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Chapter 56
“Alexander! Glad to see you, my boy!”
Holy crap... Mikael himself!
Wonderful!
Did the king of Tevarr have enough gall and belief in my stupidity to lead the army himself?
But no. His next words explained his coming.
“I hoped that my son would head the army, but alas, Kristof broke his leg!”
I nodded, sympathetic. That’s right, his eldest son was a bit older than me, twenty or twenty-two. The youngest wasn’t even fifteen yet, a snotnose.
Would Mikael really entrust a duke with his army? What would keep that duke from using it later, at home, thinking that the crown became him...
No way.
The army was something that a smart king couldn’t lose hold of. A prince, on the other hand, could very well sit on the throne while the father was at war. It wasn’t that complicated, and he would have to gain experience and independence.
I chuckled, thinking that I even felt some pity
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The Demon Chapter 57
By the next night, I was in the camp once again. Tom had covered for me as well as he could, but Mikael had started to worry anyway.Thankfully, there was water in the tent. I poured some on myself, changed clothes, and came out.Where was I?Yep, I went to check the carts that had lagged behind, find out if they had lost anything or bartered for drinks. Was it ununworthy of a prince? Maybe, but at least I would be sure of everything. During wartime, supplies are everything.Troop deployment? I defer it to you.How about we put heavy infantry in the center, cavalry on the left, the ground there is nice, and the contingency force on the right?There’s a forest there, they could hide there.Offense? No way.If the enemy wants to come to us, let them. We’ll wait. Fine, we can advance on them, but later. I’ll rest a bit and then let’s go.When? Well, next morning, or better yet, evening. I barely brou
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“Alex!”Tom saved my life, pushing me away from a blow. Those creatures weren’t as dumb as they seemed. The devourers knew who had summoned them, and had no desire to leave.To remain in our world, green and full of people, the food for their fangs and claws, full of power—wasn’t that a demon’s dream? While I was busy with the second pit, the tentacles from the third one got to us.Tom pushed me aside...and took the brunt of the blow. He tumbled along the ground and stopped motionless, lying like a broken doll.“No!”I didn’t even realize at first that it was me who had cried out.Was he dead?No, his soul wasn’t flying away! And even if it was, I would get it back.I was a necromancer, dammit.Rage and desperation flashed inside me, and my other half got the upper hand. Instead of banishing the devourers with my necromantic power, I immolated them with a stream of scorching flames. It didn’t really matter anymore, though.The second pit closed up with a moist slurp, and I burned the
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The templar flushed with anger, but restrained himself. He realized that strength wasn’t on their side and swallowed the insult. He would get back at me later, if I gave him the chance.“We are going to question the soldiers; in the evening, we’ll speak with you.”It sounded like a clear threat, but I responded with a serene smile.You haven’t seen Argadon yet, you dog.“I’ll be eagerly waiting.”“Then wait,” the templar said curtly to have the last word in the argument and turned his horse back.The colonels stared at me with...fear? Finally, one of them spoke up.“Your Highness, is that really such a good idea, angering the Church? They are powerful...”I shrugged.“Powerful? How many warriors do they have?”The way I put that question seemed new to the colonel. It clearly made him think.“Your Highness...”“My people, colonel, are more important to me than any potential problems with the temple,” I snipped.“We’ll move as intended. We need to reach the river by the evening, or we’l
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