— Teriya's Thoughts Before Dawn —
Commander Teriya paced across the stone balcony, her boots clicking softly against the polished floor. The wind was brisk, but it did little to cool the heat of anger rising in her chest. The stars above Palledania shimmered coldly, as if mocking her.
She thought of the traitor they'd captured last night—and the shocking speech that followed. Never, not in her entire career, had she expected something like that from him. From Prince Veyron, of all people. The boy she had labeled as rude, impulsive, and far too brash for command.
"Where did this sudden calculation come from?" she muttered. "That wasn't a dumb prince talking yesterday. That was a leader."
But was it a one-time spark? Or the rise of something more?
---
— Scene Shift: Veyron's Chamber —
Prince Veyron stood at his window, arms folded, looking out over his private garden, the modest city below, and the mountain ranges hugging Palledania's outer borders. A deep silence sat in the room. Morning fog still veiled the rooftops like a ghostly tide.
His mind, however, was far from calm.
> "Assassins... I only have one. And enough budget for maybe one more—but even then, the quality would be average at best."
He tapped a finger against the window frame, thinking.
> "Poison the water? No. If I do that, they'll likely do the same."
> "Destroy the gunpowder stores? Maybe. Or... shove something inside their cannon barrels so that when they fire, the blast turns inward. Yes. That could work."
> "But what? What could dissolve slowly enough to survive the transport, yet be invisible to the eye?"
> "Resin. A slow-resolving resin. That might just do it... But where do I get that? Ugh. Later. Remember to figure that out."
He exhaled deeply.
> "I'm sure of it. They're being supplied cannons by someone else."
He closed his eyes, digging through the fragments of his medieval memories.
> "Truhflan. Their king... he's dumber than I was before the merge. During our submergence into one being... Wait, what am I saying?"
His eyes opened wide.
> "No. From now on, I won't call myself I. I will call myself WE. But not yet. Not until I've earned a real victory. AAAAAAHHHH… Again! Distracted! I need sleep."
He closed his eyes. Just a moment.
WISH GRANTED.
His eyes snapped open in the dream.
A voice—a deep, echoing one he recognized from before—spoke again:
"So your choice is to duel with trillions. But still, you have time."
The same emperor-like silhouette from before.
"So you remember me. Erase me from your memory."
Veyron shot upright in bed, heart pounding.
> "What is this... fear? I haven't felt this in years... Not even when falling from a wall did I feel this afraid."
That voice. Trillions. The message. The tension.
> "Wait... we don't have a scout! Did they trick me?! I'll send everyone to their deaths at this rate."
Frustration surged.
> "Leave it. Focus. I need a scout."
He rang a bell.
"Maid! Bring me the list of every soldier we have, with full details."
Two hours later, Veyron sat with the scrolls scattered across his desk. He read them one by one.
> "Some are decent. But none have the right skills for silent scouting."
His mind drifted back to the dream.
> "Wish granted," the voice had said. "But what wish? I didn't make a wish... Did I?"
Then he remembered. Yesterday. The cloning wish.
> "Wait... I didn't wish to clone myself. I remember thinking about cloning... a fly."
As if summoned, a buzz sounded by the window. A small insect fluttered near his hand.
> "Fly clone 1," Veyron whispered.
A deep, yet familiar voice replied immediately—inside his mind.
"I can see, just like you. I cannot speak out loud, but we are mind-linked. You can hear me this way."
Veyron froze.
> "Do you know anything about cloning?"
"No. I simply carry your exact consciousness. I analyze and speak as you would. And one more thing—I cannot betray you. I am bound by your will. And based on current conditions, I can act as your scout."
> "Of course. You are me."
"Correct. I am already en route toward Truhflan. You can see what I see and hear my thoughts in real-time."
> "Can we talk while you fly?"
**"Yes. And when I close my eye, you will see through mine."
> "Good. Let me know when you reach."
Veyron smiled faintly.
> "Maid. Summon the commanders for a meeting."
---
— War Council —
Eleven commanders gathered, including Teriya. The air in the war room was thick with tension. No one spoke at first.
One commander finally stepped forward.
"Your Highness... the scout has reached enemy territory. He will relay all intel within an hour. Until then, please assign an assassin. Let us prepare the next mission."
Teriya added, "But we haven't recruited any yet."
Veyron thought silently.
> "They don't trust me. They see me as the rude prince, the mindless royal who only has power—not strategy."
> "You won't assign an assassin? Fine."
He grimaced inwardly.
> "Damn. I didn't come up with any proper tactics today either..."
Someone asked, "Your Highness, shall we request Ms. Teriya's advice?"
"No," Veyron said. "First, let each of you offer a plan. Then Teriya. Then me."
That way, no one could say he ignored his officers.
An hour later, after many ideas were exchanged, Teriya stood and pointed to a large map on the table.
"The battlefield is mostly open land," she began. "There is one major wall—a tall, sturdy Palledanian wall that divides our land from Truhflan. It was destroyed in the last war and has only recently been rebuilt. But the cementing is still fresh. One or two concentrated cannon shots could crack it again."
She continued,
"Meanwhile, Truhflan's city walls are shorter but denser. Due to previous battles with us, they have three weak points: two left of the main gate, one to the right. There's a 400-meter neutral zone between our cities. Our continent's rules dictate that a captured city grants 200 meters of control beyond its walls, but no city can occupy more than 400 square meters."
Teriya glanced at the numbers.
Palledania:
1200 soldiers
500 fully equipped elite troops
4 slingshots
2 cannons
Truhflan:
1409 soldiers
600 elite troops (all soldiers armored)
1 slingshot
11 cannons + ample gunpowder
"So here's the plan," Teriya declared. "I will open weakly on purpose. We'll fire only slingshots—no cannons—for the first ten minutes."
Gasps erupted.
"I'll even pull back 200 troops, making it seem like we're overwhelmed. Then, I'll allow a scout messenger to be 'captured' with a forged plan stating that Palledania's wall will collapse with one more cannon hit."
She pointed at the spot.
"Their focus will shift. They'll waste all their shots trying to destroy our wall. But they don't know who rebuilt it. We used the famous Mr. Gfile's formula. It's stronger than anything they can throw at us."
Veyron didn't interrupt. This was the version of Teriya he respected—the one who carried the war on her shoulders while everyone thought he was too blunt and stupid to plan.
---
— The Fly Returns —
Fly Clone 1: "I've seen everything. Mind-link activated."
In an instant, images and sounds poured into Veyron's consciousness. Truhflan troops, weapon depots, cannon prep sites—it was all visible.
> "Perfect. Time for the next step."
---
— Mercenary Guild: Assassin Hunt —
Veyron strode into the Mercenary Guild. His eyes scanned a dozen killers for hire. He tried cloning one—no result. It didn't work on them.
Suddenly, the war drums sounded.
He cursed.
> "Too late."
He threw a pouch of gold on the table. "Twelve mercenaries. You're all hired. Follow my orders, and you'll live."
They nodded without question.
Veyron briefed them quickly and sent them off on a sabotage mission. Then he ran toward the ramparts.
Over the horizon, more than 1000 Truhflan soldiers marched forward, their armor glinting like dragon scales.
But something was wrong.
> "They're only sending 1250. Where are the rest?"
On the Truhflan wall, enemy banners waved. Archers and shield bearers watched in silence. Not all 1409 had marched.
Commander Teriya, now beside him, muttered, "Where's the rest of their army?"
No answer came.
But deep down, both of them knew: this war was only just beginning.
---
To be continued...