Chapter 117
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Chapter 117: Flames of Civil War
Flowing Water County stood as a crucial border town within the Hamilton Grand Duchy.
Situated along the Daim River – the canal spanning Belmar Duchy’s entire length – it possessed fully developed docks and shipping systems. Located where Hamilton territory met lands of Queen’s faction nobles, with Sais family borders lying fifty kilometers north, this transportation hub became favored by smugglers and merchants alike.
The Hamiltons maintained unusually strong defenses here, garrisoning two thousand troops – matching small city standards. Most Count-ranked nobles kept only three thousand soldiers in their main cities, making this garrison remarkably substantial.
Such military presence normally deterred neighboring nobles from coveting Flowing Water County.
Yet while Fina and Midi negotiated with seven major branches in Rose Mountain City, the Sais family launched sudden assaults by land and river. Tens of thousands breached the border, pushing fifty kilometers into Hamilton lands to capture this strategic town within a day.
Previous border clashes between the two families rarely exceeded thousand-man skirmishes. This massive invasion deep into enemy territory marked not mere friction, but outright war.
When the secret report arrived, all understood immediately: Belmar Duchy’s civil war had erupted without warning.
The Sais family’s boldness despite losing Crimson Flame Legion became clear – with Iron-Blood Duke incapacitated, the leaderless Hamiltons would respond sluggishly amidst potential internal chaos.
As war erupted, hidden plots surfaced:
The Sais family had sabotaged Mandragora shipments to trigger Iron-Blood Duke’s collapse.
They’d poisoned Martin to make him Berserk during the Battle for Honor, attempting to eliminate both Martin and Midi simultaneously.
All evidence pointed to Queen’s faction’s traditional rivals. The timing fit perfectly – exploiting Hamilton disarray after losing their leader.
Yet Midi felt uneasy. The scheme seemed too obvious for true conspiracy.
If Sais possessed such reach – poisoning dukes and manipulating distant honor duels – why hadn’t they dominated Belmar politics long ago instead of remaining second-rate?
Midi sensed invisible eyes watching Belmar’s lands, provoking civil war to let Queen’s and Senator’s factions weaken each other before striking.
The Delos Empire? Other hidden powers?
Though reincarnated, Midi’s previous life offered limited insight – he’d been insignificant during the last civil war, lacking access to crucial intelligence. His current efforts created butterfly effects, making future predictions hazy as glimpsing lighthouse through fog.
He resolved to force hidden manipulators into revealing themselves during the conflict.
One problem remained: would Hamilton’s elite Golden Branch Legion, Belmar’s famed First Legion, obey an outsider’s orders?
As Midi pondered, a fortress as massive as a coiled dragon appeared before their eyes.
Fortress Fulong, garrisoned with twenty-five thousand elite soldiers, stood as the Belmar Duchy’s foremost stronghold dominating the northern territories.
This was the headquarters of the Golden Branch Legion.
True to its name, even a dragon would kneel here!
Such was the Golden Branch Legion’s ironclad pride.
In the towering War Hall supported by pillars too thick for two men to embrace, the Legion’s generals—commanders of five thousand or more—stood in rigid formation. Among them were promising Young Talents and battle-scarred veterans, differing in age but united by their ruthless military bearing.
The hall’s walls bristled with weapons and flags. Every armored general stood like a javelin, hands gripping sword hilts, faces hardened. The atmosphere choked with the tension of an impending battlefield.
Such full attendance of generals only occurred during the Legion’s total mobilizations.
No ceremonies, no greetings—only one question mattered: who would be crushed in this war?
The rules remained unchanged, yet the commander’s seat now held a new figure.
Instead of the fearsome Iron-Blood Duke, a red-haired girl sat there.
None objected to Fina Hamilton.
At eighteen, she’d reached level 36 and conquered a city single-handedly, earning her "Queen of Magic" title. Her combat feats, Hamilton lineage, and forceful personality perfectly suited these battle-hungry generals.
Many believed pledging loyalty to this heir would bring glorious victories. Some privately predicted she’d surpass even the Iron-Blood Duke, becoming the Duchy’s true ruler.
Yet the black-haired boy beside Fina drew skeptical glances.
Midi Asreks—once dismissed as a worthless noble’s son, a political pawn forced upon Fina by the Senator’s faction—now matched her achievements. At eighteen, he too had reached level 36, his rise eclipsing even the Queen of Magic’s fame.
Days earlier, he’d shocked spectators at the grand arena’s Battle for Honor. Not only had he defeated Martin, the swordsmanship champion, but he’d overcome the man’s Thunder Whip technique and subsequent frenzy. Such power hinted at level 50 capabilities!
Rumors swirled that his guardian knight title masked their true relationship—not master and protector, but lovers.
Yet the generals cared little for gossip. Their concern was Midi’s "genius commander" reputation.
Military power was sacred. These generals would die for their leader but brooked no interference in warfare. Now this young upstart stood before them—what would he demand?
The question hung heavy as steel in the air.
Midi surveyed the stone-faced generals, their collective wariness palpable. His lips curved faintly—he’d faced such situations countless times before.
In his past life, as ancient ruins emerged and factions clashed, he’d commanded alliance forces. Uniting territory-jealous generals required one thing: relentless Victory.
Armies guarded authority like scarce rations. But expand the provisions tenfold, and resistance fades. Offer greater glory, broader battlefields, legendary triumphs—soon they’d beg to serve under him.
All depended on strength.
"The Black Flame Legion holds Flowing Water County," Fina stated, turning to her black-haired confidant. "We strike back immediately. Your plan, Midi?"
