At the head of all the cohorts marched the commander. Unlike the other warriors, his head was not covered by a powerful-looking wooden helmet. It was clearly visible, held proudly high. The commander looked menacing, as if he had been through hundreds, if not thousands, of battles. This was evident not only from his stern face but also from his scars. A slight hint of disdain could be discerned on his face, but it was not clear towards what. He walked freely, as the march did not suit high command ranks. Individuals like him usually moved with a simple, free step, on horseback, or on special transport. Although in some places, it could be noticed that the commander, no matter how hard he tried, could not contain the past of an ordinary soldier he once was. Sometimes, almost unconsciously, he started to march slightly.
“And why did the emperor order to prohibit warriors from entering the main part of the city… It seems that everyone is thrilled only at the sight of them,” said Izi.
“Well, first of all, not everyone! Those who arrived in the city and lived in Illyrion, not Raidarians, spoke poorly of them. I heard it when I went to the tavern with my father. And secondly, my father said that there were many cases when newcomers from other countries or just travelers started behaving disrespectfully towards the warriors. It rarely ended well for them… My father said, ‘It harmed international trade relations.’ I’m not sure exactly what he meant, but because of these incidents, there was eventually some altercation near the eastern passage. Provocateurs attacked the warriors… It affected the residents and the son of the Volstern family… Well, like affected… They say they almost tore apart Volstern’s junior. Few of the victims were lucky enough to survive. And those who survived are afraid to talk about it. They said it was the fault of the criminals who provoked the conflict, but someone saw that it was the border warriors. In short, now there is neither the Volstern Rota nor the border legion warriors beyond the border perimeter.”
“Such a reason… I think I heard this story from older guys Sardi talked to. They kept saying that the world would be better off without the Volstern Rota, or something like that. I don’t think they could say that about a good person.”
“Maybe he wasn’t a good person, but we shouldn’t dismember him now…” said Gek, in slight confusion.
“Well, okay, dismembering him is too much,” replied Izi.
“Here you go!” Gek said, handing over his portion. “I’ve already eaten enough for today.”
“Thank you!” Izzy said with a smile, taking another piece of dried meat.
“Let’s go see what’s happening near the castle. Maybe something more interesting,” Gek suggested.
Suddenly, a female voice from below shouted, “Hector, I’ve been looking for you! Don’t forget that today you have to help Grandma with vegetable cleaning.”
“Let’s go! The last one is a half-cooked chicken!” Gek quickly retorted.
With a smile, Gek immediately dashed forward. Izzy quickly took a bite of the meat Gek gave him, put the meat in the pocket of his pants, and hurriedly followed his friend towards the castle.
Arriving at the location, they took a higher position again. Climbing from the roofs of houses onto the roof of the Ruto family store, which was located on the main square of the city, where phalanxes of empire warriors gathered.
“Phew. So, how did you find it?” Gek asked, catching his breath. “What was more challenging, squeezing through the onlookers crowding the approaches to the square, or jumping from the roof of the red house to the roof of the stable house? I sprained both my feet with that jump, but it was worth it,” Gek said joyfully.
“Both, and at the same time, navigating through the cheering crowd was definitely more difficult. You can try it yourself,” Izzy said, swallowing the last piece. “What’s happening there?”
On the imperial square, phalanxes were lining up one after another, coming from the imperial passage. The cheers of the onlookers, who came to watch the enticing spectacle, could be heard. Bells were ringing in the castle tower and chapels throughout the city, creating an incredible noise. The leader of the imperial legions, approaching the main entrance of the castle, approached the commander of the imperial guard.
“It seems like that commander is trying to enter the castle, but the commander of the imperial guard is not letting them through. Strange,” Izzy commented.
The commander of the guard removed his helmet to show respect and talk to the general. The imperial guard, stationed to guard the entrance to the castle, refused to let the general, who brought an army with him, enter the castle by order of the commander.
The castle guard was equipped differently from the border-offensive legions of the empire. The armor material was the same, the traditional Reinesian wood armor with similar thickness proportions. The only differences were in the color of the attire, the shape of the helmet and pauldrons. The armor of the imperial guard had various engravings, such as the emblem of the emperor’s family – a black giant salamander that inhabits the Reinesian forests. The armor itself had a black hue, in contrast to the wooden-beige color of the ordinary warriors of the Raidersian Empire. The helmet was slightly less cumbersome and at the same time more elegant. The pauldrons were slightly larger and heavier than those of ordinary warriors standing in the square awaiting the general’s orders. Overall, the full equipment of the emperor’s guard was slightly heavier than that of an ordinary warrior, but the guards were among the best warriors, veterans hardened in battles, so the additional weight was hardly felt by them. Also, the guard had golden plates attached to the belt, which could be removed in battle, thus lightening the armor to move faster.
“It seems that the commander is not pleased,” Izzy said in surprise.
“Why are you surprised? He was not in the best mood before. And now they don’t even let him in.”
“Isn’t that the emperor’s brother coming out of the castle? Look, behind the commander of the guards.”
“I didn’t know that the great king Megal returned from his wanderings. It’s just strange that he decided to show up wearing only pants and a crown, but I must say, it suits him,” Gek said.
General Dest, leading the legion of border warriors of the Raidersian Empire, was the first to unsheathe his sword. Then the commander of the imperial guard did the same. The warriors of the imperial guard drew their swords from the scabbards on their backs, and the spear-wielding soldiers blocking the passage directed their spears towards General Dest.
“Why did they draw their swords?” Izzy asked.
“I don’t know,” Gek replied with trepidation.
When it seemed that the situation had reached its peak, the Great King Megal, the brother of the emperor, who stood behind the commander of the imperial guard, unsheathed his sword. This sword was slightly longer than the others, black in color with a gold engraving of a winding vine along the entire blade. The gleam of his royal crown accentuated everything around him. He swung the sword, moved it behind his head in a circle, and while the commander of the guards turned around, he beheaded him with a powerful blow.
“You were too weak, Foron. Even fighting you would have been boring,” Megal said, then turned and entered the Radiant Millennium.
General Dest ordered a few warriors to fully open the castle gates, then looked at the castle guards and ordered them to let his warriors into the castle. After that, several phalanxes entered the castle under Dest’s leadership. Although the guard warriors were bewildered, they couldn’t