Chapter 110: Start of War(4)

Luke sat silently in his chair, his hair and clothes being done by two cheery girls. The two cheery girls in question are Finesse and Paulina. Internally, Luke sighed.

'How did I wind myself here?'

Luke received a message from Lance to convene in the royal palace for an urgent meeting when Liam was calming him down on Mount Ceb. He doesn't want to go, but he can't refuse because he is a commander and must be present.

He was then quickly hauled into this room and found himself being dressed up by these two extremely eager women while marching directly to the conference room.

"Uhm, girls, I need to get moving right now-"

"Sush, my friend! His Highness provided us with the opportunity to prepare you!"

"She's right, brother! Even Noah is getting ready! Because you will be representing the kingdom, you both need to look your best."

Luke looked in the glass; he was now dressed in the spotless white commander suit, and the girls were braiding his hair and tying golden laces on his garments, including the golden emblem. It irritates him that he appears to be so saintly.

"I... I believe this is sufficient."

The girls stared at Luke with disappointment as he stood up. Luke simply sighed.

"I have to leave right now."

"Okay, good luck."

"Best friend, I'll see you later."

Luke nodded and walked out the door. Liam met him as soon as he stepped outside. He seemed to have been dragged and dressed up by the servants as well. He appears to be a highly tidy and well-dressed knight.

Liam came to a halt and fixed his gaze on Luke. Luke felt uneasy since he was glancing at his clothes.

"What? Is there a problem with my clothes?"

"No, it's just... This is one of the few times I've ever seen you in white, brother."

Luke scratched the back of his neck after tilting his head.

"Is that so? Well, I think that you're going to see me in one a lot from now on."

• Dad, you look really dashing in that uniform! Very attractive! I like it!

Luke simply sighed and shifted his gaze to the corridor.

'Now where is Lance?'

As soon as Luke thought of that, he saw Lance emerge from a room, surrounded by terrified individuals. He's also dressed up and appears to have taken care of the situation.

Lance exhaled as he finished speaking with the worried administrators, but cringed as he heard heavy footsteps approaching him. He suddenly noticed the holy-looking white-clad commander racing at him, fists clenched. He appears enraged, it is because he is.

Lance wasn't supposed to be worried or scared by this, but for some reason, he automatically walks away. Is he afraid?

"Your highness, where are you going?"

When Lance heard Luke's dark and deep voice, his heart practically sprang out of his chest. He was well aware that he was screwed.

'Damn it, why do I have to meet this person now, of all people?'

Lance noticed that the footsteps behind him were getting faster, so he began to move faster as well. He then tried to come up with a way to calm down that bastard's nerves. He could only think of one thing.

Lance came to a halt and grabbed into his pocket. After that, he threw a golden card at Luke, which Luke caught.

"There! That's my secret card, and it unlocks my second treasure vault! Now don't bother me anymore."

Luke paused for a moment, staring at the card before slipping it into his pocket. Lance sighed in disbelief when he saw this.

He can feel it, he'll be penniless soon.

"What are you doing, you two?"

When Luke and Lance turned to look in the direction of the voice, they noticed Noah suited up. Luke scowled as he examined Noah's attractive black commander uniform. He'd like to put it on as well.

"What are you looking at?"

Luke groaned and shook his head in response to Noah's question. As his face started to become more serious, Lance and Noah became more serious as well. They then wait patiently for Luke to say something.

"All right, here's how we're going to do it."

--------

Inside, the nobles were all silent. Some were panicked, while others appeared calm and worried. The famed Duke Reo's faction, on the other hand, was the most jittery.

Duke Reo Pyron, the leader of the northwest and the second prince's principal supporter. His family is well-known for their well-known martial art teachings and the rebirth of old martial arts. Their popularity is nearly equal to that of the Viscellete.

The Pyron regards the Viscellete as a common enemy. As a result, they chose to support the opposing prince's faction and aims to assist the second prince to improve his reputation and popularity. Normally, at this time, they would have won the faction struggle, but...

But, for two reasons, everything turned upside down.

One was that, because of the impending battle, they were so focused on earning wealth and reputation from the people that they didn't bother to improve the armor or weaponry of their knights and warriors. They reasoned that if they demonstrated to the public that they are not harmless and simply seek peace by ignoring the military, they would receive greater accolades. They were, however, completely incorrect. They do not appear to be in a favorable situation right now.

The appearance of Luke Viscellete was the second. The crown prince's popularity and authority over the people had skyrocketed as a result of his appearance and gains across the continent, leaving them in the dust before they could even fight back.

And now when violent times are approaching, with the crown prince gaining support from the people and Viscellete's backing, they were certain that they would be left behind. That is something they cannot allow to happen.

'First and foremost, we must eliminate Luke Viscellete.'

After that, Duke Reo took a peek around the enormous oval table. Except for three individuals, everyone is present. He then began to glance about.

His gaze was drawn to two important nobles who sits near him. Paulina Trego and Norman Wervey.

