A weary historian dies and finds himself in a different world awakened in a life as the notorious young Duke of a southern state. His nation is weakened, his army underfed, and his neighbors revolve around his lands menacingly. No one believes his land is going to hold out until winter.

But this newfound duke is no naive simpleton his enemies recollect. He carries with him the experience of centuries of war and empire, of starting and ending monarchies. From Caesar to Napoleon, from the Mongols to world wars, he has learned from each of them—and his strategy is to make history his very own arms.

He organizes his smashed levies into well-trained formations, rebuilds his castles, and turns his villages into supply centers. Where others see defeat, he senses opportunity. As he triumphs, rumors spread: of a pennant red as winter snow that shall not go to ground, of a bloody duke who writes his name in gore and flame.

Is he a savior who's constructing a new empire, or a tyrant who's going to bring the world to endless war?

The smell of dust and parchment hung heavy in the air. Golden candlelight flickered across the walls, catching on the worn spines of old records stacked high on every shelf. The archives had not seen this much activity in years, not since before the rebellion.


Justinian sat at a long oak table, leaning over piles of freshly written reports. Darius stood beside him, sorting through the latest documents brought in from the outlying villages.


"Well?" Justinian finally asked, his tone low.


Darius hesitated before speaking. "The census is done, my lord. The results are… less than ideal."


"Bad enough," Darius admitted. "Many settlements still haven't recovered from the war. Some villages, like the Bridgeton region, are half-empty, with entire streets devoid of residents. The ones that remain… are doing what they can."


Justinian let out a quiet hum, neither surprised nor disappointed. "And the towns?"


Chapter 82 - Pax Thirella