Pov: Ieuan
Coming off the truck, I swing my coat around and put on my cap. Men saluted with their right fist to their chest as I walked through the camp. Another one followed behind me. "Sir, welcome back. How was the journey?" He replied, hunched over.
"Fine, thank you for asking." I stared at the men around as different tents were set up. Heavy armored trucks stood on standby, and campfire pits were set up for warmth. The soil was wet, and the temperature was freezing. I could see the breath of the men who stood.
Many of the men wore coats, a handgun at their sides, and a small sword. The uniform was a dark blue with a silver lining. It was that of the Lune Empire.
"By the way sir, congratulations on making it to Pope. To think someone from the great Empire of Lune was the first in humanity to do so. It's quite an accomplishment." He held an arrogant tone.
"Are my quarters ready?" I asked, glancing over to the subordinate still following me.
"Oh yes, yes, has been ready for a while." He replied looking at his tablet. His black hair was split and covered a side of his face while the rest was tied back. The hair was split-ended, and he had dark circles under his eyes.
"Lead me to it." I requested, stopping as I turned towards him.
His eyes find it hard to meet mine. "But, sir, there is plenty to do right now." He replied.
"Right now, I need rest. If we are planning on holding the line for when the veil falls, I need to be at my strongest, don't I?" I peered over the man.
Shrinking, he hesitated, his eyes didn't meet mine, "Y-yeah, you are right, sir."
"Then?"
"F-following me..."
Falling back, he led me to my quarters. Looking around, men didn't move; they held stiff, still watching me as I walked across camp. "At ease, return back to what you were doing." I insisted, pinching my temples as strands of my black hair came into my vision. When I did, under my breath, I said, "These noble rules."
Entering my quarters, the hunching man lifted the opening of the tent. I looked around, searching the area. "Do we have liquor?"
"We do." He walked over to one of the storage boxes. The tent was small, with me almost hitting my head. The area had two tables: one in the far back for me to sit at and another in the center. It was a huge table that held the map of the area. As he tried to pour me a glass, I lifted my hand, "Stop, just give me the bottle."
Taking the bottle, I poured the glass myself. "Please leave. I will let you know if I need you." I shoot him away with my hand.
"Of-of course." He walked out of the tent, but before leaving, he took one final glance at me.
Staring at the map, I observed how deep the Sol Kingdom had been pushed up. Swirling the liquor around, I took a sip. After I did, I sighed. "This is going to be boring."
'Why would they put me here? My skills would be much better put to use pushing the enemy back. Not holding it.'
My eyes wandered as I saw the people walk by outside the tent.
'And to think the Church of Numen wanted this as well.'
Looking back at the map, the veil that has been held up for 70 years now was the top priority. The Empire wanted to protect this plot of land and study why huge amounts of Numen gathered here.
My eyes followed the line that the Empire was holding. 'Most of the land has been taken, besides the most northern parts of the Empire. That being the case, this is where we need to hold it. We only had a few more chances before they would make it to the capital.'
I clenched my jaw. 'All because they don't let me do what I do best.'
Taking another sip of my glass, I walked towards my table at the edge of the room. Sitting down, I leaned back and closed my eyes. Upon doing so, I said, "May the gods have mercy on these people."
Men's footsteps started to rumble throughout the camp. After a few more moments, I heard men getting louder; some commotion was happening. Upon hearing this, I groaned.
"Sir! Sir!"
I heard a voice come in through the tents, "Did I not say I would call you when I needed you?" I reeled back my head. "Also, tell the men outside to keep quiet." When my eyes fell back on him, I noticed his intense breathing.
"But sir, I have something important to tell you."
I got up from the chair, "Speak." I took one more sip from the glass before putting it back down on the table.
He finally stood up straight, "The Sol Kingdom, they're pushing up."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "They are?"
"Yes, yes." He took a moment to catch his breath.
"How did they figure out the veil was coming down? I thought it would be a while until they would figure it out."
"I don't know, it was top intel, only a few knew."
I grabbed my chin. 'Interesting...'
I took another sip of the liquor and let out a smile. "So this isn't going to be entirely boring." Looking back at him, I said, "Get the troops ready, we are going to be doing a frontal attack." As I got up and walked towards him, he stared at me.
"Sir?"
"What?" I glanced back down at him.
"Are you going to join?"
I paused, then cracked a smile, "Of course, I am." He smiled. "Now get the men ready for the frontal attack. We will not be getting pushed back."
"Yes, sir," He gave me a salute and left.
As I am about to leave the tent, I look back at the bottle and grabbed it.