Chapter 125
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Chapter 125: Flames of War
Irrefutable achievements, impeccable battle reports.
From that moment onward, no one dared question Midi’s capabilities or challenge the decisions of acting family head Fina Hamilton.
For the generals of the Golden Branch Legion, this bloodless victory struck like thunder. Veterans who had served since the Iron-Blood Duke’s era muttered, "Have I become outdated?" or "Am I truly too old now?"
Whether through reluctant admiration or hidden jealousy, all bowed their arrogant heads.
This was war. Only military merit mattered.
Midi’s accomplishment stood not only as the sole significant victory but also etched itself into Belmar Duchy’s history – an underdog miracle rivaling Fina’s legendary "One City Per Day" feat.
The black-haired boy now rode the crest of unstoppable momentum.
Far-sighted observers like Golden Branch commander Clark recognized Midi’s true power – not the solitary strength of swordsmaster Martin, but a force harmonizing with entire armies. Like a radiant halo, Midi enhanced everything: morale, combat effectiveness, tactical precision, even grand strategy. Where this genius commander walked, armies transformed.
Even the elite cavalry initially resentful of temporary transfer now begged to remain under Midi’s banner.
Fina promptly approved these requests. While generals stood speechless, the Golden Branch Legion’s first special cavalry battalion formed – answering solely to Midi.
What future triumphs awaited this unit in the civil war?
Clark caught himself anticipating the answer.
Post-battle, he abandoned all thoughts of power struggles. The young commander had laid bare every soldier’s desires – from lowliest infantry to ranking knights.
Adventurers crave power. Nobles seek profit. Knights desire honor. Mages pursue secrets. Soldiers? They live for victory.
Midi delivered miraculous victories. For warriors, only one path remained – follow the black-haired commander’s blade.
Yet unease stirred in Clark. As Hamilton’s loyal soldier, if even he considered switching allegiance, what happened when this guardian knight’s fame eclipsed Fina’s? Would Golden Branch troops eventually salute Midi over their true liege?
He snorted derisively. Soldiers shouldn’t ponder politics. Youth’s turbulent currents defied his understanding anyway.
War demanded simplicity: fight!
Midi remained oblivious to the commander’s concerns. Not that he’d care – the Hamilton family’s position solidified daily. With Iron-Blood Duke ailing, Fina Hamilton’s "Queen of Magic" prestige grew unstoppable.
Two days after retaking Flowing Water County, the Hamiltons declared war. Their manifesto accused Noble Council conspirators – led by Sais family – of treason against Queen Skadi.
The Senator’s faction counter-claimed: Queen’s faction manipulated royalty, ignored parliamentary procedure, endangered the duchy.
Thus civil war exploded across Belmar Duchy – Flowing Water’s skirmish becoming wildfire.
Each faction mobilized over 100,000 troops. House Hamilton alone fielded 80,000, their Marquis allies swelling numbers further. Yet no single battle saw massive clashes – the duchy’s fractured feudal territories bred countless smaller conflicts instead.
The Queen’s faction and the Senator’s faction had clashed for centuries. Though their names remained unchanged, the power struggles and shifting alliances among noble families never ceased. By now, the two factions’ territories resembled two giant serpents completely coiled around each other when viewed on a map.
For example, the Hamilton family held lands in the South of the duchy while the Asreks family dominated the North. Similarly, the Sais family found themselves surrounded by Queen’s faction territories, forced to coordinate with allies across enemy-controlled lands.
Though both sides theoretically commanded over 100,000 troops each, no true army gathering could occur. Who would permit enemy forces to march freely through their territory? Even if secret troop movements were possible, what noble family would abandon centuries-old lands just to muster under the Sais family’s banner?
Thus, in this interlocked battlefield where territories overlapped like puzzle pieces, all nobles clung to their lands while fighting border wars. Countless battles erupted simultaneously across the duchy.
Allied noble families fared best, consolidating forces locally to overwhelm neighbors through sheer numbers, seizing territories and gaining strategic advantages. Those caught between enemies could only defend desperately, often losing castles and lands until surrender.
The most determined families, foreseeing inevitable war, had already relocated their members to safer territories. They left behind mobile armies to punch through enemy lines seeking reinforcements.
The duchy became chaos – attackers, defenders, migrating armies and scout troops tangled together. Even renowned generals couldn’t control the chaos, as random troop collisions turned certain victories into defeats.
Power shifted daily like stormy seas with endless waves and whirlpools. Yet a few steadfast strongholds endured like lighthouses amidst tempests.
The Asreks family leaned heavily on offense. Armed with Midi’s past-life Experience, they’d prepared two iron-walled count’s territories guarded by ten thousand troops. Adventurers from Eagle’s Nest raided as strike teams – only the Sais family among neighboring Senator’s factions could withstand them.
The true titans remained Hamilton and Sais families. Their vast territories each held 50,000 troops beyond border guards, clashing daily in endless skirmishes.
Yet Sais’ decline grew apparent. What should’ve been the war’s main battlefield – the Hamilton lands around Daim River and Flowing Water County – became irrelevant. When Sais family head Ferdinand heard of the Iron-Blood Duke’s critical condition, he’d planned to turn that region into a troop-devouring hellscape.
But Midi’s lightning strikes forced the Black Flame Legion into retreat while the Golden Branch Legion surged forward. Though Sais territory had strong defenses, they now faced not just their old Golden Branch foes but also genius commander Midi and the famously powerful Queen of Magic Fina.
"One commander, one city per day" proved no empty boast. Without Alice gathering magic veins, the 30,000-strong army used its many elemental mages differently: low-level magicians fed magic to high-level ones via magic arrays, creating a "human network" channeling immense power to Fina. Her Magic Beam rivaled the strike that destroyed Joseph Castle a year prior.
Sais fortresses crumbled before Fina’s Magic Beam. Combined with Midi’s flawless commands, the Sais family retreated relentlessly.
Most believed the civil war’s end neared. Many Senator’s faction nobles considered surrender – better controlled than dead.
Yet amid this advantage, Midi stayed vigilant. He knew hostile eyes still watched from the shadows, observing the duchy’s turmoil.
