The battle raged on for the better part of the day until it began to taper off by evening. Not because there were no creatures left, but because the scent of death lingering around the fortress drove them to detour, following the mountain ranges to the north and south instead.
This shift left the problem to the nearby villages. Fortunately, since the villages were located on the mountains themselves, the risk of the stampede trampling their homes was slim.
The knights defending the fortress could already tell who would emerge victorious between their commander and the new duke. While they were relieved to survive the battle, they were even more deeply terrified of their leaders.
Alexander surveyed his side of the battlefield, where piles of corpses had accumulated from his relentless charges that often knocked enemies aside.
He had to admit he hadn't slain this many creatures since he became knight commander. The experience and rewards from this battle would be significant.
As for the bet? He was confident he had already won. There was no way his younger brother could match the combined strength of the army, especially since he was still a rank below him.
Alexander and his group jumped up to the fortress walls before heading inside to confirm with Bastion who had won their bet.
As he walked, however, he noticed the pitying glances from nearby soldiers. Something was wrong.
He hurried to the fortress to get a better view of Bastion's side of the battlefield, and found literal walls of corpses spread like ripples on water. It stretched far beyond the walls, reaching closer to the edge of the forest.
Just from a rough estimate of the volume, he could already tell he had lost. His battle had never strayed far from the walls, even as the mounds of corpses continued to grow. It was clear he had lost the bet and would have to obey his younger brother from now on.
-----
"It wasn't even close," Bastion said while looking at the magic contract between him and his brother.
Bastion's kill count was nearing a million, while his brother's had yet to reach two hundred thousand. It was clear that technology had decisively outmatched whatever methods Alexander employed.
"I knew that weapon was powerful but this is absurd!" Lilia exclaimed. "We wiped out an army on our own."
"That was nothing," Seraphina gloated. "We would have killed even more if Bastion's wall of corpses hadn't scared off the rest of the stampede."
Bastion and the girls returned to the fortress, where Alexander was directing the army in the cleanup. There were countless corpses to store and sell, which was a valuable bonus, so the soldiers were understandably eager.
Once Alexander noticed Bastion approaching, he immediately stopped and stood at attention, while the soldiers around him did the same.
"Alexander," Bastion greeted.
"My lord," he returned with a slight bow.
Bastion could have taken this time to chastise his brother in front of his soldiers for maximum humiliation, but it seemed he had become amenable with the contract in effect. Rather, it would be better to demonstrate his leadership qualities instead.
"Send Rank 1 and 2 beast blood, hide, and magic stones to me. The rest can be split between the army after this year's quota is fulfilled."
"It will be done, my lord."
"Good. Also, I want regular reports on this goblin tribe. I have a bad feeling about them and would like to nip this problem in the bud before it gets out of hand."
"Yes, my lord!"
"Carry on," Bastion said as he and the girls made their way out of the fortress.
Before he could leave, however, he could hear Flora and Fauna complaining loudly.
"I can't believe this!" Flora shouted, flinging her arms in the air. "All that boasting, and Alexander just stands there all submissive!"
Fauna stomped her foot. "I know! And don't get me started on the way he's bossing everyone around. Who does he think he is?"
Flora groaned dramatically. "I'm not doing another round of cleanup just because he can't manage his army properly. Not happening!"
Fauna huffed. "We're literally the only ones keeping this mess under control. And he just… watches. It's ridiculous."
Flora whined, leaning against the wall. "Honestly, someone should tell him he's not the only one who matters here!"
Fauna muttered, loud enough for Flora to hear, "And someone should teach him how to actually get things done without making us do all the hard work."
"I can hear you both just fine," Alexander said, visibly angry.
"Good," they shouted back.
Bastion chuckled at their little skit. He didn't regret losing both of them one bit. He had only ever considered marrying them because of how capable they were, but seeing them act so difficult now, he realized he had dodged a bullet.
"Those two seemed unique," Seraphina commented.
"They were at the top of my list because of how useful they are in battle."
"I think we can manage just fine without them."
"I agree."
"It's just a shame, though. They're so cute."
Bastion chuckled before focusing on the soldiers around him. He could see respect, and a hint of fear, in their eyes.
It was clear they were impressed with his capabilities and would likely support him as the new duke, or at least avoid openly complaining. They might even spread word of his achievements, potentially intimidating the other nobles into being more amenable to his policies.
-----
Bastion spent the following month handling paperwork before finally completing his duties as duke for the rest of the year. Most of his work involved approving projects that could impact the territory as a whole, including roads, walls, mines, logging, and major infrastructure changes.
The process shouldn't have even taken a month, but his recent accomplishments had forced the nobles to change their tune. They no longer complained about his policies and implemented them diligently.
In fact, they went so far as to schedule meetings with the primary objective of introducing him to their daughters for marriage.
Thus, Bastion left the decision-making entirely to Seraphina, who was more than happy to shop for additional harem members.
This arrangement worked out well for Bastion, allowing him to finally focus on his arts and skills as he worked toward his next rank.
He hadn't forgotten the Goddess's reward, but he was determined not to rely on it.
Besides, like Seraphina, he could treat this rank-up as an experiment, exploring his worst-case options for the next advancement.
As for Lilia, who was still at Apprentice Rank, she was in no hurry. She prioritized leveling up her skills with the goal of acquiring a powerful, damage-dealing mage class.
Her support and survivability were already top-notch. If she could obtain a class like Seraphina's, she would be set for life.
Still, focusing on her studies wasn't easy. Seraphina kept pestering her about officially joining the harem, making concentration a challenge.
They were in the library, which Lilia had claimed as her personal space since their arrival. There was a plethora of fascinating magic books to read, but the constant interruptions made it difficult for her to focus.
"When are you marrying Bastion?" Seraphina asked for the hundredth time this past month. "I've done all I can to delay the inevitable with these nobles. I don't think I can make them wait any longer."
"It's fine if Bastion marries others first. I don't mind," Lilia replied. "Besides, like I've said a hundred times, I want to reach Rank 1 before marrying Bastion."
"You should at least consider having sex with him already," Seraphina insisted. "The tension between you two is killing me."
Lilia sighed and returned to her book.
In all honesty, she wanted to join the harem badly, but she felt she hadn't contributed enough to earn her place among them. After all, she was still receiving a salary, unlike Seraphina, who was bringing money into the group, or Elyra, who had practically become Bastion's familiar by this point.
What right did she have to join this group of remarkable people?
Bastion and Seraphina were rich and powerful heroes, while Elyra was likely the most useful member of the group.
And what about her?
Bastion hadn't asked for her help with magic circuits even once, not even when they were still at school. Now, when he should have been requesting her expertise for enchanting and creating magic circles, he had been too busy managing his duties as duke.
Thus, to prove her worth, she promised herself that she would marry Bastion once she attained a useful class at Rank 1. At the very least, it would ease her feelings of insecurity.
Over the next half-year, Seraphina continued to repel Bastion's harem candidates, citing their lack of capability. She even had to reject her favorite among the girls for Lilia's sake.
She wasn't cruel enough to simply shrug off Lilia's feelings for the sake of random people.
This gave Bastion enough time to finally reach level 3 in all of his important arts and skills, which meant he was finally ready for his rank up.
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