The Sword and The Shadow

"Alissanda, huh?" Leguna muttered as he put down a report.

He had just dealt with the day's reports. Even though the loss of Fort Kesta put Hocke in a passive position, Leguna's best efforts saved the empire from being swarmed by the Stokians on the western front.

That wasn't only due to his and the bureau's efforts in gathering crucial intelligence, however. Alissanda's Goldeagle brigade had performed impressively as well.

Leguna had never seen such a ridiculous unit before. Even though they were only five-hundred strong, they were a full knight brigade's equal. And if they fought one on the battlefield, they would crush it without problem.

The reason the Stokians didn't invade the empire through Fort Kesta was the presence of Goldeagle. Alissanda split his brigade into three units, with him leading the first unit, Jast leading the second, and Lisana leading the third. The second and third units were put in charge of defending the two entrances of Kesta whereas the most elite first unit rushed straight into the Stokian camps.

The first unit of Goldeagle had among the best fighters in it. According to the information Leguna collected, the average stratum of the unit was the 10th stratum! In other words, each and every single knight in the unit was at least as strong as a 10th-stratum warrior and with their unity and discipline, they turned into black holes that swallowed the lives of the enemy nonstop.

That was why despite how Hocke kept sending men to the western front, Alissanda's unit was the one who contributed the most to their defense.

Therein lay something he didn't understand. In terms of military merit, Alissanda was more than qualified to lead a whole legion. But it had been a whole month since Fort Kesta's fall. Leguna had heard a lot about Alissanda's achievements during that time, but Larwin hadn't shown any signs of promoting him. Even General Manhattan seemed to ignore the military genius. Though he had recommended Kurdak for promotion before, he didn't bring up Alissanda even once.

"I wonder how boss and Sis Vera are doing…"

Leguna couldn't help but sigh at the thought.

"Sir…"

Someone knocked on the door. It sounded like Xeno.

"Come in," he said after he rubbed his fatigued face.

"Sir, we found out about the matter you asked us to look into," Xeno said as he put the files on Leguna's desk.

Those were Leguna's private matters. He had used the bureau to locate his equipment, all amazing items, especially those two blades of his. They were quasi-divine level and losing them would be too much of a shame. Not to mention, Gahrona's soul was inside Lighteater. Even though he was quite mad she didn't let him use Host of Darkness to a higher level, he had to admit that he quite missed her in the month she was away.

And now, the search for his items had finally borne fruit.

The report was really detailed. Leguna gave it a simple read and sighed with relief. His equipment were all kept in one place and was taken away by the 23rd prince in line for the throne.

The report stated that Stok's 23rd prince, Sartre wasn't too interested in power. Even though he was already a man in his fifties, he did nothing but fool around and expand his collection all day. It wasn't like he had much of a choice. Jilroan was the longest-living emperor in the history of Stok. Even if he died in a few years, the others in line for the throne would fight for it and he would have to wait until their generation was out of the picture to stand a chance. Sartre believed that he wouldn't have a chance on the throne for the rest of his life, so he took his mind completely off it and decided to live on as a leisurely noble.

Leguna's set of equipment was moved to the millennium capital after Saron's death. Before Jilroan knew what to do with them, Sartre took them and didn't look to be returning it in the short term.

Leguna nodded when he finished reading the report. "Good. You did well."

"It's my honor to serve you, Sir," Xeno said with another bow.

"Then I'll leave the work here to you. Make some preparations. I will be leaving soon," he said after some consideration.

He had long wanted to go retrieve his equipment, so he had made some preparations in advance.

"Why don't you let our agents do it? It might be a little too dangerous for you to infiltrate the millennium capital, Sir," Xeno reminded carefully.

"This is a personal problem so it wouldn't be appropriate to get the bureau to do it. Our informants in the millennium capital can't be activated that lightly. It was my fault that Fort Kesta was lost, so I will make sure we don't repeat those mistakes."

"But after you leave, I'll be here alone."

"I trust you."

He patted Xeno's shoulder. Even though the man was slightly shorter than him, he seemed like a reliable man for his age. Leguna couldn't help but find Xeno to be rather mature.

"I'm really happy with what you've done in the past month," he said encouragingly, "You've seen what Gerd was up to, so I had to let him go. But you're different. I hope you'll learn from Gerd's mistakes. I'll make sure you're treated well as long as you do your job properly."

"Your concern is most appreciated, Sir. I will definitely serve you the best I can."

He bowed hurriedly. He had heard what happened to Gerd. The man was quite dissatisfied to be sent to guard Inniilis and he complained to his subordinates about it when he was drunk.

When the complaints reached Leguna's ear, he fired Gerd without hesitation in a rage. The man wasn't able to even remain in Melindor and had no choice but to go to Lance. Whether Moonshadow would take him in was still uncertain.

From then on, Xeno made sure to act more carefully around Leguna. For some reason, he felt that his boss was a little different since he returned from Fort Kesta. All of a sudden, he seemed double the leader he used to be and ran the bureau like an iron fist. His methods also grew more harsh and sharp. The old happy-go-lucky Leguna, on the other hand, would no doubt bring the bureau to ruin without Arikos's guidance.

"By the way, how's the situation with the north?" Leguna asked.

Even though Arikos returned to Lance, Leguna felt that the petite man had dug a few pits for him to jump into, so he had to be vigilant.

"Everything's going without a hitch. The new barbarian king has begun their southward journey and nothing seems amiss for now."

"Watch that barbarian king well! That fellow was instated by Arikos. If there was a better candidate, I wouldn't have let him become the empire's puppet! Make sure to keep an eye on him!"

"I will."

"Alright. Just prepare for my departure in a few days."

Leguna didn't feel like he needed to be that thorough with Xeno, so he gave a casual brief and left.

……

"Big Brother Leguna, you're back." Eirinn said as she took off his outerwear like a caring mother and put it on the rack before tossing a few pieces of firewood on the brazier.

"Yeah."

He picked away at the snow on his hair. Winter had come to Melindor once more. A few years ago, he and Eirinn would be freezing outside! Back then, he would hug the far smaller girl tight and keep each other warm like two little rabbits.

"Did your lessons go well?" he asked, staring at her face unreservedly.

"Yes. I've more or less mastered my teacher's divine miracles. He said I could become a high-order priestess in less than a year."

"As expected of a divinely favored! You can level up even in your sleep!" he praised.

He kissed her cheek teasingly. His teasing had become both more frequent and more brazen since her recovery. He loved seeing her blush.

"Idiot!"

Eirinn shoved him away as she always did and pounded his chest lightly before escaping the room.

"Eirinn," he called out suddenly.

"What?"

"I'm going to the millennium capital in a few days. I don't want you to worry. It's not dangerous this time! Don't worry!"