Chapter 37

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The surprise attack on the garrison had failed. As soon as the revolutionaries approached the gates, they were pelted with machine gun and machine gun fire. However, if plan A didn't work, it meant we had to move on to plan B. There was an explosion on the side of the east wall, forming an entrance through which the revolutionaries fell. The soldiers inside the fortress immediately engaged them, and some of the archers that were on the wall began to fire at the revolutionaries from the walls, but they were covered by shields. A battle began, with each side trying to carve up the other.

Leon looked at the carnage that was going on inside the fortress and the rebels who were trying to break through the gates from below. The soldiers and the revolutionaries rushed at each other screaming and started the battle. Experience was on the side of the attackers, and the defenders were taking heavy losses, something Leon was not about to allow.

- Serue! Mia! Help the defenders inside the fortress! I'll take care of the ones outside! - Leon ordered.

Seriu and Mia immediately rushed to help without a word. With the support of the two teigu owners, the defenders will be able to hold the inner courtyard. Meanwhile, Leon will take care of the defence of the main gate.

Some of the revolutionaries have managed to get close to the gate and have already started knocking it down. Leon was not going to give the revolutionaries a chance to break through, so he jumped down from the wall and methodically began to kill them one by one. When the last attacker fell with his neck snapped, he climbed back up the wall to see what was going on inside the fortress. Seriu and Mia, with the support of the operatives and garrison soldiers, had nearly wiped out all of the enemies. Seriu did a rather interesting thing by throwing Koro into the resulting passage, thus giving the revolutionaries no chance to retreat. Mia, aware of her teigu's peculiarity, deliberately got into the thick of the battle to increase the power of her shot, turning the enemies into a sieve.

- Commander, are we going to ask them to surrender? - Nero asked, still firing at the rebels.

- They will not surrender. - Leon answered calmly. - They know very well what will happen to them if they lay down their arms.

- Understood.

The battle was coming to an end. Even the revolutionaries who were cornered fought to the last man, and those who had no way to retreat simply cut their throats to avoid capture. By the end of the battle, only twelve men were left alive, standing near the wall, surrounded by the defenders of the fortress. Leon ordered Nero and the other operatives to shoot them in the arms and legs so they couldn't resist, which they did.

- Capture them! Disarm them! - Leon commanded, and the last attackers were finally disarmed.

***

A week passed after the attack. We had to count the casualties among the revolutionaries and the defenders of the fortress, and the wounded had to be treated. The passage made by the revolutionaries was almost sealed, and the soldiers of the garrison were now training under Nero's command (he had volunteered to do it himself). Leon took over the temporary duties of the garrison commander in the meantime and waited for the new commander to be sent along with the soldiers who were to make up for the losses. As for the captured revolutionaries, they didn't know much about the fortress, mostly saying that they were not so much interested in the fortress as in the food and weapons that were stored there. No new information could be extracted from them, and the next day it was decided to execute them. In the morning at sunrise, nine men (three committed suicide) were put against the wall and then shot in front of all the soldiers of the garrison (later the corpses were fed to Koro, but only a few knew about it).

Sitting in the office of the fortress commander, Leon was playing chess with Mia, waiting for the arrival of the new garrison commander. At the moment, Seriu, at Nero's request, was helping him with the soldiers' training, and now the poor guys had to fight Koro (and separately), and Mia just had nothing to do, so she was free.

- It's weird..." Mia voiced her thoughts.

- What is?

- Don't you think things are going too well? We just arrived at the fortress, and on the same day we uncovered the traitors, and then we beat back the assault.

- I understand your wariness. But what I see here is a series of coincidences that came from a scout I spotted. If I hadn't discovered him that day and if he hadn't kept a diary, we wouldn't have even known about this attack. There's even a name for this kind of phenomenon - the Butterfly Effect - where seemingly insignificant actions can have large and unpredictable consequences.

- You may be right... but I still stick to the rule of thumb: if things are going well, that means they're about to go badly.

- Just don't get yourself worked up or you'll get it wrong.

Leon and Mia were distracted from their game of chess when they heard footsteps outside the door. After knocking, Nero walked inside with Seria, and standing in front of the General, both saluted, after which Nero announced:

- General, the new garrison commander and his soldiers have arrived.

- It had taken them a long time to get here.

Leon put on his cap and left the office, walking to the courtyard. The soldiers had already arrived and Leon only needed to meet the new commander. It wasn't hard to find him - a middle-aged man with colonel's epaulettes was talking to his deputy.

- I hope I'm not interrupting you. - Leon addressed the colonel.

- Not at all, General.

- I understand you're the new commander of the garrison?

- That's right. - He nodded in agreement. - I was transferred to the post of garrison commander by order of Commander Budo.

- I will trust that you will be a more competent commander than the last one.

- I am personally confident of my competence. And if you don't mind, General, I'd like to go over a few details of the attack on this fortress with you.

