Ancient Imperial Calendar Year 1813
Some time before Ricardo's campaign to the Kerbel Forest...
A messenger from the East entered Kislavein Palace. He was breathless, exhausted; his eyes were bloodshot from riding day and night, and he could barely stand.
The messenger entered the magnificent Throne Room of the Kislavein Dynasty. He advanced with slow, weary steps, and after a certain distance, he knelt on one knee.
"I greet the Lord of the Kislavein Dynasty. I am a messenger of the Ashbrum Dynasty."
IV Orsman sat on his throne, looking down at the envoy.
"Why have you come?" asked Orsman.
"The Eastern Territories are under invasion."
Orsman was surprised and asked the messenger angrily,
"Which madman dared to attack a land under my rule? The Turvig Dynasty? The Arfas Dynasty? Or perhaps the Costin Dynasty?"
"No, Dynasty Lord. A mysterious people from the Far East of the Eastern Territories."
Not only Orsman, but the entire Throne Room was astonished.
"Speak plainly," said Orsman in a resonant voice.
The envoy, too afraid even to raise his head—though his fear was not of Orsman—replied,
"We don't know. Some had tails, others had horns, and some even had wings."
Orsman could not hide his astonishment at what he heard.
'What is he saying? Wings, horns, tails? Is this bastard mocking me?' thought Orsman.
Orsman scrutinized the envoy.
'No, he doesn't seem to be lying. Besides, who would lie to an Ancient Dynasty Lord?'
Orsman would soon realize he was not wrong in his thoughts.
Matherlous, the Theology Master of the Blood Academy, asked for the floor and stepped forward.
"Dynasty Lord, this messenger's words resemble the Devils described in the Ancient Empire's Holy Scriptures."
A deathly silence fell upon the hall. Everyone thought to themselves, 'Devils?'
"Explain, Matherlous. What are these Devils?"
Matherlous moved to the very center of the Throne Hall and spoke in a loud voice so all could hear.
"According to the Ancient Empire's Holy Scriptures, Devils are a race with wings, horns, and tails, the source of all evil. They must be slaughtered wherever they are seen."
Henryk Kislavein, the Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guards present in the hall, asked curiously,
"Does this race truly exist?"
The envoy interjected without being given the floor,
"Yes, they exist! We saw them with our own eyes! They were horrible! They were merciless! They— cough!"
Orsman began to choke the envoy with magic.
"Did I give you permission to speak, insolent dog?"
After a moment, Orsman released the messenger. With a stern expression and a firm voice, he said,
"Get out of my sight. And don't you dare show your face until I command it, you insolent dog."
The Ashbrum messenger left the room.
Orsman and the Kislavein dignitaries in the hall, horrified by the words of the messenger and Matherlous, plunged into a heated debate.
"Dynasty Lord, could this be true?" said Fraud Kislavein.
Orsman was also bewildered. He scratched his chin with his hand.
"I don't think he's lying. The punishment for lying to an Ancient Dynasty Lord is execution, extending to nine generations of relatives."
Krael Kislavein asked for permission to speak and stepped forward.
"Then what are your orders, Dynasty Lord? Shall we prepare for a campaign?"
"How many soldiers do we have?" asked Orsman.
Tyrel Kislavein asked for the floor and stepped forward.
"We have 400 legions of soldiers, Dynasty Lord."
Orsman thought for a while. Silence fell over the Throne Hall. Everyone focused on the words that would come from Orsman's lips.
Orsman stood up, drew his sword from its scabbard, and raised it before him. He spoke in a booming voice:
"Prepare for the campaign! We will march to the Eastern Territories with 300 legions!"
The Western Dynasty Lords in the hall bowed their heads.
"AS YOU COMMAND, DYNASTY LORD!"
Orsman left the throne room and headed towards his study.
As he walked through the palace corridors, Orsman turned to the guard beside him.
"Go, summon my son Ricardo to my study."
The guard bowed his head.
"As you command, Dynasty Lord."
The guard headed towards Ricardo's room.
About twenty minutes later, as Orsman sat in his chair in the study, there was a knock at the door.
