Just as Gezarius was screaming in anger, Werner was crawling out of his room with sleep still in his eyes. Neurath and Schünzel had just awoken as well, and they looked like they had barely dragged themselves out of slumber.
After making sure the third fortress reeked of humans, was crisscrossed with footsteps, and that the bucket was filled with water, Werner had returned to Anheim. He first gave some barebones orders to Behnke and Kesten, who had held the proverbial fort, and then rolled right into bed in his room at the local lord’s manor and fell deep into sleep. He had been nearing total exhaustion.
After mitigating his desperate need for sleep, he exited his room and headed for a meal. Etiquette wasn’t currently on his mind, so when Frenssen and Behnke came to greet him, he answered with a yawn. The two let it slide with wry smiles.
“Ugh, I’m exhausted…”
“You do have the stench of sweat on you,” said Frenssen
“I’ll go bathe soon,” responded Werner with another yawn. After returning home, he had simply stripped off his armor and collapsed into bed. Even he knew he reeked, but he had been at his limits both mentally and physically. Though he did regret dirtying the bed sheets.
“I want to get some things straight.”
“What things?”
Werner’s commands related to what needed to be done if the Demon army broke over the walls. If the town turned into a battlefield, they would need to evacuate its citizens. For that, he ordered for the recruitment of evacuation personnel, related training, and the distribution of guards across the town. He gave just an outline and left the details to Behnke.
“In any case, we need to limit the possibility of civilian casualties as much as possible. It would be best-case scenario if they never got over the walls, but I want you to operate under the assumption that they will.” After giving his orders, Werner sipped his lukewarm tea and took out what he had prepared for them. “And Sir Behnke, Frenssen?”
“What is it, Sir?”
“I leave these to you.” Werner handed each of them a pair of Skywalk Boots.
They looked at him confused. “Um, Lord Werner?”
“Don’t think about it too hard,” he responded, dismissing them with a wave of his hands. “I don’t plan on dying in the battle and losing. Think of this as my duty as deputy count.”
✦ ✦ ✦
If Anheim fell, someone would need to report it, and that report would need to be sent to both the kingdom and Werner’s father, the head of House Zehrfeld. Thus, he had given out two pairs of boots. Werner had no intention of facing defeat, but he also needed to prepare in case something happened to him.
The two exchanged glances before accepting the gifts. “Well then, I shall accept.”
“Thanks. Oh, and if we haven’t caught sight of our enemies yet, call Sir Kesten here.”
“Understood.”
After Werner had downed another cup of tea and finally gotten a moment to relax, Rafed and Kesten entered the room. They exchanged simple pleasantries, then, Werner spoke. “Sir Kesten, I have something to confirm. Have you contacted the capital?”
“Yes. As soon as I saw the smoke signal, I had one messenger leave with Skywalk Boots and sent another just a few hours later.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
While they wouldn’t be assaulted or meet any accidents during their journey, it was possible they could be attacked by monsters once they entered the capital’s vicinity. Thus, sending two messengers at different times was the right call. Werner nodded in approval.
Werner checked up on various matters, giving his approval as needed. Topics included the distribution of personnel, weapons storage, and the securing of supplies. He also ordered that they prepare the catapults.
“What do the townsfolk think of me?”
“They view you as neither good nor bad, I suppose.”
“That’s good enough.”
If they won this battle, the townsfolk would think more favorably of him. Though obvious, there would also be others who were more critical. They did predict an attack by the Demon Commander, and Werner did inform the commune of such, but some of the commoners would criticize him and claim that the Demon army only attacked because Werner had marched forces into Triot. However, Werner was prepared for that.
“Success will bring envy, and failure will bring criticism. You truly are in an unfavorable position.”
“Keep talking like that, and I’ll get depressed.”
As a noble and commander, Werner was prepared for this outcome. Still, criticism never made anyone happy. Kesten’s words had dampened his spirits. His exhaustion may have also been playing a part, but his attitude now was not the type to display to others.
Rafed cleared his throat. “Still, you yanking the Demon Commander around on a string has become the talk of the town.”
“I do need to depend on my popularity after all.”
If their enemy appeared before them as Mangold, the son of the town’s old local lord, some of its citizens might betray Werner. He was thankful for his favorable reputation, since it might keep in check anyone who sought to leak intel. Kesten had already apprehended those who’d been too vocal about their dissatisfaction, but in a long and hard battle, there was still the risk that someone might try to take matters into their own hands.
“When can we expect reinforcements?”
“No clue. Though that’s also our key to deceiving our enemies.”
Gezarius would already be under the assumption that messengers had been sent to Anheim from the capital, and he would have accounted for the time it took to get there and back. But since the Skywalk Boots had allowed them to arrive in the capital and deliver their report on the same day they left, Gezarius would foresee things happening later than they actually would.
By moving from fort to fort, they had already succeeded in wasting the Demon army’s time. The rest relied on the coming battle to defend Anheim.
“Though I must say, you’re quite rank, Lord Werner,” Rafed said.
“So I’ve been told.”
All Werner could do was flash him a wry grin. Reflexively, he brought his nose to his sleeves and sniffed.
Seeing that, Rafed quipped, “You’re gonna drive away your little fiancée acting like that.”
“I don’t have a fiancée.”
“It’s not Miss Lily?”
That question had Werner’s throat close up. He let out an awkward cough and looked at Rafed. “Why would you think that?”
“Really? I was convinced. She may be a commoner, but there are still ways you could end up together.”
“Sure there are, but that’s not the kind of relationship we have between us.”
It was true that he had no fiancée. Partly because he had too much currently on his mind to consider such things, but also because he had been deliberately avoiding the whole matter.
“You might not want to say that outside this room.”
“I know.” Werner responded to Kesten’s sarcastic remark with a bitter grin. He may have been demoted, but Werner was still the heir to a count family. Of course there were women after his money and status.
And in this world, it was the strong men who enjoyed the most attention. While harming a Demon Commander probably had yet to factor into his reputation, he was known in Anheim as an official who was tough on crime. Put plainly, Werner was a target for the ambitious parents and proactive women in Anheim.
Lamenting the fact that such strange rumors could cause trouble for him, Werner stood up to head to the baths. He didn’t know if his avoidance of the subject was due to the multitude of things on his mind or his own desperation to escape reality.