When he looked at the two, his eyes squinted suspiciously. They appear to be peaceful, no, they appear to be confident. Why? They're about to go to war, and they're so calm? What's going on in their heads?

In the presence of these two, Duke Reo must maintain his vigilance. The Wervey were thought to be dealing with a scandal, so they temporarily ceased backing the third prince, whilst the Tregos don't support anyone and remain neutral, resulting in a protracted period of power balance between the factions.

However, given the current state of affairs, he can predict that they would begin to cling to someone for survival, therefore he must seize the opportunity to reel them into their faction.

"Your Majesty! The crown prince is about to enter!"

The aristocrats inside flinched and stood straight to show their reverence for Lance's entrance. They all then fixed their gaze on the slowly opening door. Reo could feel his heart leap out of his chest as the door fully opened.

Lance walked confidently into the room, followed by two people dressed in different commander uniform colors. They were the Viscellete brothers, Noah and Luke.

Despite their disbelief, the nobility bowed and sat down to offer their respects. They then sat in their seats and watched the three people walking by. Lance sat at the head of the table, surrounded by Luke and Noah, looking like two loyal and formidable knights.

They appear to be very different entities, with Noah's jet black suit and black hair and Luke's holy white outfit and gleaming silver hair. The same may be said with Lance. For Duke Reo, their appearance is both majestic and horrifying at the same time. Not only that, but the Viscellete brothers' appearance with a member of the royal family made it very clear what this meant.

Duke Reo reached out his hand to beg Lance's permission to speak as soon as he sat down. Lance noticed this and motioned for him to talk.

"Excuse me, your highness, but I'm curious as to why young master Luke is also present."

Lance spoke with a puzzled expression on his face as if he hadn't expected the inquiry.

"Why are you doubting his appearance when he is my trusted brother?"

"N-no! I don't have any qualms about that, Your Highness! I just wanted to inquire as to why young master Luke is dressed in... THAT outfit."

"Are you blind?"

Duke Reo flinched in surprise when Luke abruptly entered the conversation. He then turned to confront Luke, who was waving the golden badge with a bored expression on his face. Duke Reo's face twitched in response to his movements, but he chose to remain his cool.

"How come there are two commanders? Don't we only require one? Isn't it possible that we're going a little too far?"

Luke came to a halt and tilted his head.

"It appears that your mind still believes we are in the era of peace. Let me clear that up for you. Hundreds of people are about to perish at the hands of the Regle Alliance in a three-on-one battle, and you believe this is excessive? To you, what are human lives? Disposable tissues?"

Duke Reo was stunned in the face of Luke's brazen and obnoxious actions. He could no longer bear the humiliation.

"You! How dare you say such a thing to me?! I've been here longer than you have! You-!"

"Exactly, you've been here longer than I have, but it appears that you're still thinking about expanding your faction."

"You're a jerk!"

"Enough."

Lance's strong and heavy voice brought Duke Reo to a halt. When he noticed how Lance was looking at him, he flinched.

"I am warning you not to speak to my younger brother in that manner."

Reo took a deep breath and sat quietly. Lance then cleared his throat and began to talk.

"For those who are unaware, Brother Noah and Luke will be in charge of the Southwest and Southeast armies, respectively. We're doing it to protect the southern borders and fight the Regle Alliance."

Before asking, Duke Reo blinked for a minute.

"T-then, if Duke Noah is in charge of the Southwest, does that mean the Regle alliance will concentrate their offensive power there? And that had to mean Luke would just hold off the attacking in the Southeast until Noah arrived, right?"

Instead of Lance or Luke responding, Noah eventually spoke up.

"Wrong, it's the exact opposite."

"W-what do you mean?"

"Until my brother arrives, we'll hold off the attacking in the Southwest."

"What?"

"Are you deaf?"

"N-no, but why him? He is inexperienced and youthful in these matters. Do you believe it's safe to put our life in the hands of a 21-year-old that came from God knows where?! I admit that he saved countless lives throughout the continent, but this is a different kind of conflict! This isn't going to be a quick fight! There are a lot of people's lives on the line here!"

Lance came to a halt and turned to face Duke Reo.

"Does it suggest you're doubting my judgment in this case? "

Duke Reo quickly zipped his mouth in response to Lance's stern and judging gaze. He can't afford to go up against him right now, especially in this situation.

Norman proceeded to question Luke, who was sitting silently with a blank face, after a minute of awkward silence.

"What is the plan?"

Luke responded calmly.

"Didn't we tell you already? While they wait for our support, Brother Noah will hold off the Southwest."

"Uh no... A specific strategy."

Luke glanced at Norman before smiling.

"The opponents may become alarmed if I give the detailed strategy to all of you."

Inside the room, all of the nobles flinched. They aren't stupid enough to not understand what he's talking about after years of working in the noble circle.

One of them is a spy.

The nobles began to stare at each other warily and with uneasy gazes. Luke smirked as he saw this.

"It appears like everyone understood what I was saying. It would be disastrous if the spy started informing the enemies and causing havoc. Am I correct? Count Persley?"