March to War
The news that Daphne had regained her voice spread like wildfire through the Silver Eagle Legion. It had barely been a single night, yet the rumor traveled with astonishing speed. The reason was almost comical.
Thanks to Jamie's desertion and subsequent punishment—details that had not yet been made public—the legion had continued its daily routines without incident. As a result, the usual evening patrol assignments still needed to be reported to Daphne. Since issuing orders to the troops had always been the vice-commander’s responsibility, that duty had temporarily fallen to her through simple briefings.
That evening was no different. The soldier who came to Daphne’s tent to report the patrol roster spoke concisely.
“Patrol units one through five are listed here exactly as written. Their sectors run from the fortress walls to the outer edges of the territory.”
The soldier waited for approval, naturally expecting Daphne to nod as she always had. But then—
She deliberately avoided mentioning Jamie. It would only cause confusion among the troops.
“Ah, yes ma’am!”
The soldier answered vigorously at first. But the moment he heard Daphne’s voice, he couldn’t tell if he was dreaming or awake. He left her tent with a bewildered tilt of his head, hung the patrol log back on the barracks wall, and immediately called out to the passing soldiers.
“Wilson, come listen to this.”
“What is it now, Wendell? You went to report to the commander—did she actually speak?”
Among the troops, the phrase “The commander’s talking!” had long been slang for utter nonsense. Today, it was being used in jest once again.
“Yeah.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Y-yeah?”
The two of them kept making the exact sound people utter when they look the most stupid. Their expressions grew more ridiculous by the second.
“Y-yeah?!”
Wilson grabbed Wendell by the collar in disbelief. The armor made it hard to get a good grip, but he yanked at the seams anyway.
“Say that again! You’re not lying, right?”
“I heard it with my own two ears! She clearly said, ‘Proceed as written,’ and ‘From now on, I will personally oversee all patrols!’”
“Did she ever talk before?”
“Of course not!!”
Both men’s brains were working overtime trying to process the impossible.
“Shouldn’t we tell the others?”
“Yeah, we should.”
They were determined to make sure every soldier knew, so no one would accidentally make a mistake out of ignorance. After exchanging glances, the two spent the entire night spreading the news.
And the next morning—
All the soldiers of the Silver Eagle Legion gathered in the clearing in front of the barracks for morning assembly. The usually relaxed faces were now stiff and solemn. They had all heard that their commander had regained her voice.
Hundreds of soldiers stood at rigid attention with hardened expressions. Finally, Daphne stepped forward. The sound of nervous gulps echoed here and there as tension rippled through the ranks.
Daphne herself was nervous. She still wasn’t used to raising her voice. But this was something she had to do. She opened her mouth.
The soldiers buzzed with shock. They couldn’t hide their astonishment. First, because the rumor that Daphne had recovered her voice was true. Second, because her voice was breathtakingly beautiful.
But as Daphne continued, the murmurs died away.
Since this concerned the military, no one dared whisper. They had to listen with utmost seriousness. The very reason they existed as the Silver Eagles was their loyalty to the nation. The revelation that one of their own had served an enemy territory was shocking enough—but the fact that it was Jamie, the most skilled soldier among them and a man who had always shown unwavering loyalty to Seiros, left them speechless.
Upon hearing this, every soldier could only nod. It was the only fitting outcome.
The Silver Eagle Legion was now Daphne’s sole responsibility. But there would be no problems. She had regained her voice, and according to what Bagan had told her, she had received a blessing that granted immense power in all forms of command and leadership.
Finally, Daphne delivered the last piece of news. This one would weigh even heavier on the soldiers than Jamie’s fate.
That was everything she had to say. The final announcement hit them like a hammer. Of course they trained every day in preparation for such a day, but actually going to war was an entirely different matter. More than anything, the shadow of death had finally drawn near.
At Daphne’s final words, the soldiers scattered to their duties. The attack squad leaders, following her orders, headed straight for her quarters. Daphne moved immediately as well, keeping pace with them.
A few of the squad leaders stared at her back as she walked ahead and couldn’t help but recall the past. Eventually, one of them spoke up. War could wait—congratulations came first.
“Commander, I truly am glad for you. To think you’ve regained your voice…”
“Ah, First Squad Leader Vidar. Thank you. You’ve watched over me since fifteen years ago, after all.”
“Yes. No matter how hard I try to forget, I can’t. I’m about to retire soon, yet nothing could make me happier than this auspicious occasion.”
The older squad leaders and soldiers had served in the military since childhood and had personally witnessed Daphne’s history. Vidar was no exception—he had been among the troops that invaded Urwurt back then. So his emotions ran especially deep.
Amid this touching moment, they soon arrived at Daphne’s quarters. The moment they stepped inside, she spoke.
“You’re about to retire. Are you really all right with this?”
Of course, the question was directed at Vidar.
“If I can retire with the achievement of winning a war against the Sog Kingdom, won’t that make for great drinking stories for the rest of my life?”
Vidar was a soldier to his very bones. In truth, war often brought the threat of death so close that fear was inevitable. Yet his thoughts were simple:
The Silver Eagle Legion boasts an undefeated record.
It was true. Ever since its founding, the Silver Eagle Legion had never tasted defeat—not in minor skirmishes or in great battles. Its fame had spread to other nations; merely hearing its name was enough to make some men’s legs tremble. To belong to such a legion was an honor in itself. If one could even slightly add to that prestige, it would be the fulfillment of a lifetime’s wish.
