1 - Campaign's End

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

"Reporting in, sir." 

A 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."

After being granted permission, the soldier made his way inside the tent and gave a quick salute. He remained somewhat tense, but his demeanor did not betray any nervousness. 

"You are... Teves, correct?"

A young man was sitting at the end of the tent, going through various documents that the soldier could identify as his unit reports. He glanced quickly and asked him while signaling him to be at ease. The young man's question came as a complete surprise to Teves. Both his role in the Halfsberg Army and his behavior were unremarkable at best, so getting his name recognized by the highest ranking person in the 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." 

"I see... Let's have it, then." 

The nervous reply was met with a curt response. As the soldier dropped the documents on the table, he elaborated on the state of the current forces, the predictable movements the enemy might take, and the state of morale and supplies for the troops. Being a supply unit and on the backlines, encounters with the enemy were expected to be very rare, barring raids from small sized saboteur units.

"I see. Our situation seems to be highly advantageous. The main force has a few steps to take: hunt the remaining Kingdom forces that may be separated from their main army, scout the area for potential surprise attacks, and provide additional rest to our troops while treating the wounded. However, the battle seems to be as good as done."

"Indeed," interjected the guard. "In the long term, we are most likely going to create strong fortifications in this area in order to have a firm grasp on the surrounding territory, and to act as a deterrent against the Kingdom's forces."

"Well, the last engagement was a heavy blow to their forces. I doubt they will be able to raise troops against us for the time being." concluded the young man, then turning to Teves. "Good job on your report. You may go and get some rest." The young man seemed satisfied with the update on the battlefield. Teves however, was hesitant to leave the tent. 

"Well, it seems that... there is also a letter addressed to Prince Alphonse, from the Palace."

The soldier produced a sealed envelope from a hidden breast pocket and 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 shoulders 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, trying to relieve the tension.

However, the contents of the letter were completely unexpected to him. The contents were short and concise. 

"In light of the achievements obtained in the campaign, Prince Alphonse Halfsberg is hereby scheduled to be relieved from his current military duties, effective immediately, and to be awarded an appropriate reward. His immediate presence is therefore required in the Palace."

Alphonse raised his eyebrow. 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 tried his best not to draw attention to his actions; even the attempt of a flank from the Kingdom they thwarted, he dealt with it by pushing the strategies used and feats worth mentioning to his officials, who were more than willing to take the reputation gain, as he was trying to keep as low a profile as ever. 

"Guadain," he addressed 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 had seen this scenario happen several times: a young nobleman 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 directly involved with it, just by being present, the family could embellish  the story a little, thus serving their intended purpose .

Noticing their expressions, Prince Alphonse smiled and added.

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

"This is a mercenary unit, with only a handful of Halsfberg soldiers, so dividing the reward would breed some resentment among the rest of our forces... And I believe you will still be required 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 who will be left here to pick up the pieces if you don't make your appearance at the palace."

"I know, i know. Don't worry, i don't plan on being a burden to anyone on the front lines. Also, I expect this campaign to end very soon. The border will be consolidated very soon with the added territories, so I expect the next operations to be on the southern border..."

"You mean the Crossroads?" Guadain interrupted. "I apologize for my boldness, 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 soldiers morale, and we will no doubt risk food shortages in the country due to the extended conscription times that would be required ..." 

"I agree, 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 probably be there, strengthening our border."

"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. As luck would have it, the Neutral Lands are large enough to fit a medium sized kingdom, so it's not like it is an immediate threat... 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. Only the goddess knows what kind of commander you'll have starting from now on. I will prepare to leave first thing in the morning. Both of you, enjoy the downtime as much as you can." 

""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 succession, though. Though Sir Alphonse is a royal, but he respects the soldiers, mercenaries 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 were from another world."

Alphonse smiled at the last interaction he heard. Another world? Well, they are not entirely wrong. 

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

"I better get some sleep soon. Tomorrow will be the start of a long trip," Alphonse muttered, as he reached for the bookshelf. He grabbed a couple of books and carefully placed them into a rucksack, preparing for the small journey he had ahead of him.