"Dynasty Lord, it's Ricardo. May I enter?"
Orsman replied in a light tone,
"Enter, Ricardo."
Ricardo opened the door and entered the room. He bowed his head, greeting his father respectfully.
"I greet the Dynasty Lord."
"Come, sit, Ricardo. There are a few matters I need to discuss with you."
Orsman pointed to a chair with his hand.
Ricardo sat in the chair, placed his hands on his knees, kept his back straight, and asked,
"What are the matters, Dynasty Lord?"
Orsman took a sip of his wine.
"A messenger came from the East. He said Devils have attacked the Eastern Territories."
Ricardo could not hide his surprise.
"Devils?"
Orsman answered,
"Yes. Matherlous, who serves as the Theology Master at the Blood Academy, deduced from the messenger's descriptions that those attacking the East are Devils."
Ricardo was trying to make sense of what he heard. He had never encountered such an event in his previous life. He only knew a few things from the Ancient holy scriptures.
"So, what will you do, Dynasty Lord?" asked Ricardo.
"I will campaign East again with 300 legions. I don't know how long this campaign will last, but until I return, you, as the Dynasty Heir, will rule the Western Territories, Ricardo."
Ricardo bowed his head.
"As you command, Dynasty Lord."
Orsman was impressed by his son's confident demeanor.
"To counter any potential attack on the Western Territories, I will leave 100 legions in the West. That means one million soldiers. Do you think you can control an army that large?"
Ricardo was hesitant. His head tilted slightly forward as he began to think inwardly.
"Frankly, I'm not sure. In my previous life as the Ancient Emperor, I didn't even have half a million soldiers, let alone a million. Wait a moment, why am I hesitating? In my previous life... let me see... a full 88 years of life and over 50 years of war experience. Can't I control a million soldiers?"
Ricardo stood up, then knelt. He had a confident and decisive posture.
"I can control them, Dynasty Lord. Trust your Heir."
Orsman was beginning to feel proud of his son.
"Look at those eyes and that attitude. That's my son," thought Orsman.
Orsman stood up.
"I trust you, my son. I believe that when we next meet, you will be stronger than you are now."
The duo sat back down at the table.
"Now, I will teach you Dark Magic, Ricardo. This power is a power possessed by everyone of Kislavein bloodline."
"The Dark Magic that II Arlous used to defeat the coalition army under II Garbilon Pleyciys, which consequently cursed the Kerbel Forest and turned it into a land of monstrous creatures?" asked Ricardo.
Orsman smiled.
"Yes. With this power, you will be able to defeat armies dozens of times larger than your own, Ricardo."
Until the day of the Eastern Campaign, Orsman gave Ricardo lessons about Dark Magic.
The Day of the Campaign
"Your intellect always impresses me, son. Learning all these complex topics about Dark Magic in such a short time is truly impressive."
Ricardo, with rising joy inside him, replied,
"I am grateful for your praise, Dynasty Lord."
Orsman stopped smiling. He looked at the three million soldiers waiting for him outside the palace.
"The great day has come. Let's see if these Devils are real or a lie."
"A feeling inside me says difficult days are coming, Dynasty Lord."
Orsman looked at his son.
"I have bad feelings too, my son. Let's hope these instincts of ours prove wrong."
Orsman left the palace. He needed to give an encouraging speech to his army. He raised his massive sword.
"VALIANT WARRIORS AND MAGES OF THE KISLAVEIN DYNASTY! THE EASTERN TERRITORIES UNDER OUR RULE ARE NOW INVADED! NO ONE CAN ATTACK THE LANDS WE GOVERN! WE ARE THE KISLAVEIN DYNASTY! THE DESCENDANTS OF THE ANCIENT EMPERORS! WE RULE! WE DO NOT SUBMIT!"
The Kislavein soldiers shouted in unison:
"LONG LIVE KISLAVEIN! LONG LIVE! LONG LIVE! LONG LIVE!"
And so, the 65th Lord of the Kislavein Dynasty, IV Orsman Kislavein, set out on his Second Eastern Campaign, and the Great War between the Westerners and the Devils began.