At least, that was what Vidar believed. In fact, everyone who had entered Daphne’s room likely felt the same.
“But the reason you called us here… it’s about the formation, isn’t it?”
The question came from Third Squad Leader Johan.
The Silver Eagle Legion was organized into five attack squads. Each was led by the most outstanding soldier in that unit. First Squad Leader Vidar, whom Daphne had just spoken with, possessed both the greatest experience and the strongest warrior’s spirit. The leaders of the Second through Fifth squads were equally skilled, though surprisingly, Vidar was the only one among them of considerable age. The rest had distinguished themselves from a young age.
Once Vidar retired, the First Squad Leader position would naturally be passed on according to the same principle.
“Correct, Johan. Each squad will be given different roles for this campaign. In particular, the Second and Fourth squads will not join the expedition. They will remain behind to defend De Pruna.”
The two squad leaders nodded at Daphne’s words. But Johan asked with a puzzled expression.
“Why are we splitting our forces? Wouldn’t it be better to strike the enemy with our full strength?”
This was not insubordination. He was simply asking for a clear reason. Daphne calmly explained the situation.
“Originally, this war was supposed to begin with a surprise attack from the Seiros Kingdom. However, because we had to deal with Vice-Commander Jamie’s punishment, a formal declaration of war was issued instead. We had no choice but to divide our forces. We cannot predict when the enemy might launch an attack.”
Her explanation was enough to satisfy the squad leaders.
“Understood.”
“Good. Then I will explain the formation in greater detail. First, the First, Third, and Fifth squads participating in the expedition will board ships and head to the Hardwin territory on the border of the Sog Kingdom.”
“Will we capture that place first?”
This time it was Fifth Squad Leader Randal. Among those present, he was the youngest, yet considered the most promising. Rumors said he enjoyed researching swordsmanship and had even created his own style. Setting that aside, his fundamental skills were exceptional. It had been a long time since the military had seen someone who pursued what he wanted without restraint, so his reputation was excellent.
“No. In this war, our true enemies are the noble faction of the Sog Kingdom. Explaining further would only complicate things, so I won’t. Simply consider the orthodox faction as our allies.”
“A shame, but understood.”
She didn’t know what exactly was a shame, but at least he understood. That was enough.
“In any case, we will launch our invasion of the Tyram territory together with the soldiers from the orthodox Hardwin lands. Since it is the territory farthest from the Seiros Kingdom, they likely won’t be prepared. From that point on, you may run wild as you please.”
Everyone nodded at Daphne’s words. But one question remained. Vidar was the one to voice it.
“But how exactly are we supposed to board ships from De Pruna?”
It was a reasonable question. De Pruna was a basin completely surrounded by mountains. The idea of boarding ships there sounded absurd. There wasn’t even a lake nearby, let alone an ocean.
“Of course we won’t be boarding ships from De Pruna. Third Squad Leader, where is the nearest sea from De Pruna?”
Daphne asked Johan. He answered without needing to think.
“Tarib Village.”
The reason he could answer so quickly was simple.
“It’s my hometown.”
Tarib Village, located south of De Pruna, was a fishing village—and Johan’s birthplace.
“However, the pier at Tarib Village is quite small. It would be difficult for ships large enough to carry an entire legion to dock there.”
Having grown up in the village, Johan knew it well.
“That problem has already been resolved. There’s no need to worry.”
After explaining the roles of the squads joining the expedition and briefly covering the defensive duties of the remaining squads, the squad leaders left Daphne’s quarters. She reminded them to pass the information on to their respective units, then leaned back in her chair with a sigh.
“Haa… I didn’t expect it to be this exhausting.”
After a lifetime of silence, suddenly being able to speak freely was more tiring than she had anticipated.
The person who came to comfort her was Gruon, who entered the room the moment the meeting ended, as if he had been waiting.
“It’s still morning, yet you already look tired.”
“Ah, Lord Gruon.”
She rose from her chair as he entered.
“Stay seated. I only came to see your face. Are preparations going well?”
“Yes. I delivered everything without omission.”
“Then your work here is done. The expedition begins in five days.”
As he spoke, Gruon gazed at her gently. Receiving his stare, Daphne didn’t know what to do and averted her eyes.
“U-um… Did you have something else to say?”
Gruon smiled and said,
“Hmm. Let’s go get something to eat later.”
“Th-that sounds good.”
Having said what he came to say, Gruon left the room. Daphne wondered if that had been his only purpose all along.
That day, Gruon and Daphne shared a lively conversation over a meal—the kind of talk they had never been able to have before.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye. The Silver Eagle Legion now stood ready to march to Tarib Village in preparation for war with the Sog Kingdom.
At the legion’s marching speed, Tarib Village was only half a day’s travel away. If they departed early in the morning, they would arrive before sunset. They were told they would board ships there, but no one had yet explained exactly what kind of ships or how they would board them. It wasn’t being hidden from them—it simply wasn’t something they needed to worry about.
The soldiers simply strengthened their resolve and raised their spirits. They would prove the worth of the swords they had swung and the positions they had steadfastly defended all this time.
And at last, Gruon gave the order.
Bwooooooo—!
At Gruon’s command, the war horns blared, signaling victory. Matching their steps, the Silver Eagle Legion began to march once more—becoming, once again, the terror of their enemies.