The silence that followed Vivian's sheathing of her blade was thick with unsaid things. The officers shuffled awkwardly, pretending to go back to studying maps, though their eyes occasionally darted toward the tension-filled trio at the heart of the tent.
Fredrick cleared his throat again. "We need to solidify tomorrow's plan. No more detours."
He stepped toward the table and gestured to the map with a callused hand. "The fortress wall is likely to collapse by mid-battle. We need a fallback buffer between the ravine and western cliffs. Someone strong needs to intercept the strays."
Rüdiger didn't miss a beat. "Then let it be me."
He leaned forward, his crimson eyes gleaming. "My mana reserves allow me to blanket an entire quadrant with destruction. No other aura user here can claim that."
Vivian, her posture now carefully still, spoke coolly. "And you want to do that right by the evacuation center. Where the most vulnerable are."
Rüdiger's smile widened. "Their safety is paramount, is it not? Who better than someone as capable as me to ensure it?"
Vivan gave him the benefit of the doubt, "Why don't you set up your destruction quadrant a bit ahead?"
Rüdiger sneered, "Then who would be there if an emergency arises near the evacuation center?"
Fredrick hesitated. The logic, on the surface, was sound. Yet every instinct in him rejected the idea. He opened his mouth, searching for a diplomatic out, but Rüdiger cut in again.
"No one else here has the range or output. You know this."
"That may be true," Fredrick said slowly, eyes narrowing, "but we need to be careful about proximity to the civilians."
Ethan stepped in. "Rüdiger, we still have the mana reinforcers of the castle to reinforce. With your reserves, you could stabilize the net around the southern perimeter."
Rüdiger chuckled, straightening. "How noble of you, Ethan. Assigning me to guard fences while the rest of you charge into glory. It feels as if you want to tie me up to some barrier or fence."
"It isn't about glory," Ethan replied calmly. "It's about protection."
"Glorified babysitting," Rüdiger muttered. "If you're so concerned, perhaps I should take the wall post with your brother. Watch over him while you dote on Valenhart's interests."
Ethan inhaled slowly, nostrils flaring.
"What now? Do you even want to fight?"
Fredrick stepped between them again, jaw clenched.
But Rüdiger wasn't done. He tilted his head, voice oily.
"Still chasing Flora's shadow, Ethan? Valenhart's got her now. Must sting."
Vivian stepped forward like a drawn blade.
"Enough."
Rüdiger ignored her. "Still defending your childhood friend, Vivian? I remember when Ethan had to step in for you."
Her breath caught.
Rüdiger laughed, voice lower now, darker. "Your precious senior guard. The one who thought her womb could bind nobility. Ended up dead. Her brother, too."
Fredrick stilled. Ethan's expression didn't change, but the air around him did.
Vivian's voice cracked. "She was my mentor."
"She was a fool," Rüdiger said. "No place for women in war. Not unless they plan to serve from the bed."
Vivian reached for her sword.
Ethan stepped in, one hand raised.
Rüdiger grinned. "Maybe you should reward Ethan, eh? For defending your honor. Share a bed like a good soldier's prize."
That did it.
Ethan's aura exploded in a golden pulse. The command tent shook. Officers were flung back. Tents collapsed. Only Fredrick remained upright, braced with his own power.
Vivian stood besides Ethan, untouched, in the mana blindspot he created for her. Her eyes wide.
Rüdiger hissed and threw up a mana barrier. The force rocked him.
Despite his strengthened reserves—thanks to the devil's bond with his new infant son—he struggled to maintain it.
Ethan took a step forward.
"Say another word. I dare you."
The tent crackled with pressure, a heartbeat away from detonating into civil war.
Then, as if summoned by fate, a new voice cut through.
"Did I miss tea time or is this part of the pre-battle warmup?"
Micheal strolled in, sleeves wrinkled, a teacup in hand. "Honestly, the dramatics are impressive, but can we maybe focus on the enemy with fangs instead of the ones with bad manners?"
All at once, the pressure collapsed. Aura retreated. Mana flickered out. Officers gasped in relief.
Fredrick straightened. "Micheal. You're late."
"Fashionably," Micheal replied, sipping tea. "Though I must say, the ambiance in here is delightfully murderous."
Fredrick nodded stiffly. "This is Rüdiger Ashford. He'll be reinforcing us."
Micheal's eyes narrowed subtly, the coolness in his expression just a shade from polite, even as his lips curved into a sweet, deceptive smile.
"Ah. No need for introduction, we already met. So you are the reinforcement."
Internally, Micheal's mind still burned with fury. The memory of Magda flinching under Rüdiger's hand, her scent laced with fear, had scorched itself into him. His smile didn't reach his eyes.
Rüdiger blinked, posture shifting with an almost imperceptible stiffness. There it was again—that feeling.
As if this beautiful boy in front of him wasn't prey but predator.
And not the snarling, dominant kind like Ethan or Fredrick. No, Micheal was the kind that watched—coiled, patient, venomous.
Rüdiger could not shake the unease.
His instincts, honed and arrogant, whispered danger. Yet he couldn't point to why.
The boy radiated no threatening aura. But the weight behind that gaze? It pricked at Rüdiger's skin like cold iron.
What Rüdiger didn't say—and Micheal wouldn't reveal—was that the Emperor had never sent Rüdiger as the true reinforcement.
That mantle belonged quietly to the ace hidden up the imperial sleeve. A battle mage of rare ability, still disguised beneath silks and civility.
For now, Micheal watched. Waiting. Plotting.
If Rüdiger slipped, Micheal would be the last shadow he saw.
Rüdiger blinked, eyes narrowing back. The two predators sized each other up, veiled beneath civility.
Even Ethan, ever watchful, took silent note of Micheal.
Just that morning, Micheal had been bloodied and bruised by Rüdiger.
Now he stood flawless—his skin unmarred, posture confident, as if the morning assault had never happened.
Ethan didn't comment, but something in him filed it away for later.
Fredrick turned to the table. "Ethan will lead the herding unit through the ravine. I'll lead the vanguard."
"I'll take the southern wall," Micheal said casually. "Between Checkpoint A and the ridge."
Fredrick nodded. "And the barrier net?"
Micheal turned to Calista and Magda, who had just entered. "I suggest Magda, Dame Vivian, and Mage Calista reinforce the mana net. Their combined affinity should hold under strain."
Fredrick looked around. "Any objections?"
None.
Even Rüdiger, for once, remained silent.
The war map was set. But the true battle was only beginning.