The Firebird Legion moved beneath the warm sunlight. Their equipment was uniform for each division, and their solid formation remained perfectly coordinated. The three thousand members of the legion marched on silently under the banners emblazoned with the symbol of a red bird with its wings spread wide. It was almost as if their solid armament and strict discipline served to show how different a real army was from mere soldiers of nobles and mercenaries. Unfortunately, the commander of the army—Baron August—wasn’t as stoic as the legion members.

The distance between the base of the sixth legion and the City of Petrucca was about sixty kilometers. It was a distance that could be traveled within two days. However, despite leaving three days ago, the legion had yet to reach the City of Petrucca. It was because of the nobles who resided in the areas between the military base and the city. Since the residences of the nobles weren’t situated in a straight line, the legion had to keep on changing directions to gather troops from the various nobles. The biggest reason for the delay was the uncooperativeness of the nobles. Since the matter was related to the crown prince and treason, the nobles had no choice but to tread lightly. Just like the knights of the sixth legion, the nobles were also doubtful of...