Miniarc-Northern Lights-02 (Patreon)
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âI donât want to die, Master.â He hadnât spoken much with Lady Tome but he had the feeling she was a jealous woman. âHave you forgotten the elf has a pure physical affinity? They didnât seemed concerned about it at the feast.â
âSheâs still a woman.â
âIf she wants to be. Healers donât only heal. There are men that pay good money for a little extra length on their sword.â
Sir Polluck laughed, a little Herbanacle sloshing over the rim of his cup as his arm shook. Lancecain winced softly at the waste. âYou know something about that, do you?â
âIâm perfectly happy with what I have. The point Iâm trying to make is that if they can do that, I imagine itâs possible to forge a sword, even if it isnât very durable. Especially for someone with magical talent that belongs in legends. I suppose I should also mention again that I donât particularly want to be the next duke.â
âItâs not about being the duke!â Sir Polluck said, jumping to his feet. âItâs about changing the war. The north has grown soft. It feels like there are more outsiders than us marching in the campaigns and there are orders actively working to curb the war.â
âThey are advocating for more time before the campaigns and forging deeper connections with the rest of the kingdom.â Things Lancecain didnât necessarily disagree with. The way his master looked at him, he could have said that the James needed to burned at the stake and Fort Victory abandoned. Lancecain held up a placating palm and hid behind his cup.
âFewer and fewer titans have been spotted for the past decade.â
âThose are unreliable studies.â If two titans showed up one year, and ten the next, anything between those numbers could show up the third year. There was no rhyme or reason behind it. Anyone that said they could prove otherwise was either arrogant or crazy.
âIâm not talking about any studies. Iâm talking about my own experience fighting in the north for two decades. I can feel it. Those bastards are weakening. And yet, weâre not pushing any farther because weâre weakening right alongside them. Victoryâs founders had to fight three times as hard with a fraction of supplies. Our records show that they brought down ten times as many monsters every campaign. Do you know why Lance?â
âBecause they were better trained and far more reckless?â he replied drolly.
Sir Polluck glared at him. âBecause they believed. They believed in the war and they believed they would win or die trying. Thatâs what the north lacks. Belief.â
Lancecain struggled to keep his expression neutral. The Herbanacle helped. âThere is plenty of belief in the north.â
âBelief? No. Thereâs adherence to tradition. Men and women treading the path of their forefathers. They follow the James because theyâve always followed the James. They fight because they donât know any other way to make a living. But they donât believe.â
Sir Polluck scoffed. âDo you know how the Bleak Moons got their name? Because the campaigns used to be a death sentence. When they left Victoryâs walls, they knew they would come back victorious or they wouldnât come back at all. They didnât compare titan trophies or kill counts or whatever other nonsense the younger knights are doing these days, trying to find meaning in the war. The war should be all the meaning they need.â
âDo you want things to go back to the way they were? Because Iâd have to disagree.â
âNot the way they were. The purpose of a new generation is to improve from the old. My concern is that the new generation of Victoryâs soldiers isnât up to the task. Iâd hoped that a strong leader could turn that around. That youâd turn them around.â
Lancecain shook his head. He didnât think he was the strong leader to bring Victory back to its former glory that his master imagined him to be. He didnât particularly care for the peopleâs state of mind. If he could do his part to keep the people of the north safe and happy, he would be content.
It didnât take a strong leap in logic to understand that his master had selected him for the task as he had no hopes of seducing Alana, and therefore becoming a James, himself. A disturbing thought but he wouldnât fault the man for a little ambition. His means of achieving it were rather tame and heâd never tried to force Lancecain into anything.
âAlana is plenty strong enough to lead Victory into a bigger and brighter future.â
âIâve told you to stop being sarcastic. Your voice is too polite, people canât tell if youâre being serious.â
âI was completely serious. Why do you think I was being sarcastic?â
Sir Polluck dropped back into his chair and took a large pull of his drink. âBesides leading what could be the shortest campaign in the history of Victory and promptly leaving the north? Her father arranged for me to instruct her at the Hall. She refused my instruction, citing that the elf was her teacher.â
Lancecain frowned. He didnât doubt the womanâs ability but learning from someone who didnât share her affinity, and didnât even use spells, would put Alana at a severe disadvantage. âIâm sure she has her reasons.â
âYeah. Love brain. Sheâs building a life for herself outside of Victory. I wouldnât be surprised if she didnât bother to return next winter.â Sir Polluck drained the rest of his cup. Lancecain didnât hesitate to refill it, trusting that his masterâs silence meant he hadnât reached his limit. âCheh. Forget it. A simple knight like me should have known better than to try and meddle with Victoryâs future. Iâll stick to swinging my sword. What about you, my heir? What is in store for your future?â
âIs swinging a sword not good enough for me?â
âThereâs no greater honor. But you can be more. You may not be a duke in this lifetime but you can still change Victory for the better. You donât need a title to lead people.â
Lancecainâs brows furrowed as he felt the first hints of concern. âThat sounds like youâre asking me to start a coup.â
âImpossible. Iâm saying you can fight the idiots trying to make the north sound like a pit of corpses. The young people see the old skeletons whoâve lost their will to fight spouting nonsense about how their lives will be oh-so much better outside of Victory and put down their swords. I almost donât blame them. No one wants that kind of fate. You present another option.
âYouâre young, strong, handsome, and personable. Wealthy too, eventually. The other young knights admire you. Someone like you should be the face of the campaigns, not useless fossils trying to destroy us from the inside.â
Lancecain didnât immediately reject the notion. âI donât know how to be some symbol. Iâm just me.â
âAnd thatâs more than enough. Victory doesnât need heroes or saints. We fight for ourselves. What the younger knights need is someone to rally behind.â
âWell, if youâre asking me to do nothing, I accept.â
âYouâre too old to be a brat. Of course itâd take some work. Youâd be trying to inspire a bunch of empty husks. If they werenât northerners, Iâd tell you it was completely impossible.â
âOh?â
âSoutherners put too much faith in gold. Thereâs no room for anything else.â
âThat so? Well, we can talk about the rest over a meal. You need something on your stomach if youâre going to keep drinking.â
âItâs time to get serious, Lance,â Sir Polluck called, raising his voice as Lancecain entered the kitchen. âI can feel it, in my bones. The north is changing.â