1 - Campaign's End

October 5th, Year 305: Halfsberg Kingdom's western border

"Reporting in, sir." 

The soldier announced himself from the the main tent's entrance. The guard inside glanced through the exit of the tent, then turned to his master with a nod. 

"You may come in."
 
"If you excuse me."

The soldier made his way into the tent and gave a quick salute. He remained somewhat tense, but his demeanour did not betray any nervousness. 

"You are... Teves, correct?"

His question came as a surprise to Teves. Both his role in the Halfsberg Army and his behaviour were unremarkable at best, so getting his name recognized by the highest ranking person in this camp came as more than a shock. He now started to become a bit nervous. 

"Ye... yes i am, sir! I bring you the daily report." 

"Let's have it." 

The nervous reply was met with a curt response. As the soldier began, he elaborated on the state of his current forces, the predictable movements the enemy might take and the state of morale and supplies for the troops. 

"I see. Our situation seems to be highly advantageous. We now have a fe steps to take; hunt the remaining Kingdom forces that may be separated from their main army, scouting the area for potential surprises, and provide additional rest to our troops and trating the wounded. However, the battle seems to be as good as done."

"Indeed" intejected the guard. "We are most likely going to create strong fortifications in this area in order to have a firm grasp on the surrounding territory and well as a deterrent against the Kingdom's forces."

"Well, the last battle was a heavy blow on their forces. I doubt they will be able to raise forces against us for the time being." concluded the man, then turning to Teves. "Good job. You may go and get some rest."

Teves however, was hesitant to leave the tent.
"Well, it seems that... there is also a letter. Addressed to prince Alphone, from the Palace."

The soldier produced a sealed envelope from a hidden brest pocket, then presented it to the young man sitting down. Alphonse watched the sealed envelope for a few seconds. Then, noticing the worried expressions of both men in front of him, he simply grinned and shrugged his soulders, while opening the envelope to read its contents.

"I was wondering when i would get summoned to the Palace. Another official would be expected to give his report on the situation sooner or later..." he claimed.

However, the contents of the letter where completely unexpected to him. The contents were short and concise. 
"In light of the achievements obtained in the campaign, Prince Alphone Halfsberg is hereby scheduled to be relieved from his current military duties, effective immediatly, and to be awarded an appropriate reward. His presence is therefore required in the Palace."

Alphonse raised his eyebrown. This is... unexpected. He thought.
He could not find a single reason for his backstage work to warrant any sort of praise, much less a reward. He was even working under the guise of being a sheltered, incapable member of the royal family. Pushing his strategies and feats worth of mention to lesser officials, who were more than willing to take the reputation gain, he was trying to keep as low a profile as ever. 

"Guadain." he adressed to his guard.
"Sir?"
"I was summoned to the Palace. Apparently, i am to be replaced by another officer and rewarded for the work so far. It seems to me they are trying  to put a young noble on an easier task in order for him to gain some free recognition. Politics, as usual." 

Both soldiers gave wry smiles, accepting the explanation. They saw this scenario happening several times; a young noble forcing his way through his connections into a frontline, albeit from a somewhat secure location in order to achieve some fame and recognition. They usually picked either remote places on the battlefield or areas that were recently secured after a successful battle. Even if they weren't direclty involved with it, just by being present, the family can embellish  the story a little, thus serving their intended purpose .

Noticing their expressions, Prince Alphone smiled and added.

"Uhm... I know. I will just refuse the reward and ask for it to be distributed to this unit as combat bonus." he said. Light could be seen in the eyes of Teves, but Guadain sighed in exasperation. 

"I believe you will have to relinquish command and accept your summons, even if you intend to refuse the reward... please, don't make this harder on the other officers that will be left here to pick up the pieces if you don't make your appearance..."

"I know, i know. Don't worry, i don't plan on being a burden to anyone on the frontlines. I expect this campaign to end very soon. This border will be consolidated very soon, so i expect the next operations to be in the southern border..."

"You mean the Crossroads?" Guadain interrupted. "I apologize, but i believe it is too early for the Kingdom to do so. A new campaign so close to the previous one will take a toll on our soldier's morale and we will no doubt risk food shortages due to the required conscription..." 

"Indeed, but do we have a choice? If we leave it be, that border will become very problematic in the future, since it's very close to the neutral lands and three other borders. If it weren't for the Kingdom of Vestia's attack, we would be probably there, strengthening our border."

"True, and the feudal lords cannot be expected to keep those lands secure with just their meager forces..." Guadain agreed. 

"Well, either way, that's a problem for the higher ups to figure it out and for us to follow their lead. I will prepare my sortie. Guadain, it's best for you and the soldiers to take it easy and rest while the new commander does not arrive. I will prepare to leave first thing in the morning. Both of you, enjoy while it is possible." 

""Sir!""
Both men saluted and excused themselves from the tent. As Alphonse was gathering his belongings, he could hear the sounds of men partying and having casual conversations.

"Prince Alphonse is the best! Thank the Gods we were able to have him as our Commanding Officer!" one man commented."

"Yep. It is such a shame that he removed himself from the line of sucession, though. Though Sir Alphonse is a royal, but respects the soldiers and commoners. He even treats us like equals..."

"Yeah. And his ideas on how to manage the supply unit? He is so efficient, as if he was out of this world."

Alphonse smiled at the last interaction he heard. Out of this world? Well, he is not entirelly wrong. 

While thinking about it, some memories came to mind. His knowledge and demeanor has been strongly influenced by those memories, since he came from a very different world, much more advanced tecnologically than the one he was currenlty living. He remembered how in his previous life, he had met a sudden end, by the hands of the woman he loved so much. Alphonse has never told a single soul about his peculiarity; he had clear memories from his previous life. That was also the reason he abdicated his sucession rights, as he wanted no part on the schemming that took place between the nobility of his country. 

"I better get some sleep soon. Tomorrow will be the start of a long trip." Alphonse whispered, as he reached for the bookshelf. He grabbed a couple of books and carefully put them into a rucksack.