- Of course. But I suggest we talk about it in private. - Leon suggested we take a look around.

- I agree.

Before leaving, Leon ordered his subordinates to prepare to leave back to the Capital. He recounted the details of the attack to the colonel, and the man drew his own conclusions, sharing his own thoughts on improving the defence. The conversation lasted a couple of hours, after which, having said goodbye, Leon followed to his men. The way back (considering that most of the obstacles had been removed on the way to the fortress) should be faster, so Leon expected to reach the Capital in just two days.

"I wonder if anything serious has happened in the Capital in my absence." - Leon thought as he looked at the road.

***

- Father, I understand, but are you sure going east is a good idea? If someone has left the Capital, they're probably a traitor... You shouldn't worry.

- Don't worry. I warned Generalissimo Budo about my departure to the eastern garrison, and as you know, he trusts me completely.

- Not to mention you two have a good, I'd say friendly, relationship.

- You see, you know everything.

- Still, I can't let you go without proper protection. I'll ask Hector to be your bodyguard temporarily, and I'll also assign four operatives to you.

- Hmm... the teigu owner and the operatives. Good, but hopefully none of them will poke their noses into my business along the way.

- Don't forget, these are my men, Dad. You can tell them to plug their ears, they'll do it, I assure you.

- If that's the case, why don't you borrow that miracle wagon for safety?

- The car," Anna corrected. - Well, I suppose it's possible.

- Glad to hear it. And about your men, do you know when Leon will be back?

- I'm sure it'll be soon. You'll probably still be travelling east.

- Heh... In that case, would you be so kind as to hand over this envelope? - Alexander Volkov slipped his hand into his uniform, pulling out a black envelope, which he handed to Anna.

- What is it?

- A small request. And be kind enough not to open it.

- Don't bother. - said Anna, tucking the envelope into an inner pocket. - It'll get to the recipient in one piece.

- Thank you.

Volkov, along with Hector and four operatives from Alpha Omega, got into the car and left the Imperpol headquarters. Anna stood near the gate and saw her father off, wishing him a good journey.

- Anna!

The girl turned around at the voice, seeing Esdeath, who was watching with interest as the car drove further and further away from the building. Behind the general himself was Ran, whom Esdeath had made her deputy at the expense of his keen mind. Anna didn't want to talk to him - among all the Huntsmen he seemed too normal and easy-going, which made it seem as if she were talking to a talented spy.

- What is this thing? - Esdeath inquired, continuing to watch the departing vehicle with the same interest as her deputy.

- An armoured car. We use them to move quickly. But you didn't come to ask about them.

- There's something I need to ask you about. Can we go to your office?

- Yes, of course.

When they reached the office of the head of Imperpol, the girls went inside, and Ran had to stay outside, because the conversation was, as Esdeath said, "only between two generals".

- What did you want to ask about? If you're wondering when Leon will be back, I'll answer straight away: I don't know, but probably in a couple of days.

- Not really. The thing is, Niau and Stileish have gone somewhere.

- What's that got to do with me? They're your subordinates, and I'm not responsible for them.

- I was just hoping your scouts might have found their trail. If it was only Stileish missing, I'd say he was busy with his research, but Nyau would never disappoint me like that.

- I could send my men to find them. But why? Maybe the doctor decided to treat the boy for the concussion he got after the tournament.

- That's what I thought, but then Stileish would have treated him in his lab at the palace.

- And he wasn't there, I see what you mean... Okay, I'll assign a couple of scouts to look for them, but I wouldn't advise expecting to find them anytime soon.

- Don't worry, I'm pretty patient. - Esdeath said, turning around and getting ready to leave the office. - Oh~, I almost forgot. - She stopped and pulled a notebook out of her pocket and started flipping through it, finding the page she needed and showing it to Anna. - Have you ever seen this symbol, or heard of it?

Anna scrutinised the drawing Esdeath had shown her - a cross with the corners bent clockwise. She took off her cap and compared the Valknut badge with the swastika Esdeath had shown her.

- First time I've seen it...

- Are you sure?

- Esdeath, I have to look at all the scribbles of cultists and symbols of "freedom" of revolutionaries all the time. This is the first time I've seen this symbol.

- I see... but thanks for the answer. - thanked the girl as she was about to leave.

- Wait. Why are you so interested in it?

- No reason... a girl interested me with her story.

- A girl?

- Never mind.

Esdeath left the office, closing the door behind her, and Anna took a piece of paper and drew the symbol there.

- Leon, I don't know how yet... but it's definitely related to you.

- Mistress Anna.

The girl raised her head and looked at the dark figure in front of her.

- There are too many guests today.

- I have some important news.

- Really? What is it?

The ghost, without answering, went to the map, where the whole Empire was depicted, and took a red flag, which is usually used to mark revolutionaries.

- Here they are. - Ghost said, placing the flag on the lands far to the south of the Capital.

- They...? - Anna took one more look at the flag and then she realised. - God... why do you love us so much?