For the Rising Sun Vanguard, the results spoke for themselves. Their performance during the reclamation was nothing short of remarkable. Out of thousands deployed, only a handful suffered fatal wounds, and even those were injuries no healer could have prevented. No one among them succumbed to corruption. The abyss had reached for them but failed to claim a single soul.
It was the kind of outcome no strategist dared to hope for.
And so, the Vanguard became a 'miracle' and gained a notorious reputation within the kingdom. Many had secretly resented giving up their land and resources to foreigners for nothing in exchange. The taking in of so many refugees had even faintly damaged the queen's reputation in the court, with many secretly, and even openly, questioning where her true loyalties lied—with the Azure Serpent Kingdom, or with the Rising Sun Kingdom she was born in?
