victim to their predations. The tragedy was so great that rumors of srasch lurking somewhere inside the kingdom persist to this day.

With the past weighing heavily in their minds, the leaders of the Sacred Kingdom wanted to make sure they had enough soldiers to prevent a repeat of those dark days. The concept was simple in theory, but manning the walls using standard methods would have been too great a strain on the country. The solution was a series of forts, established at fixed intervals along the length of the wall, which were in turn supervised by larger regional fortresses.

The smaller forts were garrisoned with only enough soldiers to delay the enemy. In the event one came under concentrated attack, their main responsibility was to immediately light a signal fire to request backup from nearby fortresses. There were also companies that regularly patrolled between forts that could be used as flexible reserves in a pinch.

Once these new measures were in place, the subhuman tribes stopped attacking the wall.

Despite this improvement, the leaders of the Sacred Kingdom remained obsessively cautious. The string of bastions wasn’t enough to give them peace of mind.

A massive fortress that might intimidate a human was hardly a threat to races double their size or those who could fly. No matter how durably built, no simple stronghold could provide total security against the special abilities of other races.

The holy king at the time was a decisive ruler who wasted little time before starting work on a policy for what to do in the event invaders scaled their great wall. And so the National Mobilization Order was born.

The decree codified the conscription of the Sacred Kingdom’s citizens. Upon coming of age, everyone, regardless of sex, would undergo training as a soldier and have their turn at a post somewhere along the wall. With this system in place, there was supposed to be enough soldiers to defend the land if the subhumans ever attacked.

Furthermore, settlements that grew past a certain size were fortified. This was both so the residents could hold out until the royal army arrived and so the locations could also be used as logistic bases. Thus, the villages and cities of the Sacred Kingdom were strengthened to an unparalleled level, essentially functioning as military bases.

Three large fortresses anchored the kingdom’s line of defense. There were only three gates in the huge, sixty-plus-mile wall, and these imposing bastions defended the critical entry points. They also functioned as barracks for the troops that would reinforce the smaller forts in case of attack. If subhumans attacked in force and the National Mobilization Order was invoked, the large strongholds would also become the marshaling points for the massive armies of citizen-soldiers who would try to pin down the invaders for follow-up pincer attacks.

One of these forts served as the central base.

As the sun sank behind the distant horizon, the reddened earth gradually surrendered to the color of the advancing dusk. With his foot up on the battlement, a man frowned as he stared out at the red earth—specifically toward the hills to the west—before setting his leg back down.

He was a brawny fellow.

Sturdy neck, a bulky chest (obvious even beneath his armor), and muscular arms coming out of his rolled-up sleeves. No matter what part of this man was being described, the only appropriate word was thick.

His face, resembling a boulder exposed to the elements for years, had a feral look about it, perhaps in part due to his heavy eyebrows and stubble. Some might say his tough demeanor was in harmony with his rugged physique, but his eyes ruined that balance.

His beady eyes were those of a small animal, and the stark difference between them and the rest of his body was downright comical.

He craned his head up.

Wispy clouds blew by at a surprising speed. He could spy the starry canopy peeking out from behind the thin veil covering the sky, but it was hardly bright enough to light up the ground.

Breathing in the chilly, early autumn air—mixed with a hint of winter’s scent—made the coming of night feel closer, more immediate. Only a few lingering holdouts of sunlight still colored the horizon as the violet of evening rapidly expanded its holdings.

Turning his back to the hills, the man looked over the faces of the soldiers nearby. Those gathered around him, who believed in him, were all veteran warriors. Yet, even their expressions were slightly slack.

That was only natural. After all, it was the end of a long day of work.

“—Hey, any of you know what the weather observer’s forecast is for the night?” His voice had the depth to match his robust body. The question he raised caused the soldiers to exchange glances. Eventually, one spoke up for all of them.

“Apologies, Your Excellency. It seems like no one here has.”

The burly man—Orlando Campano—sat at a rather low rung as far as rank was concerned.

In the Sacred Kingdom, the ranks of the army were, from lowest to highest: trainee, soldier, soldier first-class, squad leader, company leader, and commander. Of course, depending on each person’s role, there could be less intuitive pecking orders, but this was how the regular soldiers were generally organized.

The rank of squad leader certainly wasn’t high enough to warrant being called “Your Excellency.”

But the soldier who addressed Orlando wasn’t mocking him. It was clear from his attitude and tone that the title was a sign of respect. And that sentiment was shared by all the soldiers present, a group of warriors that exuded power and experience.

“Ah, all right, then.” Orlando slowly stroked his stubbly chin.

“Your Excellency, if you give me the time, I can go ask right now.”

“Hmm? Oh, that won’t be necessary. Our work is done. The rest is up to the next crew.”

Orlando Campano…

A man awarded one of the prestigious Nine Colors by the previous holy king on the merits of his strength alone.

Why was someone of his standing stuck as a lowly squad leader? This boiled down to two problems.

One was

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