even hold an egg steadily in his hand! He could vividly remember the expression on the Eight Region Second Corps' main physician when he examined his wound. If it weren't for the troop of soldiers completely armed to the teeth and the other two super assassins who were staring closely at the process all this time, the prince believed his physician could have long since labeled him with a black label that indicates a patient was untreatable!

Anyway, having said that, Oscar himself wondered how he endured this ardent process! Not to mention those wounds of knives and swords, those eight injuries incurred by shooting arrows all over his body were already a terribly disgusting sight! Oscar himself almost fainted by the horrible stench emitted when the physician removed that piece of torn cloth from his body. What was even more outrageous was that the physician found half a piece of arrowhead buried in his scapula when cleaning the wound! Oscar's eyes widened at the arrow that had been completely corroded by blood. Oscar couldn't believe how he hadn't felt anything in all these days!

Thinking of last night made His Imperial Highness' face burn with redness! He remembered screaming and kicking like a lady when his physician applied ointment to the wound! If not for the few Second Corp tall soldiers who kept pressing down his arms tightly, he would have long since smashed his fist into the physician's face! Throughout the whole process, he found himself thinking of his friend Percy. It seemed that he should only rely on people whom he trusted and was familiar with when it came to medical concerns.

”Hey! Can both of you stop talking? I'm on the verge of cutting off your tongues!”

Oscar finally expressed his impatience. Using his only good hand, he knocked the head in front and behind of him respectively!

James and Maxime burst out into sly laughter. As the first few fortunate ones to have discovered His Highness Prince, they were assigned by Major General Silvio to… bear a stretcher! However, both the messenger and sentry didn't have any complaints regarding this assignment, instead, they were buoyant all-day long. In order to commend their efforts in discovering the prince and render meritorious military service in the rescue plan, Silvio had submitted to the Imperial Army two requests for the Warrior Medal.

Hehe! The Empire Warrior Medal! In these recent years, only Big Brother Ciel was awarded this reward in the entire Eight Region!

Bubbling over with excitement, James and Maxime talked about all sorts of nonsense under the sun. They were each other's best partners, at the same time each other's worst enemy. Throughout the whole journey with His Highness Prince, these two guys were non-stop arguing over every little trivial matter.

”Your Highness, how do you like the rattan seat?” Maxime asked.

”Hmm!” Oscar replied with a snort. He felt a little strange about his impression toward these two men as he normally wouldn't have gotten along with people who talked too much. Perhaps it could be that James and Maxime rescued him.

”Hehe! In the southern mountainous area, only big heroes and nobles like Your Highness could enjoy this privilege deck chair to go up the mountains! So grand it looks!” James also chipped in.

”He's right, Your Highness! What you're traveling on now is an authentic mountain deck chair, I spent the whole afternoon to build this thing!”

”Hey, I contributed too!”

”You only picked a few rattans, that's all!”

”Bullshit! I constructed the framework!”

”You only…”

”My two Empire Warriors, that's really enough!” Oscar interrupted their banter impatiently. He didn't like how they always seemed to forget his presence once they get into a heated argument.

”One golden Ti! Who can tell me where are we actually heading?” Oscar glanced back at the overcrowded mountain warriors who sandwiched him and then at the surrounding thick woods. He already found himself on the deck chair when he came from unconsciousness.

”Hehehe!” James revealed his gleaming white teeth, ”Your Highness, you asked the wrong person. We're the Empire Warriors, and we'll never bend down to one golden Ti! Commander said it was a top confidential information that we could never reveal to you!”

”Your Highness!” Maxime chirped in again, ”Don't listen to any of James' bullshit, he will spill the secret right away on a hundred golden Ti! This fella is just greedy by nature!”

”Shut your nonsense!” James glared at Maxime from the other end of the deck chair.

”I'm exactly right! If I haven't been watching you, you have long become a deserter!”

”Are you asking for a fight?”

”Come on!”

”...”

Oscar rolled his eyes helplessly. No matter what awaited him, his only concern now was to speed up his recovery so he could return to the arms of his friends and lovers!

The setting reddish sun illuminated the vast sky, making the woods appear to be on fire! Deiss champak trees in the early winter dusk exuded a soft, tranquil fragrance. In the last season of the year, tuberose hidden in the depths of the woods revealed their budding flowers like a bride underneath a veil, shyly standing in a dark corner.

Forest birds spread their wings around as the long winter approached, and they had to seize the time to fill their belly. Squirrels and guinea pigs competed for expanding their territory. They were simultaneously neighbors, but also rivals.

The scenery in the woods gradually cleared up, and field of vision also slowly opened up. A red horizon hovered in the west. The last afterglow of sunset silhouetted against the flames.

The deck chair came to a halt and was rested on the ground. O'Neil Andrew Morisette slowly opened his eyes. Oh God! What was this?

A long queue of knights stretched into infinity, their bodies were drenched in a blood-red glory, proudly displaying their heroic spirits in front of the horizon. These knights centered around a white flag with red stripes, the fluttering perfect lines made the young man narrow his eyes to carefully scrutinize.

Fierce Tiger! Narcissus! But the tiger illustrated on this flag was red in color.

”I want to stand up! I want to stand up!” With his trembling arms, Oscar supported his whole body weight, and finally! He rose to his full height! His knights were waiting for him! He still needed to lead them to assault!

The moment their commander got to his feet, the camp of Fierce Tiger sounded an earth-shattering noise of knives and spears hitting against shields. The loud volume frightened the flying creatures and beasts in the wood.

All of a sudden, a knight sped by from the camp toward the commander. He mounted the warhorse and performed an immaculate salute.

Major General Murat Bedoya handed over the machete and Delin mini cannon Oscar left behind in Saijo mountain Battle to the hand of the commander.

With much care, Oscar received the items. He tucked the mini cannon into his bosom, the other hand grasped tightly around the handle of the machete.

Murat remained silent and retreated with a small step to the side. This moment belonged to the hero.

Facing his thousands and thousands of soldiers, Oscar raised aloft the weapon above his head!

”Andrew Haila!”

Between heaven and earth sounded an ear-splitting cheer.

”Oscar is back!”